Natural Power

Yes, that's rite, the food which all couples avoid before kissing is actually one of the main ingredient to boost up that testosterone level and lower your fats enemies. Garlic is known to lower your blood pressure by boosting levels of nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, which increase the diameter of blood vessels to reduce the blood pressure. In which, more blood and nutrients will be pump into the muscles and therefore, it is recommended to take garlic before workout. In short, It means bigger thicker muscles...

so now don't go vamp and avoid these treasures of the bodybuilding world.

Oiling all the way down .... to your tummy

Gosh, you know, if you google bout cooking oil, there is no "agreed upon" statements.. something which is very frustrating indeed for us who does our research before we buy what we put into our mouth.. I was holding onto my phone with "Opera Mini" on with numerous tabs on "cooking oils" such as Canola Oil, Sunflower seed oil, corn oil... etc. and the attendant was watching with the eye of an eagle probably suspecting me as a shoplifter who's pretending to hover around till no one's around. Come on, I didn't have a bag with me that time.. don't think i can stuff any cooking oil bottle into my pants and tell em I have a huge package.... ish....

anyways, there is no such thing as a safe cooking oil as most of the oil would release a certain waste which is harmful to our body under high heat. So lesson learnt. Be it Olive Oil, Peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, corn, almond... etc.... Never cook it under Extreme high heat so that means no frying at all.

Something funny though, which reading on articles regarding Canola Oil, some researcher actually mentioned that canola oil is not actually as healthy as it's claimed... but on other logs, its rated 2nd to olive oil. so who is telling the truth? well, I bought a very crystal clear sunflower seed oil which is high in mono and poly fats and very low in saturated fats. Sunflower seed oil is one of the all time favourite oil because it contains high omega 6 and even vitamin e. The ratio of Omega 3 & 6 in the oil is at 1:2. and according to all those logs, omega 3 is not very suitable for cooking under high heat because under those conditions, omega 3 would be damaged and in turn become toxic which is cancer causing. So be careful. I may look like an idiot reading numerous article in front of the item on my phone. but I'm going to benefit from it and no one else once i consume it... so who cares what others think..

another thing which is still in doubt is the log saying Butter is healthy... well at least healthier than Margarine which contains lots of unsaturated fats. But all these while, I've always considered Butter to be a tummy killer due to the amount of fats content... unless i can find a fat free or reduced fat butter... it's not on my list.

So practice moderations as fats will always be fats no matter how healthy it is according to the charts... play it safe...

Feeling Corny?

Whoa! POP CORN??? YUMMY?!! Am I sure?...... emm...

HELL YEAH!!

hahaha.... well, a lot of people consider popcorns as comfort food which is far from anything healthy.. well, it is comfort food but rather preparation is very important to either make it healthy o not.

Popcorn has been misjudged for many decades least centuries.. well, at least since it was found. Probably due to all the misguidance from the western movies we watched visibly showing how obese boys chowing ton and tons of popcorns in front of their tv or in the cinemas? probably... but popcorn itself is a healthy snack choice. It's a healthy whole grain choice which contains tons of fibers and merely just 93 calories with less than 1.5 gms of fat for a standard air-popped 3 cups serving without any other ingredients.

but unfortunately, society today would not risk their taste buds for anything less than tasty to enter the gateway to their heart. Ingredients such as caramel, sugar, butter... etc have been added to taste as well as fats and calories. Need I say more the next time you visit a cinema.. you know what to do... Usually I either sneak my own snacks if the confectionery in the cinema lacks of the choice.... (will be discussed in the next log) Sorry Cinema owners, but if only you have healthier selections other than the carbonated sugary drinks and those fatty and high calories snacks, probably the health conscious crowd would let you earn their hard earn cash.

Well, new research has found out that popcorns has got large level of health-boosting antioxidants called "polyphenols" Polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

So I'd say "POP that CORN but CORN it NATURALLY"

Health is a lifestyle! not a luxury

Living in this work orientated, money chasing and busy era a lot of us are given the rights to procrastinate and reasons to not exercise... or is that so? You can't reason your way out of health that's for sure. After a while, everything will surface. Visually is the first sign. with fatigue look, droopy eyes, thick eye bags, dark eye circles... etc.. then health kicks in. with more frequent visits to the clinics, pharmacies, feeling more and more tired daily, aching starts to be a part of a daily routine.... etc. Are your going to procrastinate until all this symptoms becomes a part of your life? Irritating you each time when you want to do something which you can easily accomplish few years back? Trust me, after 4 years working as a freelancer with ample time to hit the gyms and workout and 8mths of unemployment to have every minute dedicated to working out, it took me a while to get used to the working life while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Especially when everyone at work eats the worldly way. hahaha. I was struggling initially until I finally settled down with the office life... emm... well, working society lifestyle and got right back on the track. I prepacked all my food. Here's a breakdown of my daily timetable 5:00am - wake up to have my 1st breakfast 5:10am - workout 5:50am - 2nd breakfast 7:30am - 3rd breakfast 10:00am - snack 12:00pm - lunch 3:00 pm - snack 5:00 pm - snack 5:15 pm - workout 6:00 pm - dinner 9:00pm - supper Whoa!! everyone's common expression. How did I slot in my snacks at work? hahaha.... in the washroom tat is. Not that hygienic but I'm not eating out of the toilet bowl, am I? but it does take a few days to get used to it and to overcome the feeling of depression being confined to eating in the washroom.. hahaha... things i do for health! sheesh.. I don't eat out much but when i do, i choose the right kinda food. I mean, you don't have to restrain yourself from McDonalds or even Kentucky Fried Chicken and even Pizza Huts. Just know what to choose. I usually take a lot of veges. How do you choose? well, for veges, always try to find non greasy or gravy selections. Some veges can be very fatty due to the way its cooked and the ingredients. A lot of people likes to used oyster sauce and other tasty sauces but all these will only add to more carbs and calories. What bout meat? I usually choose steam skinless chicken breast with no sauce added. It's less tasty but its healthier. Try to go for the breast more than the other parts even when you are in a fast food chain restaurant. That way you minimized the amount of fats and carbs. GO SKINLESS!! So I say fast food isn't all that bad? Yeah! you can eat fast food and yet lose weight. But be logical in your choice. If i'm in McDonalds' I usually don't order the carbonated drinks and fries. A Big Mac is all good but if your attendant in the restaurant is a nice guy, you can actually ask em to leave the mayo out. Beef is a great source of protein and creatine. the BREAD? hahaha.. what can 2 slice of palm size bread do to you if you don't take it everyday? and you have the salad selections where you they don't mix the dressings together. Just return the dressings :) KFC? oh yeah, Original only and chicken breast. Peel those tasty, greasy, juicy delicious skins away and leave it by the side of the plate. Never go for Coleslaw cause its high in fats from the mayo.. you see, you don't have to deprive yourselves from comfort food, just be reasonable and don't consume it too often... Eat healthy, stay healthy and stay true :)

Protein from the SEA

Super Food to fuel up your muscles. Fish is one of the highest quality which contains sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids required by the body for growth and maintenance of lean muscle tissue. Along with it's natural source of GOOD FATS... yes... FATS ... hahaha.... try not to fry it so you only have the good fats. I love my fish steam.. but living here in the Borneo Island we get a lot of fresh fish.. as long as you know where to buy and how to choose nothing could go wrong...

well, the fats in fish is being listed as MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) the fats which helps your to burn fats. well, I think i've explained it earlier in some of my other logs but in summary, MUFA boost up your metabolism so your body becomes a wok to fry those unwanted fats.... so if you are looking to slimdown or just tone up, Fish is the way.. well, not everyday... even i would puke... wait... probably not.. iv been eating the same meals everyday for the past 3 years when i was in KL... hahaha.....

but as always, nothing is every perfect.. these super food can be poisonous as well... im not talking bout the puffer fish... but due to the contamination of mercury in the deep sea... in very minimal level, we are at risk as well if we consume too much of this hidden treasure. but wait, everyone knows that Japanese eats a lot of seafood and a lot of them live till old age... so how come these theories don't work on them? have you ever notice the favorite drink in every japanese restaurant? hahaha.... i pretty much figure that Japanese drink lots of green tea. Iv read somewhere that the substance in Green Tea actually neutralize the poisonous Mercury in fish as we consume them together.. i don't mean cooking the fish in green tea... although, its not a bad idea :P and not dipping your fish in the tea either.. hahaha... have the green wonder around the table each time u are eating fish.. take sips.. trust me... you won't regret lowering the risk of mercury poisoning while adding extra grams of protein to feed your muscles...

GO GREEN!