Healthy Living

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Make it Shine!

I’ve been aiming of making mirrors cleaner but of course, I don’t know the ingredients so I asked the help of the net. And this is what about.com gave me.

Ingredients
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar

Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with national brands. This can also be used to give a nice shine to hard tiles, chrome, and other surfaces.

And this from newfluwiki:

Window cleaner

½ tsp liquid soap,
3 tbs vinegar,
2 cups water,
spray bottle.

Combine the ingredients and put them in the spray bottle. Use like any window cleaner. Tip:Use newspaper to dry your windows. It's cheaper than paper towels and it leaves windows shiny and streak free.

I might give this a try on weekend but my problem is, I haven’t seen a rubbing alcohol here. Things that make you, hummmm!

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---------------oOo--------------- Up and Down

Jens and I sang some song before his bedtime last night. We started on the Alphabet Song and followed by The Wheels on the Bus (not really sure that’s the title of the song). I was surprised when he stood up on the bed and bent his knees making up and down motions. And I was still in the “The wheels on the bus go round and round” line. But I knew that he is making the action for “the people in the bus go up and down, up and down”.

Oh, I just love my Bubby boy! I have received comments that he is very clever in mimicking actions. He really made his Mummy proud.

On another note, I always see babies with fat rolls but my Jens hasn’t got any. But of course, that doesn’t mean that he is not healthy. He is actually very healthy in our eyes as he has muscles on his arms and thighs. And I know the reason of the absence of fat rolls, he is a breastfed baby, that is. Yet, he has a big fat belly (we’ve been calling that since he was a baby). He has a rubbish guts – stuffed his face until he is full and then store them inside his cheeks. Then when he sees something more interesting or something that he knew is sweet, he’ll chuck-up what’s inside his cheeks.

In short, he just loves food. I realised now, his day is made up of 50% eating, 15% sleeping and 35% playing. I just hope he won’t take this habit until his teenage life or yellow bullets would come into the picture. :)

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Thursday, 23 October 2008

"Peanuts" bow

I'm munching on boiled peanuts now. Humm, sounds a healthy choice for a snack, right? (I won't be needing an orovo diet pill). Not really. I eat them with cola. I just had a piece of pizza subs. It's almost lunch here.

Anyway, I have a small trivia about peanuts. They are not actually nuts as nuts grow on trees. They are legumes belonging to the pea and beans family. Interesting, right? I reckon, they are root crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, etc.. as they grow from roots. What do you think?

Also, here are some health benefits of peanuts from hubpages.com

Whole peanuts contains high amount of protein, which makes it a preferred diet of those people engaged in body-building and those people who are weak and underweight. The raw peanut butter with crushed skin contains much higher amounts of nutrient than refined "nut-only" butter.
Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries.
Peanuts contain high concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid. Roasting peanuts increases its p-coumaric acid levels, boosting it overall antioxidant content by as much as 22%. Roasted peanuts rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets.
Unsalted peanuts are good for your arteries. One quarter cup of peanuts contains as much monunsaturated fat as a tablespoon of olive oil. Monounsaturated fats have been shown to lower blood cholesterol.
Peanuts' high niacin content helps in the recovery of cell damage provides protection against Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive problem.
Peanut contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that is shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Peanut contain iron which is essential for the correct functioning of red blood cells.
Peanut is rich in calcium which helps promotes healthy bones.
Peanut has higher bioflavonoid resveratrol content than grapes. This bioflavonoid is believed to improve blood flow in the brain by as much as 30%, thus greatly reducing the risk of stroke. Study showed that by adding even small amounts of peanut products to the diet can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by 14%.
Peanuts' fiber content helps lower the risk of colon cancer, an ounce of peanuts contains 2 grams of fiber.
Peanut helps to accelerate the growth of male and female hormones.

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---------------oOo--------------- Cooking Recipes

My mother-in-law gave me a recipe book.

I’m not so interested in it because most of the recipes are for sauces, snacks, etc. Maybe the part 1 of this book is what I am looking for.

Well, anyway... I’ve printed recipes off the net and put them in the transparent folder. I got that idea from a fellow blogger. I saved lots of recipes but actually didn’t print them all as I am not going to cook them all either. I’ll just wear our printer out plus use up all the ink.

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Saturday, 11 October 2008

For Tea Lovers

Drinking tea has so many health benefits. Each has varying effects. This fact is known to man for a long time.

Drinking tea has been a habit for some country. Here in down under for example, people drink tea in the morning, afternoon and night. It’s a beverage. Snack is called tea – morning tea, afternoon tea, tea. Cakes have tea in their name – apple tea cake, carrot tea cake, toffee and caramel tea cake, etc.

I haven’t embraced this tea drinking habit yet. I do drink coffee in moderation.

Some drink tea for weight loss reason. Some because of the antioxidants.

Here are some facts from lifestylechannel.com.au.

Tea and Health
The therapeutic benefits of tea have long been recognised. The Ancient Greeks used tea to treat colds and asthma, while the Chinese have been drinking tea to aid digestion, increase alertness and improve physical and mental performance for thousands of years.

More recently, published scientific research has confirmed that both black and green teas have health promoting properties. Tea is rich in flavonoids, substances with powerful antioxidant properties. The antioxidants are similar to those found in fruit, vegetables and red wine. These appear to help the body fight harmful 'free radicals' which can advance ageing, work against the immune system and play a major role in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Studies have shown that flavonoids in tea can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels and may halve the risk of heart attack by reducing blood clotting and cholesterol. People who drink one or more cups of tea a day have half the risk of heart attack in people who don't drink it, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology and The Lancet.

Tea consumption may also have beneficial effects in reducing cancer risk. One study published in the International Journal of Cancer, indicated that men who drink between 2-3 cups of black tea per day reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer by up to 30% compared to non-tea drinkers.

Drinking tea may have a role to play in dental health. A 1991 British study suggested that tea drinking could provide some children with enough fluoride to prevent tooth decay. The study also suggested that drinking tea decreases plaque, the scale caused by mouth bacteria that leads to gum disease.

Black tea may protect against the development of skin cancers caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation according to research with mice at the CSIRO in Adelaide. The latest research with mice found those given tea (with milk) experienced a reduction in the development of skin cancer of 50 percent and a reduction in the development of papillomas of 70 per cent.

It is not only the flavonoid content of tea that makes it good for us. Tea is also an excellent source of important nutrients such as manganese (essential for bone growth), potassium (vital for maintaining fluid levels in the body) and zinc (essential for growth and development). Research also suggests that drinking tea produces mild antibiotic actions in the gut, which offer protection against harmful bacteria and possibly cancer of the colon.

So sit back and relax in your modern furniture and have a cuppa. :)

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Monday, 6 October 2008

Breaking the Fast

These days my usual breakfast would be a piece of toast and a cup of coffee. Anything other than that happens not too often. It's the only I can prepare in so little time I have in the morning. It's entirely my fault though. I usually slept in so I don't have ample time in my hands to construct something sumptous. I miss the typical Pinoy breakfast.

A piece of bread can't last me long. If I have the change I could gobble a snack bar, a piece or two of apples and some chocolate bar before lunch. I don't want to resort to energy pills to replenish my strength. But really I home and wish of a very simple yet appetising meals plus enough time to enjoy it.

How about you? What is your sustenance in the morning?

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Sunday, 5 October 2008

Spidey Lady

There are lots of spiders in the building around our place. They are pretty much annoying because when you walk in the dard, there's a big chance of you going through their webs. They are just not your ordinary small spiders. Some are really big, they look scary. Who knows if they are poisonous or not. I used to get a long stick and wound their webs on it and eventually wound the spiders in it. It was effective. I could build a big ball of webs at the end of each stick. Anyway, if I'd known then that we could use spider traps, I shouldn't have bothered. But it was hardwork well paid off. We got rid of some of the spidey and no money spent.

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Thursday, 2 October 2008

Security

In our side of the world, you can use your life insurance as collateral for the mortgage of your house – obviously it is called, mortgage life insurance. Apparently, you have to take out a big life insurance if you’re house is dear – big premium follows.

Also here, you can have a life insurance from your Superannuation. The downside of this though is, your super is not growing or moving at all because the growth might just be equivalent to the life insurance premium. Especially in times like what we are now, the economy is moving slow and the stock market is moving down, super is likely not moving at all.

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Wednesday, 1 October 2008

Bag-ful of Wishes

My ever active mind has been shopping again. But I’m not really spending some moolah, just my time and effort which I reckon were well spent.

Some additions to my wish list (can't download the photos of the bags that I love. waaaa!).

It’s my first time to hear Ju Ju Be bags. But boy, I’m impressed. I like their style. Lookie. So apt for the weather here. I love colours! Summer.

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---------------oOo--------------- Routines

The Tatapilla’s mind is like a computer memory. It is programmed. When his Dad put him in the car in the afternoon to pick me up, he doesn’t whine. But when I am there, right when we open the door he starts making rowdy noises. Just for a bickie. Yes, his mind and belly is programmed that he will have bickie when I get in the car. Just in the afternoon. It doesn’t happen in any time of the day. It just took a couple of days of me giving him something to eat when I get in the car for him to remember that yes, Mummy has something for me in the afternoon.

Well, babies remember routines very easily anyway. And they love routine. It makes them feel secure.

And yeah, he knows where the bickies in the car are. His hands and eyes sometimes stray in the secret location.

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