Seaweed - Not as weedy as it looks
Friday, November 18, 2011 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments

Seaweed is popular in Asian cuisine, especially Japanese cuisine. It's widespread usage in Japanese meals may account for the Japanese people's long lifespans and good skin.

You must be wondering how that frumpy thin piece of weed-like substance is so good. Seaweed grows in the ocean, where it picks up a range of minerals and other nutrients. It is non-complex, making it easy for the body to break down and release the minerals and nutrients inside. Seaweed also has no fat or other unhealthy component. It is usually prepared without any oils.

How eating seaweed benefits you!
  • Seaweed can help control your appetite– Seaweed is low in fat but packed with soluble fibre, which helps control blood sugar levels and keeps your bowels moving. The fibre can help you feel full on very few calories.
  • It's chock-full of vitamins and minerals – Seaweed is a great source of vitamins A, C, E, K and B vitamins. It's also rich in minerals, including iodine, selenium, calcium and iron.
  • Lowers cholesterol – Seaweed helps block fat absorption so it increases weight loss.
  • Better skin – Seaweed contains methionine and cysteine-rich in algae so it can prevent skin drying, often fresh or dry skin rich luster and oily skin may improve oil secretion.
  • Increases immunity against some types of illnesses – The protein extract of seaweed polysaccharides boost immunity against various viruses.
The optimal diet focuses on a variety of fruits and vegetables. Since seaweed grows in the ocean, it contains certain vitamins and minerals that aren’t even available in land-grown vegetables. This extra variety makes seaweed a good food to mix into your diet.

It's very easy to mix seaweed into your diet! You can simply sprinkle dried seaweed flakes to your food, or roll your rice and ingredients into dried seaweed wrappers. You can find pack of these wrappers, which are called “nori”, in most supermarkets like Cold Storage, NTUC Fair Price, Isetan Market and Cheers. You can also add dried seaweed to soup. Soggy seaweed tastes just as nice as a crisp sheet of seaweed!

If you feel like snacking, seaweed is a great substitute for chips. Dried seaweed is crispy, and it is sometimes flavoured with chilli flakes and other flavourful substances for a greater variety of tastes. Do watch the salt content of such flavoured seaweed though!

Adding sesame seeds to a bowl of dried seaweed strips makes a delicious and healthy snack too!


Don't get bugged by the flu bug
Friday, November 04, 2011 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments

The weather has been blowing hot and cold these days, alternating between sunny and rainy, several times in a day! Small wonder that more people are falling sick from having their bodies toyed with in this manner! Among the illnesses that patients sick treatment for, flu is one of the most common ones. In Singapore. flu season typically begins in November and can last until May. Flu outbreaks can peak in any month during the flu season.

The flu is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses, and it affects people of all ages. However, certain groups of people get it worst. They include elderly people aged 65 and older, young children, and people with chronic medical conditions whose immune systems are comparatively weaker than others.

Flu is transmitted through the air by coughs and sneezes. The virus survives in the open in the moisture that's expelled. Flu viruses can be deactivated by sunlight, sterilizer and detergents.  As such, frequent hand washing helps to reduce the risk of infection.

Simple things to prevent yourself from falling prey to the influenza virus!

1.      Keep your hands off your face – Your nose and your eyes are vulnerable areas for germs to enter your body.

2.      Get sufficient sleep – Bed time is when your body rests and repairs itself. You should get at least eight to ten hours of sleep every night. A good night’s sleep is essential for the immune system to recharge itself.

3.      Work out – Working out regularly strengthens your immune system. However, if you're down with the flu, you'll have to go easy on your body and get ample rest.

4.      Eat healthily - "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is an evergreen adage. Consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables improves your immune system and makes it eaier to fight off the flu virus.

5.      Every time you shake someone’s hand, wash yours – Wash your hands as much as possible with soap to get rid of the germs. If you often find yourself in a situation whereby its difficult to find a place to wash your hands, bring a bottle of hand-sanitizer with you.

6.      Stay away – Keep your distance from people displaying symptoms like sneezing and coughing. If you have to care for sick family members and friends, have the patient wear a face mask to prevent virus-ridden saliva and mucus from spreading all over the place.

7.   Get a flu shot - Accordingto the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu. The vaccine is reformulated annually to protect against strains of the flu virus predicted to be most widespread, so even if you've had a flu shot last year, you should get another this year!



Enjoying a Healthy Halloween
Monday, October 31, 2011 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments

The spirits are high tonight (no pun intended, or not……) as Halloween is celebrated all around the world. Halloween is a day when children and adults alike have fun trading candy, dressing up as spooks, and being spooked. Although it originated from the West, it has been gaining popularity in Asia, including Singapore. The large variety of Halloween spook events held by various places of interests and renowned organizations is a testament of this.

An important component of Halloween celebration is parties and candy. In a popular event called “Trick-or-treating”, children, sometimes even adults, go around their neighbourhoods in Halloween costumes, knocking door to door asking for candy. While not common in HDB estates, it occurs in private estates. Not forgetting that Halloween parties is a common form of entertainment at homes, clubs and entertainment venues to commemorate this day, where candy is commonly given away.

And here’s when I step in to be the party pooper. Consuming too many sweet treats is bad for health. If you’re diabetic, obese or have chronic heart problems, you should refrain from sugary foods. That doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in the festivities like a wet blanket. Here are some tips to avoid the sugar mountain, while being a considerate host or a good patient.

·         Substitute candy with healthier food: Fruits are healthier choices in place of candy. You can add provide fondue or chocolate dip (low sugar ones) to spruce it up. You can also substitute with fruity gums, though bear in mind that supposed fruit candies are nowhere as healthy as the actual fruit.

·         Promote a healthy Halloween: Hand out goodies like pencils, stickers and trading cards instead of sweets. Nobody will spook you for being a miser then.

·         Give away your candy: If you end up with a large amount of candies, give them away, just a little to every one each so you won’t feel like you’re committing a sin. Having them in the house is too much of a temptation for everyone. You may also try donating to some children’s homes or orphanages to brighten up the occupants’ Halloween.

Make your own healthy Halloween sweet treat!



Honey-coated Green Apples

If you're familiar with Caramel Apples (see picture above), this dish is actually something similar, but uses honey in place of  caramel. Honey is a good substitute because it is sweet, but far healthier than caramel.

Ingredients

·         Green apples
·         Wooden ice cream sticks
·          Honey
     
Directions

1.      Refrigerate green apples for one day to chill them

2.      Insert wooden sticks into the stem end of each apple so that some of it sticks out at the end, enough to be held in the hand.

3.      Dip each apple into honey until the apple is fully covered.

4.    Some people like to roll their apples in things like chopped pecans and chocolate rice. Well, don't do that as it would defeat the purpose of a healthy treat. If you like having a little something more to your apple, you can try chopped walnuts.

Green apples are a great balance to honey as it is sour. In addition, green apples are healthier alternatives to red apples as they convert less sugar in the digestive system.

There are always ways to have fun without compromising health! Happy Halloween!