To all my friends, readers and visitors,

I would like to thank you for your support and words of encouragement. I enjoyed your camaraderie ever since I started to blog at Diet Info Care in July 2007.

Diet Info Care greatly believes that food and drinks you put into your body has a profound impact on your overall health. It is important to start with a proper balanced diet for being healthy is vital for good health helps us to recover faster be it for our mind, body or soul.

Therefore, my biggest wish is for everyone to have good health and be in high spirits always! So let’s begin our journey to better health with Diet Info Care in 2008!

This question was raised by a concerned reader in the national newspaper’s forum recently. The reader is very wary about the negative effects of breeding and consuming farmed or cultured fish in our diet.

(More reading, click on image)

As we all know farmed or cultured fish are bred in crammed and dirty cages thus supplying inadequate oxygen to the fish. In this overcrowding environment, fish would therefore, be prone to stress, infections and sickness. In 1999, millions of fish had to be destroyed when there was an outbreak of infectious salmon anemia in Scotland.
Besides being densely packed, farmed fish attracts sea lice and also those that escaped from the cages would infect healthy wild fish.
Antibiotics and vaccines would be administered to this farmed fish to counter infections, diseases and premature death. Furthermore, when they are killed and cooked, the vaccines and antibiotics will still remain in their flesh!
Not only that, farmed fish also have a much higher level of unhealthy fats so where do you think this fats go to when they are eaten.

Even fishmeal made from industrial-catch fish has been known to be tainted with chemicals which are cancer-causing substances and pollutants and this are being fed to farmed fish. Like in 2002, a well-known pesticide DDT and other toxic chemicals have been found in various farmed fish and prawns by the Veterinary Medicines Director of England.

The ecosystem is also damaged by these fish and shrimp farms because in these highly concentrated farms, a huge amount of waste from uneaten feeds, faeces and discharge are produced. This affects the salinity of the surrounding water,land and the various living organisms.

So how do we check if the fish in the fresh market or supermarket is farmed and is safe to consume? At the moment, I will only know whether am eating farmed prawns or not through their having a metallic taste and there is a certain kind of ‘odour’ in the flesh!

Since my last post on my caffeine experienced, a couple of my friends that I met up today, asked me what about drinking tea then?

Tea, I later found is a safer choice for me if I want something hot to drink and a pick-me up. Again which type of tea is taken into consideration. Presently, there are two types of tea I am taking…English Breakfast tea with rice milk or milk and macha green tea.

Since I change to drinking tea, I found I prefer to use loose tea leaves than tea bags. Part of the reason was I found that the tea bags has a sort of bitter chemical taste and was put off by the rusty like colouring floating on my milk. The other reason was I didn’t like the tea after a hot wash for there was no tea taste and flavour.

Sometimes it makes me wonder if these tea bags in the market are using inferior tea leaves because they are so broken up in tiny bits and pieces, and not only that, if the bags used are bleached. I don’t see it with the loose tea leaves and I get a kick when I see the tea leaves swell and open up in my tea pot, at the same time you can also sense the flavour and fragrancy of the tea leaves. I feel I’m drinking real tea as it tastes so much better and I don’t even need to add sugar!
Anyway, I have been wondering if tea bag tea releases more caffeine because the tea leaves have been cut up? Does anyone have any idea?

Many people especially women are looking for easy ways of weight loss. A large proportion of them start soup diet. In doing so, they rely on low fats soup all day. In addition to this, the south beach diet, developed by Miami is very effective for cardiac patients. Other than this you can even take black tea without milk. It burns fats and is also liked by many people.

I suppose it is better to learn to moderate our intake so it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place. Sometimes, the best life hack is to hack yourself first :)! If really there isn’t an option, might as well learn to skip it entirely…but can I?

Why whole grain is preferred in your diet?
Whole grain is an important source for natural fibre, minerals, vitamins, phyto-oestrogens, antioxidants and other components and is also low in saturated fatty acids. The highest concentration of nutrients is located in the germ and bran layer though they are not distributed uniformly.

The three components that make a kernel are:
=>> Bran: rich in B vitamins, phytonutrients (flavonoids, indoles), fibre, minerals; small amount of protein
=>> Endosperm: predominantly carbohydrate, also proteins, small amounts of B vitamins
=>> Germ: rich in minerals like iron and zinc, B vitamins, phytonutrients and vitamin E

So what is natural fibre that we see in some of the products’ labellings?
Natural fibre means the edible parts of a plant that can not be digested or absorbed in the small intestine. It is normally found in whole grain products like bran and oat bran cereals, whole and mixed grain breads or wholegrain breakfast cereals.

Natural fibre is divided into two classes known as soluble and insoluble fibre:
=>>Soluble fibre supposed to slow digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and therefore help people with diabetes and high blood cholesterol levels improve thus control their blood glucose and blood lipid levels. Whole grain products provide 20-50 % of their fibre in the soluble (or viscous) form.
Soluble fibre is found in oats, barley, rye, fruits, vegetables and pulses.
=>>Insoluble fibre found in whole grain cereals and wholemeal bread which is important for bowel function and regularity.

And so please note that products with labels like multi grain, cracked wheat, seven grain, stone-ground, 100 percent wheat, enriched flour and processed cornmeal are not considered whole grain food.

Refined grains means they have gone through the process of being milled to remove the bran and germ. This is done to give the grains a finer texture and prolong shelf life of the products. The disadvantage is the natural fiber, iron, and many B vitamins have been removed, examples like white flour, white bread, white rice and cornmeal.

Most refined grain products have to be added back with B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron after processing which is known as ‘enriched’, but fiber is left out and this makes carbohydrates turn into glucose very fast and enter the blood stream which is why diabetics have to be watchful with their diet. If the fiber is intact, it would regulate the blood sugar as carbohydrates are not absorbed quickly.
Also, you won’t feel hungry quickly and this is ideal for maintaining a healthy weight.

It is advisable to check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word ‘enriched’ is included next to the grain name. Note that there are some food products being made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains too.

It is also noted that whole-grain cereals have three to seven times more fiber to a serving than refined cereals. Do keep in mind to include whole grain products in your diet because of the whole package of nutrients contained from the whole grain kernel!

I have just read today’s newspapers and found it very amusing to read the headline blast ‘S’poreans fear mental patients, study finds’. It triggered my memory of those days so long ago. I remembered very well when my family were staying quite near a mental home which was separated by some dense trees. The maids that my family had at that time, would frightened us with stories of ‘mad’ people coming after us whenever we get too naughty. Most of the time we didn’t hear anything from the home but once in a while we would hear screams from there. I remembered my siblings and I would get very scared whenever we passed by the mental home. Of course, by now we know better but I have still come across people who are still ignorant and therefore I fully agree that mental health professionals should work with the media to educate the public.

So here’s The Myths and Facts about mental illness by Chang Ai-Lien

>>Myth: Getting over disorders such as depression and anxiety is a matter of willpower
>>Fact: Pyschiatric disorders are legimate medical illnesses, just like heart disease or cancer. Most experts agree such disorders have physical causes, and the symptoms are caused by chemical changes in the brain.

>>Myth: Mentally ill people are dangerous
>>Fact: Most mental patients are not violent. In fact, those undergoing treatment are no more likely yo be violent than anyone else. However, other conditions such as alcoholism, drug abuse and having been a victim of child abuse increase the risk of violence.

>>Myth: Mental illness should be hidden as it cannot be treated
>>Fact: Even serious mental illness such as schizophrenia can be treated with professional help and medicine. As with many illnesses, the earlier it is spotted and treated, the better the chances of recovery.

>>Myth: Children do not get mental illness
>>Fact: Mental problems affect one in eight children aged six to twelve here. They affect one in four adults. And among those aged sixty and above, 5.6% are hit by dementia.

>>Myth: Medications to treat mental illnesses are addictive
>>Fact: While some sleeping pills can be addictive, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics to treat say, schizophrenia or manic depression, are not, and they help restore normal functioning.

>>Myth: Only mentally ill people see psychiatrists
>>Fact: Sometimes, people just need professional help to solve their problems

Like what Professor Chong Siow Ann had said, public education is needed to help remove the stigma and stereotyping of mental health related issues and we have to address these concerns as soon as possible.

Dr. James D. Lane from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Duke University Medical Center released his findings and stated, “The body acts like it is continuously under stress. If your work day is already stressful, you can take control of it by reducing caffeine. Coffee may temporarily help someone through a work day, but in the long term, heavy coffee drinkers may be damaging their blood vessels or weakening their immune system.”

I drink coffee very, very occasionally now but I still remember the time when I had a hard time weaning off coffee.That was when I learned that my migraines were triggered by the caffeine from coffee. I used to drink about three cups a day, ok…, sometimes more, and I thought it wasn’t much at that time…. when especially it was a must have to start the day going. I was so addicted that if I didn’t have my first cuppa drink by a certain time, I would be moody and headachy, and biting somebody’s poor head off!
The day when I learned that my migraines have started to get worst and in need of more morphine treatment, I decided to quit coffee drinking, that made my GP happy alright. I remembered the terrible effects on me, I had the withdrawal symptoms; blinding headaches, brain fog, depressed, irritable, moody and the feeling of being lousy, to treat all these, I was given more drugs to help me through.

Doctors lay great emphasis on diets considering the non- nutritous food available in markets these days. Fast food and cheese items lead to fat and chubby bodies. Then people try to loose some weight. For this they may use hydroxycut. However if does not suit you, you can even use xenadrine. Other than this, the diet recommended to diabetic patients is known as diabetic diet. It is basically low in fat and high in dietary fiber. For dieting you can even take black coffee. However, the caffeine present in it may affect you as you are not taking any healthy food item. It may cause weakness and you may feel dizzy.

In those days, we have never even heard of detox and we didn’t have the means of reading research papers. With migraines, people used to make comments that it is all in the head…how ignorant people can get.

Now we realize and know what caffeine effects could do to our body:
=> It gives our body STRESS because it stimulates the adrenal glands to produce the classic “fight or flight” syndrome.
=> It is a DIURETIC so your calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and trace minerals, all essential elements necessary for good health are excreted through urine.
=> It DEHYDRATES you and so don’t forget to drink plenty of water
=> It RAISES your cholesterol, homocysteine, increases heart rate therefore elevate blood pressure, gives palpitations
=> It is highly ACIDIC and acidity is a problem in many conditions such as acid reflux, ulcers, and chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
=> Coffee is an IRRITANT to the bowel and the urinary tract causing problems for people who suffer from various conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome, and Interstitial Cystitis.
=> It INHIBITS absorption of some nutrients
=> A recent study has shown that coffee drinking is associated with raising inflammatory markers that are implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease.

By the way, don’t even think of drinking decaffeinated coffee. Its worst! Do you know that to decaffeinate they have to use a chemical called methylene chloride, a solvent used in the paint industry. Although the residue of this chemical is only in trace amounts, it seems to have an effect on the health of sensitive individuals.

But then life is short and the last couple of years, I have started to indulge myself a cuppa once in a blue, blue moon….the feeling?…EXHILARATING!!!

I attended the 3-day Internet Marketing Incubator 2 or IMI2 event at the Singapore Expo last weekend where there were about 400 to 500 attendees. There were about 16 speakers lined up, majority of them were foreigners, where besides pitching their products, they also gave out very good tips on how to be successful in internet marketing. I was most impressed with John Childers and Dr Mel Gill when they came on stage, they were awesome and I even managed to get Dr Gill’s CD on ‘The Wealth Accelerator’.

After the event ended, I decided to pop into Metro and checked what sales they have put on, seeing so many people buying especially the bedding stuff. Never seen so many different brands of standard pillows on sale that I thought of walking out, when one of the carts that displayed Gingko Pillow caught my attention. For many years I have had problems with pillows, either it is too soft or too hard, feather down, latex, foam, whatever material there is, I have tried and must have spent a fortune over the years for my head to rest. So imagine to my delight I have finally found a pillow that is shaped to support my head comfortably for the many nights to come.

Besides that, they have put gingko leaves on both sides of the pillow claiming the benefits of their properties, maybe partly for their marketing gimmick but to me, the importance is the support of the pillow that have the best cut. As we all know…to sleep in comfort with good support is one of the main priorities as it would greatly affect our overall health. So imagine, my past two nights’ sleep was heavenly and I did get to smell those gingko leaves. It helped or not, that am not too sure yet.

Amongst the vitamin world, many are important for health. Especially vitamin C is the most useful one. In addition to this niacin which is basically vitamin B3 plays important role in energy metabolism in the living cell. Blogging will provide you more information on this topic. The most interesting thing is that you will get to know people’s real experiences, not stories as in books.

Just ended my one day mono-diet detox today, for lately I have been feeling lethargic and body aches all over, and worst, getting so lazy that I feel my brains have been fried! I supposed when one is away from home, the challenge of watching your food intake gets fly out of the window….

Anyway, I haven’t done detoxing for quite sometime which is normally a three-day regime, but when I am lazy I just do the one day detox on a mono-diet. So since my return last weekend, I have been cutting down my intake of food in preparation for today’s detox.

Actually, this is a good introduction for those who just wants to do a quickie detox as you won’t experience any dramatic side-effects but a positive effect on your well-being after. Well, there’s no harm in giving it a try is there? Have to start somewhere….

All sorts of information on dietary supplements can be searched for on the internet. An effective medicine used to loose weight is hydroxycut. Serenoa also known as saw palmetto is one of the very useful species in this regard. Some people do mono-diet detox. In this way they eat raw fruits and vegetables with plenty of water which has abundance of vitamins, minerals and powerful cleansing effects on your body.

Going on a mono-diet detox means you choose one type of your favourite raw fruit or vegetable that you won’t mind eating it the whole day and plenty of water, filtered if possible. Raw fruits and vegetables are ideal for detox because of the abundance of vitamins, minerals and fibre and also their powerful cleansing effects on the body. Besides giving the digestive system an opportunity to rest, the stored toxins in the liver gets the chance to be eliminated too.

For today’s detox, I have chosen organic apples… bought a bag of 12 for $6.80 from my local supermarket the day before, standby 2 litres of filtered water and my favourite herbal tea from Dr Stuart’s Botanical Teas. I chose organic apples because of its natural sweetness, smooth firm texture and with enough moisture unlike some apples which tend to be too crunchy with a metallic taste and dry.

Pre-detox day, I had blanched broccolis and cauliflower with chopped almonds sizzled with some olive oil and wheat germ for lunch, dates for my snack and a bowl of clear chicken soup with mushrooms for dinner. Oh, upon waking up, I had my normal drink of lemon juice water. Then after an hour or so, for breakfast…I had oats with raw honey and yoghurt. Throughout the day, I just top up with water to keep myself hydrate and at the same time to kickstart the toxins.

So today, I had my usual lemon juice drink, did about a 30 minute stretching exercises including the swiss ball. Had a shower and munched two apples for breakfast, decided to tidy up my bookcase and later in the morning I had two more apples. Had a slow lunch….munching three apples and then took a short nap. In the later part of the afternoon, had an apple and a cup of herbal tea. Did some work on the internet and another round of apples for my dinner. All this while, sipping filtered water throughout the day.

As I blog now I have just snacked my last apple for the day. After this, going for my dry skin scrub before showering. How time flies huh….? Should I continue tomorrow? Nah…got a seminar to go to. Looks like I am REJUVENATED already!!!