Health Alert - Guides for your Healthy Lifestyle

I cooked chicken adobo dish as my daily menu in my kitchen because it is very simple and easy to prepare.   Adobo is considered a national dish of the Philippines. It is best serve with steam rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of vinegar
5 gloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup soy sauce
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil

Procedures:

1. In a casserole, combine water, chicken, vinegar, and garlic. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
2. Remove the chicken from the sauce and put it in plates or bowl and set aside the sauce or broth.
3. Fry the chicken until brown on all sides.
4. Transfer the chicken to a casserole with sauce and add soy sauce and simmer again for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt if desire.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

November 19th, 2008 | Tags: chicken adobo | Category: Daily Menu and Recipe | Leave a comment

Living a healthy lifestyle is having a personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is the cleanliness of human body including hair, nails, hands and the rest of the body. Number of germs is entered through the skin. When the skin is broken, harmful bacteria or viruses can easily entered to our body so simple precautions are very effective

It is important to wash our hands when preparing food or eating, after using the lavatory or using the toilet, after handling your pet such as dog or other animal, and if you have someone who has cough or cold. The hands come into contact with germ more than any part of our body.

Taking a bath regularly is recommended as personal hygiene. Bathing also improves the muscle tone of the skin. During bath, hair should be washed thoroughly enough to prevent accumulation of dust and dead skin cells. The nose and ears should be carefully cleaned only with something soft such as cotton swab. Genital should be kept clean and any unusual discharge from a body opening should be promptly reported to a physician. It is necessary to treat a problem at its earliest stage to solve the problem.

Caring for the teeth such as brushing teeth regularly is also part of personal hygiene. Try also to floss your teeth once a day because adult cavities occur between teeth. Also, brush your tongue to remove bacteria that cause bad breath. It is also recommended to visit a dentist at least every six months to ensure that your teeth are free from tartar and tooth decay.

Keep your nail trimmed and in good shape is essential to good personal hygiene. Hangnails can be avoided by gently pushing back the cuticle with a towel after washing the hands. Learn the proper technique to avoid hangouts and infected nail beds.

But most of all, the rest of the body must be kept clean to eliminate substances that irritating the skin and make it more susceptible to infection.

Always remember that good personal hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent illnesses. Live a healthy lifestyle by having good hygiene habit for both of you and your family.

November 18th, 2008 | Tags: Healthy Lifestyle, personal hygiene | Category: Healthy Lifestyle | Leave a comment

Banana is one of the favorite fruits here in the Philippines because of its great taste. It can be served as substitute for sweets. It is also consider a unique fruit because it came from giant herb unlike some fruits came from trees. It can be a good mood fruit because it contains serotonin and norepinephrine which helps to overcome depression.

Bananas can be considered great for your diet and healthy lifestyle because it contains no fat, sodium or cholesterol. Bananas are really known as rich in potassium which helps to regulates blood pressure and reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. A medium size banana provides 400 mg of potassium, 110 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and a plenty of carbohydrates. Potassium also helps to promote bone health

Baby’s first solid food given is banana because it is easy to digest and have no fat. Banana is also one of the favorites snack of children because of its sweet taste and meets the energy needs of growing children.

Eating bananas provides various health benefits such as lowers blood pressure and prevents atherosclerosis and heart disease. Also, it contains protease inhibitor which removes bacteria in the stomach as a primary cause of stomach ulcers.

Bananas contain vitamin B6 and vitamin C, potassium, fiber and manganese which are essential to have a healthy body.

Buy a banana now and enjoy the great taste. There are various banana recipes available in the net or cookbook. Banana can be fried or eaten raw.

November 18th, 2008 | Tags: banana benefits, banana health benefits, Healthy Lifestyle | Category: Food and Nutrition | Leave a comment

Thoughts come clearly while one walks. ~Thomas Mann

One of the simplest ways to lose weight is a beauty of walking. You’re losing weight without having to diet, and if you continue to exercise, you’ll have a better chance of keeping weight off. In addition, it is a cost free plan program to lose weight. A 60 minutes walking can burn a calories of 300 t0 500 calories.  Imagine, how many calories will be burned if you do a 60 minutes walking for a month without dieting.  Walking also change fat metabolism helping to reduce weight.

In addition, walking is one of the most practical and enjoyable exercise.  Walking is a natural to the human body as breathing.  It is a muscular symphony; all the foot, leg, and hip muscles and much of the back musculature are involved.  The abdominal muscles tend to contract and support their share of the weight, and the diaphragm and rib muscles increase their action.  There is automatic action of the arm and shoulder muscles; the shoulder and neck muscles get plays as the head is held erect; the eyes muscles are exercised as you look about you.

Walking also has physical benefits such as lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease and preventing from breast cancer according to experts.  It also prevent depression, constipation, colon cancer, osteoporosis, etc. and relief arthritis and back pain. It can also reduce the risk of breast cancer and type 2 diabetes.

There’s no doubt that walking is good for your health such as good for your heart, lungs, muscles and bone and you’re overall well-being.

November 16th, 2008 | Tags: lose weight, walking benefits | Category: Diet and Weight Loss | Leave a comment

Eggs are certainly one of the nutritious foods that you can buy. It is also easy to prepare and it is often cooked during breakfast. It can be included in your diet since it has a low calorie contain, about 80 kcals per medium egg, combined it with vegetables and salads.

Eggs are definitely rich with a range of nutrients such as protein, vitamin A, D, E and B. It is also contains minerals including iron, phosphorus and zinc. Also, it is a good source of molybdenum, vitamin B5, vitamin B12 and amino acids.

Another health benefits from eggs is being a great source of choline because choline is essential to our brain function and health. Also, choline has an impact on cardiovascular health.

Egg prevents blood clots which stop the event of heart attack and stroke. It is also good for our eyes. Study shown that egg prevent macular degeneration (loss of vision disorder) due to the carotenoid content and lower the risk of cataracts.

In the latest study shown that eating egg does not affect the person’s lipid profile or cholesterol level contrary to previous belief. Research shown that egg do not considerably affect cholesterol level in most individuals.

Lastly, egg can help to promote weight loss. Eating eggs during breakfast can make you fuller for longer so that you can eat less in the next meal. You can cut your calories without being hungry. It could limit your calorie intake throughout the rest of the day

November 14th, 2008 | Tags: egg benefits | Category: Food and Nutrition | Leave a comment

Halabos na hipon is one of the delicious and simple recipe. You will have more time to enjoy the holidays because cooking shrimps gives you less time to prepare a meal.

I usually prepare halabos na hipon with tamarind juice as sauce. This recipe is one of my husband’s favorite. Try this and I’m sure your partner will like enjoy eating with you.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo shrimps
6-7 pieces of tamarind (sampaloc)
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Procedures:

1.    Wash thoroughly the shrimp approximately 3 times.
2.    In a casserole, add water and shrimps.
3.    Add in salt and cooking oil.
4.    Simmer for about 4-5 minutes.

Sauce :

In a casserole, add water and tamarind. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes or until tamarind is tender.  Extract the juice and add salt to taste.

November 14th, 2008 | Tags: halabos, shrimps | Category: Daily Menu and Recipe | Leave a comment

Here are some definitions according to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Depression Disorder

Depression Disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts.  It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one thinks about oneself, and the way one thinks about things.  Being a mood disorder, it is a chronic condition, which runs from three to six weeks  If left untreated, it usually affects a person’s ability to function.

Though there are many types of depression, the most common are as follows:

Major Depression

Major depression is  also called unipolar depression, is a combination of symptoms that interfere with one’s ability to eat, sleep, and enjoy activities.  It can occur several times in a lifetime.  The World Health Organization has identified unipolar depression as the number two health problem today, predicting that, by 2020, the number one cause of death worldwide will be suicide.

Dysthymia

Dysthymia is a long-term kind of depression that, although its symptoms do not disable a person, it keeps one from functioning well or feeling good.  People with dysthymia may also suffer from bouts of major depression throughout their lifetime.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is also known as a manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function  A person who experiences dramatic mood swings, from overly “high” and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, then back again, often with normal moods in between may be suffering from bipolar disorder.  These periods of highs an lows are called mania and depression.

November 13th, 2008 | Tags: bipolar disorder, Depression, Dysthymia | Category: Depression | Leave a comment

Adolescence is the stage wherein your teenage son gets to know himself by experimenting with newfound freedoms, developing intimate relationships, understanding his sexuality and changes in his body, and facing the challenges of high school or university. Teenagers are easily frustrated if they are not able to meet the demands so they end up using drugs. Some adolescence use drugs to escape from pressure of life or problems.

Some parents are not aware that their teenager son or daughter are using drugs for several months or even years because parents are often busy with work and other activities. Watch out for some signs of drug abuse for your teenagers.

• Change in mood or attitude. If your son or daughter has reserve attitude and suddenly becomes loud and has excessive talkativeness or extreme hyperactivity.
• Smell of substance in breath and clothes.  Notice unusual odor if he is smoking marijuana or cooking shabu.
• Poor physical appearance. Your teenage son has a fashion of other drug abusers and forgets to take a bath or even to comb his hair. Changing his grooming habits.
• Worsen school performance. Getting failing grades. Skip school classes or late for school.
• Wearing of sunglasses.  Keep the eyes because the eyes become bloodshot if using drugs like methamphetamine (shabu).
• Peer group drug users.  Be sure to know friends and look into the kinds of social gatherings he attends.
• Loss of valuable things at home.  School allowance will not be enough to support the habit. Stealing money or items at home.
• Stop communication with family members.  He doesn’t consult important decision and become secretive.
• Covers arms and legs if using a needle.
• Difficulty in handling adverse life event. He can’t handle problem like parents separating, losing a girl friend or sexual/physical abuse.
• Too much privacy and unreachable.

If drug usage is confirmed, consult your doctor and seek advice. Your teenager need support groups, psychiatrists, and counselors but of course, he will need your support and help.  Never make him feel unwanted or rejected. Develop ties with the rest of the family. Show him that you still love him in spite of what happen.

November 13th, 2008 | Tags: Drug Abuse | Category: Drug Abuse | Comments (1)

Your kids will surely love the baked macaroni recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo ground pork
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
8 cups cooked macaroni
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
cups of milk
quick melt cheese

Procedures:

1. Mix tomato sauce, water and Italian seasoning to ground pork.
2. In a pan, heat the mixture of ground pork and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add the cooked macaroni.
4. Mix well and then pour into a baking dish. Set aside.
5. In a pan, heats the butter then add the flour. Cook for a minute and then gradually add milk.
6. Cook over medium heat with constant stirring until slightly thick. Season to taste.
7. Pour over the macaroni and make sure to cover the entire surface.
8. Top with plenty of grated cheese and bake in a preheated 375 OF oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

November 11th, 2008 | Tags: baked macaroni | Category: Daily Menu and Recipe | Leave a comment