Why do we need to Juicing?

We are all well informed about eating breakfast as it is the most important meal. But how many people that you know do it all the time? Or do you yourself commit to have breakfast everyday? Most importantly, what is the definition of a healthy breakfast? I would like to defined "healthy breakfast" here, healthy is by means foods that nourishes the starved body cells when it has undergone an overnight fast.

When we fast, it allows our cells to rebuild and repair and excreting the toxins and dead cells. If we failed to eat food that would nourish these cells, and at the same time failed to cleanse the body of accumulated waste, we have not only starved them, but we have also afflicted them with poisons which the body absorbs from the accumulated debris in the system. 

This is when juicing plays a vital role. Vegetable juices are the builders of the body, while the fruit juices are the cleansers. All these juices must be raw in order to be vital and of constructive value. Food that is not vital and live such as meat or starches (especially processed) due to heating will not nourish the body, yet acting as a filler, forming excessive volumes of uncomfortable gas. On the other hand, with juicing, we are providing our body cells with all the needed essential components which are - the vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, amino acids, enzymes. All these components ease digestions, nourishes the body  giving lasting strength and energy. You don't even will feel hungry by afternoon nor sleepy.   

Juicing also allows us to increase our servings of fruits and vegetables. In the previous post, which i have touched on Super green foods. Super green foods cleanse, balance, and nourish the cells are more towards therapeutic purposes when uses at higher dosage. When for optimum health, a little of 5-10grams a day will be sufficient and beneficial. 

However, thing to be noted when juicing, it contains calories, and when you add sugars to it, it will have more calories. But we do highly encourage people to drink without adding sugar as sugars serve no purpose in nourishing but a nutrients robber. Furthermore, juicing eliminate all of the fibers which is essential for digestive health. Lacking of fibers increase the risk of getting constipation. What we can do is by adding some of the pulp back, taking oats, consuming vegetables and whole grains to obtain the required fibers. Ginger is also being used in juicing recipes as it good for the digestive system.

Juicing is part of life. A great way to make sure to get the recommended daily servings of vegetables and fruits. What you will notice in the long run is that you'll feel better, you look better. Your skin looks better.

We have to be proactive towards our health, taking charge of it but not depending on people.

The Super Green Foods

 

What you should know

Among all these superfoods, each have their own key features which I will keep it for another times. What I would like to focus is on the four main factors:

• High alkalinity
• High amount of natural chlorophyll
• Rich source of live enzymes
• Wholesome food
• Highly concentrated with macro and micronutrients and fully assimilated

The superfoods are the most powerful nutrients-dense foods on this planet, and they virtually have no calories, no bad fats or nasty substances. thus, they are power houses for any transformation to a slender and more healthy you. They typically contain an assortment of nutrient rich foods like barley grass, wheat grass, alfalfa grass, wild blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, herbs, vegetables, legumes, and fruits.

Let's be straight here, how many people have more than 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day? Plus, we are consuming more sugars, coffee, dairies, meat and other food groups which are mainly acidic. Adding with all the stresses and pollution from the environment, our body has to work hard to balance it. Also, exercises increase the acid production in the body. Ideally, our body condition should be lean more towards alkaline of around 7.35 to 7.45. When this balance become out of balance, illnesses will start to manifest in the body.

Second point, what is live enzymes? Live enzymes are proteins used by our body for cell metabolism. It assists our body by reducing the body burden in producing enzymes for digestion and assimilation. Unfortunately, when we cook our foods, most of the enzymes are destroyed. The worst offender will be processed food where labelled as "dead food". Consuming food that is not alive is a burden, it decreases the body live energy which we can utilize it to allow us to work, play and enjoy life. This mean we are using most our live energy in digesting, detoxifying and elimination of waste. Heard of this, I am tired even though I slept more than 8 hours. This indicates that the body is overloaded with toxins. For understanding,  you can imagine that a live food is a plant, because it can grow and sprout when given the suitable environments (sunlight, water, growing grounds).

Another thing is that superfoods are highly concentrated with nutrients. It can contains more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than any citrus fruits and more complete protein (more than 60%) than meat (about 25%). With this, it is super packed with nutrients over others. What made it more special is that is a wholesome food. The "whole" means complete. It contains complete nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and live enzyme. 

Summary and recommendations

Superfoods have the best concentration of easily digestible nutrients, fat burning compounds, vitamins and minerals to protect and heal your body. they also contain a range of other substances including essential fatty acids and healthy bacteria which help your digestive system function more effectively, and protect you against disease and illness. Nevertheless, slowing down aging.

Greens supplements can function as a serving of fruits and vegetables, and contain vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytonutrients. It is highly recommended that everyone to use green supplements in addition to real foods and when you don't have access to real foods.

Do take note, it is highly encouraged that you take green supplements for additional health benefits with the recommended daily intake. For therapeutic purposes, please get the guidance of practitioner.  

Reflection to Vision

Reflecting back, after graduating from The University of Queensland in 2010 as a nutritionist. I have decided to come back to Malaysia. I still hardly grasp what made me come back but all I know it is worth it
Been passionate in nutrition and fitness since my university years. I am in the work field for almost 2 years now, searching for my dream job doing what truly a nutritionist should do. Sad to say, it wasn't. In fact, I have tried and changed quite a few jobs, hopping around, and banged some walls because all the jobs failed to meet my expectation. People said, don't expect too much, work hard for it. But in my point of view, if you don't know what you want, don't expect people to give you what you want, because it never will. We are the Creator to our life. We become who we want to be.
Just saying, getting what you are passionate about and doing what you love to do is not there until you have decided to create it and make it happens. I found out this is the best and hardest path.

As I finally visioned out that I wanted to change people life in their health and fitness. For health, decided to establish my freelance nutritional consultation. For fitness, unexpectedly, I made a call to my friend, CEO of Gorgeous Fitness, Calvin Hee and proposed him to having a nutritional services in his fitness centre. Not knowing that he is actually into that. Guess what I got hired.

Hard and glad to say that working life is an uphill battle. How exciting and interesting, how positive or how negative it be, all lies in your hand. 

Coffee and your Health: Friend of Foe?

Mmm, coffee... almost everybody drinks it... almost every outlets selling it... one of the most traded commodity... even so, people don't drink it once, but up to 3-4 cups per day or more. 

But most people don't think of it as a "health drink".  First, you may have seen debate in the past about how coffee has some compounds in it that could have negative health effects such as some tars or other possibly inflammatory compounds in brewed coffee.  But, the good news is that coffee has such high concentrations of beneficial antioxidants, phenolic nutrients, chlorogenic acids, and other healthy compounds, that it more than counteracts any bad compounds. The video below explained by Dr Walsh how can coffee help to control your blood sugar.
 

In fact, coffee provides the biggest source of antioxidants for most Americans.  Although a lot of that has to do with the fact that many Americans don't get enough antioxidants from fruits and veggies, so coffee ends up being their biggest source.  You should try to diversify your sources of antioxidants from fruits, veggies, spices, berries, beans, unsweetened organic cocoa, teas, and yes, even coffee if you like it.


So what's the available option to get your cup of healthier coffee? I'll share with you an alternative coffee.I believe everyone heard about Ling Zhi (other common names: Ganoderma, Lingzhi, Youngzhi Ling Chih, Mannentake, Red Reishi, Ganoderma Lucidum). It has been a part of Chinese traditional medicine for over 4,000 years, commonly used to treat hypertension, liver disorders, arthritis as well as other medical conditions. Packed with over 150 all natural antioxidants, support and build the immune system, increase blood circulation and metabolism and more (to name a few). It is considered the oldest mushroom to be utilized in medicine, and is among the most respected of its kind.

When added to the coffee you are drinking daily, you are indirectly adding more values and life to your health.

If you love coffee, feel free to share this article below with your coffee-loving friends and family. You can also contact me for more information and sample, at 013-2631618 / raymondtst@gmail.com

Why am I ain't losing the last few pounds of fat

It's kinda interesting and frustrating at the same time in knowing how our body works.

It's not a myth but it's a fact.

Just like any education, we learned, we applied and reap the results. Common sense? Yeah... But I am not totally agreed with it. I just realize that, the biology and physiology you learned from lectures and text book do not enhance your knowledge in how to lose weight. Well, i might be wrong, but this is how I viewed it.

As a matter of fact, there're some issues that i wanted to touch on which are our body responses and hormones. Typically, gaining weight is deemed easy while losing weight is seriously damn hard.

Why?

As I mentioned in my previous post about the particular few main hormones - leptin, insulin, growth hormone.

You gotta make sure your leptin level is not low : Actions: Cheat-days
Insulin must not be spiking throughout the day : take complex carbohydrate and low to medium carbohydrate throughout the day and avoid carb during then night
Growth hormone stimulated through exercises : Train hard

Diet + Exercise = synergistic effect on weight loss

This is what I am gonna apply starting tomorrow.

10 Healthiest Foods

Beans

Why They're Healthy:

-- Eating a serving of legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by 22 percent.

-- That same habit may also reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Spinach

Why It's Healthy:

-- Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two immune-boosting antioxidants important for eye health.

-- Recent research found that among cancer-fighting fruits and veggies, spinach is one of the most effective.

Garlic

Why It's Healthy:

-- Garlic is a powerful disease fighter that can inhibit the growth of bacteria, including E. coli.

-- Allicin, a compound found in garlic, works as a potent anti-inflammatory and has been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood-pressure levels.

Avocados

Why They're Healthy:

-- Rich in healthy, satisfying fats proven in one study to lower cholesterol by about 22 percent.

-- One has more than half the fiber and 40 percent of the folate you need daily, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.

Walnuts

Why They're Healthy:

-- Contain the most omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce cholesterol, of all nuts.

-- Omega-3s have been shown to improve mood and fight cancer; they may protect against sun damage, too (but don't skip the SPF!).

Salmon

Why It's Healthy:

-- A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and cancer.

-- A 3-ounce serving contains almost 50 percent of your daily dose of niacin, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

Potatoes

Why They're Healthy:

-- One red potato contains 66 micrograms of cell-building folate -- about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or broccoli.

-- One sweet potato has almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you need daily.

Dark Chocolate

Why It's Healthy:

-- Just one-fourth of an ounce daily can reduce blood pressure in otherwise healthy individuals.

-- Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants shown to reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol and increase "good" HDL levels.

Broccoli

Why It's Healthy:

-- One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C -- two essential bone-building nutrients.

-- The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.

Lemons

Why They're Healthy:

-- Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.

-- Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

P.S. Foods above is not ranked

Diets don't work and it never will + issue on hormones

Ask yourself this:
1. Are you on a diet?
2. What diet?
3. Why that diet?
4. Okay, how many Calories are you eating?
5. WHY are you eating that many Calories?

Next issues - hormones
leptin - anti-starvation hormone, it controls the rate of fat loss
- the more body fat u got, the more leptin will be produced by the fat cells

Insulin - inhibits fat loss

Cortisol - stress hormone
- associated with fatigue and lack of sleep and related to high level of belly fat
- excessive cardio exercises

Estrogen - associated with lower body fat storage

Counters hormone through exercises by doing weight-training

Body Fat

Some of my perspectives on our human body fat, it's up to you to believe what I am writing here is true or ain't is up to you.

1 pound of fat = 3500 kcal

What to do:
- Eating 6 meals a day
Ensure that your blood glucose level is stabilize throughout the day, as spiked insulin, will increase fat storage and prevent fat from being burned-off.

- High intense resistant strength training
Strength training could rev up your metabolism to burn more fat, also energy will be used for repairing during recovery state.

- Interval Cardio
Long boring cardio exercises will only burn fat when you are doing it and last maybe for a while during post-workout. Plus, it strip your body muscle off.

Sprinter - muscular built; Marathoner - skinny built

The best way is to do it intervally with incorporating high intensity cardio and it only takes you only 20 minutes. For example, sprint - walk - sprint - walk
This is because in interval cardio program, we create an opportunity for our metabolism to be high all days.

- Food and Nutrition
This is the main part. Even if you are unconsciously or consciously know about it, it is the food you are eating that contributed to your body fat.
1. Sugar - Cut it down. Get more carbohydrate labelled as "whole".
- Beware of fruits as it contains a lot of hidden sugars. Choose your fruits wisely.
- Vegetables will be a great source for all the nutrients, antioxidants and this could
cover up the nutrition part from fruits.
2. Fats - Intake only 20 -30% of your total daily allowances. Choose the unsaturated fats and
limit the saturated one out
3. Protein - 1.5g per kilogram of your body weight. Choose the LEAN.
4. Carb - In moderation but must have in every meals.
5. Sacrifice - Cookies, cakes, doughnut, juices, soft drinks, smoothies, pudding, pastries and many
more. Snacking it on occasion is fine and except u make it yourself.

Accident - Hospitalised - Recuperating

Oh well, it's like two weeks ago when this accident happened. It's kinda a freak one from what i heard as i do not remember a thing about it. I wish i could. I would said i am considered to be lucky as i am still in one piece.

As i know, i remembered i was admitted to ICU and slept at there for 3 nights without waking up as my brain was in trauma due to the impact. Well, then i am awake up until today and managed to participate Christmas event and suchs. Last year, the same thing happened, i was admitted to hospital in M'sia because of denggi but still managed to be discharged before Christmas.

Man, i still got quite a few staplers on my head and it's quite annoying. My hamstring for both legs are weakened due to days of lying still on the bed. Not too sure whether had i lost some weight but i know i had shruken a bit in term of size.

Well, i guess i got to start over again, making myself fitter once again. If not, i can't imagine how would i look in the future. But still, gonna be caution as i am in recovery state and not to exert myself. In fact, i started to do some stretching and body exercises on the 4th day after discharged.

And, i wanna thanks everyone who has paid me a visit and wished me of getting well sooner. I am touch by it and will treasure it.

The influence of Macro-nutrients

Some how this just got into my mind when i was revising for my last paper about nutrition and exercise.

Facts:

1. Fat cell number is set soon after birth and increase during childhood and adolescent probably the rest of our life.
2. Fat cell number once increased can never be decreased only the size.

Low Carbohydrate/High Protein Diet
I am sure everyone had heard of high protein diet which i myself a fan of it. I thought that high protein diet could maintain lean tissue and minimising fat and more satiating (well, it is definitely more satiating than carb and fat). The low carb diet, which claimed to reduce insulin and increase lipolysis (breaking down of fat to provide energy for the body) thus more fat is burned.

In short term, you do lost weight from these fad diet, but it is mainly from glycogen (glucose/carbohydrate stored in muscle and liver) and water. But in long term, you would be losing more muscle mass leads to lower body metabolic rate (the minimum energy your body needed to function).

Before: B calories, B weight
Dieting : C calories, C weight
After: C calories, B weight

This is where i wanted to stress on. People always complained that they gained the weight back instantly because of the loss of lean body mass leads to decrease of body metabolic rate even though you are eating the same amount of calories when u r dieting. This is the common MISTAKE & PROBLEM made by everyone. I was once the prey of it.

I remembered early this year when i tried to gain weight and mass but loss it like within a month is the result of such mistake i made.

From what i had learned from my lecturer, our body need atleast certain amount of carbohydrate in order to prevent the breaking down of protein.

FAT
Why i am not talking about fat is because fat is the least satiating, easiest to be digested and directly stored as fat in our body.

Eating too much of it = body fat
Eating too little of it = minimal fat gain

Best to consume olive, canola, seeds and nuts and fish oil. All these provide the essential fatty acids our body needed. In MODERATION please.

In a nutshell, it is not advised to follow a low carb or high protein diet and eat just enough fat.


EXERCISE!!!
To avoid the lean mass from being stripped off from your body, exercise is needed.

Strength training + aerobic exercises + Dieting = Perfect weight loss for the short and long term

Ladies: you won't gain muscle like the guys cause you don't have the amount of testerone to stimulate such muscle growth but enough to keep you fit and slim.

"Being FAT does't mean being un-FIT;
Being SLIM doesn't mean being not FAT"

How to write your own diet book

This is the best laugh i ever had in one of my lectures. (Nutrition and Exercises)

Sorry Dr. David Jenkins, gonna use your copyright for this.

Because no diet works for long, you too can capitalise on this industry. Here is what to do:

1. tell them who you are. It helps if you are a physician or famous.
2. pick a catchy title (eg., eat fat and grow thin - or -Calories don‘t count - or- the last chance diet).
3. the readers will need a carrot and a stick. Tell them that they had better listen to you if the don‘t want to die young - throw all the major diseases at them plus a few that don‘t exist. Then tell them that you have a plan that will make them thin and improve their sex lives.
4. present the ―Master Plan‖. As a general rule, make the diet as unnatural and unbalanced as possible. Eggs and grapefruit are favourites.
5. break out the textbooks and quote things out of context. Don‘t be shy about theorising.
6. pad out the book with rubbish.
7. don‘t overdo the exercise part - that would be too nasty.
8. Blame the victim: Diets don‘t fail - only people fail!!

Eat Like a Champion

Have I lost my "taste" for the bad food? Absolutely not! I could still hit the drive-through, order up a hamburger and fries and enjoy every bite. But do I? Obviously it is no. It would be so easy to slip into those old unhealthy habits, even 10 years later, and I choose not to.

There are 2 things you can control in life.

• How much you use and move your body.
• What and how much you put in your mouth

Studies have found that, overweight adults who ate 2 eggs for breakfast daily for 2 months lost more weight than those who consumed a breakfast euqal in calories but lower in protein.

The Lies of Dieting

• Misconception: to lose fat is to stop eating
• more active you are physically the more food you need
• when you stop eating, your body goes into conservation mode. Body metabolic rate dropped. Muscle and fat in your body will be used as broken down.
• crash diets don't work because half the pounds you lose come from muscle. With less muscle, your body is a less efficient fat burning machine
  

Guides:

• Choose a portion of lean protein
• Choose a portion of complex carbohydrates
• Add a portion of vegetables to at least two meals each day
• Consume one tablespoon of unsaturated fat daily, or 3 portions of salmon perweek
• Drink at least 10 glasses of water each day

Dining out is a SNAP

Try the 'SNAP' strategy when dining out (for work-out days):

S - Split or share the meal
Restaurant meals are at least twice as much food as you need. Before you start eating ask to have your order split - half for now and half to go or with your dining partner.

N - Negotiate.
The menu says it comes with fries, but just pleasantly say, 'What other side can i substitute for the fries?' Fail to do this and half the time you will eat the fries

A - Abstain
When the rools are passed, keep passing. When the waiter asks, 'Did you save room for dessert?' pleasantly say, 'That food was so good it tasted like dessert.'

P - Plan
Nearly every meal and menu item of every chain restuarant in the country is on the internet, allow yourself to choose the best option beforehand.

Body-For-LIFE

Jus got inspire by one of the book i bought "Body-for-LIFE".
Interesting enough, been going to the gym for almost 2.5 years and still unable to melt the fat around my lower abdominal area. And i thought, i trained hard and take a proper diet and why isn't it progressing.
Well, fair enough, i realize that i lacked aerobic exercises. Results that i got is shown in picture below, though both pictures do not show clear significant differences, but i do realize my body has been sculpted in around 2 months.

So i believe everyone can be a CHAMPION, by incorporating a proper diet and exercise routines.


2008

2009


Back to the books, what i have learned:
1. Weight training - 3 times a week no more than 46 minutes
2. 20 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercises
3. Eat six meals a day
4. One off day

When i tried out the training program yesterday, it really exhausted me to a level that i never felt before. But this is just the beginning of my training program and i would say that, i am gonna prove whether the theory presented in this book can be applied.

We'll see about it in 12 weeks time.

It's time to get Serious

Gosh, creating this and that regimens for myself and eating food that are deemed to be completely the same each day, kinda made life bored. Sadly, still having a bit lack fo time to study the gym book i bought which i think might provide a decent discoveries in my current training program and diet. Kinda sick with the flabby look. Can't do, can't help, it's part of me since my younger age therefore it takes time to lose my "dear friend" away. I know it's hard, but i am gonna go serious back into it once again after this holiday break. NO MATTER WHAT!!

SERIOUS! SERIOUS!! SERIOUS!!!

A great time since after a while

Man, really wanted to thank you, Cintia for organizing this trip down to WnW. Man, this is the kind of life i am looking forward everyday especially during holiday.

Though it is 2 guys, 1 girl and a theme park, it's more than enough. I just loved the excitement of last minute rides. 3 of us looks kinda crazy at that time. :p

Ramen, haven't eaten until i am fully satisfied for quite sometimes. Should have make my face thicker to get another bowl of free ramen though i had consumed 2 1/2 bowls of it.

Next, hahaha. You and Joel been pestering me to know who is she, lol... really thx you for the care u showered onto me, felt being appreciated. But still, i won't disclose who is she. Just FYI, though i know she can cook good foods, it doesn't matter to me. People always said that, knowing to the heart of a man is through his stomach, not in my case. As long she knows what is healthy, i am fine with it.

Things on My Mind

1. Drinks with the guys and girls from J6 this COMING Friday
2. Do something special on mid-autumn festival
3. Assisting "Angel" to plan a trip to "Wet N Wild" & Painball.

Falling for you

As i am sitting in front of my desk,
wondering what is wrong with me.

My body,
covered with a strange atmosphere,
producing tingling sensations.
I felt, i am beginning to waver,
Why?
I don't know...

My Eyes,
covered with moist,
i realize i am crying for it.
Still,
Why?
I don't know...

My mind,
clogged by a cloud of mist,
unable to feel and sense what is wrong.
Why?
I don't know...

My soul,
longing for something desperately,
and that instance
i know it's you i want,
wanted to tell you how much i wanted to be with you
as i have fallen in love with you.

Fallen for you...
I have fallen for you...

My Attempts in weight gaining and losing

First attempt:
Diet: In M'sia, most meal taken was eat out. (economic rice and etc).
Results: Gain more fat than muscle mass
Activities: Gym and some sports
Later: loss all of the weight gained and revert back to original state

Second Attempt:
Diet: At Aus, 90% home-cooked meal with literally very low fat and no spices (salt, sugar except tomato sauce). Eat in bulk and frequently.
Results: More muscle mass gained compared than fat.
Activities: Gym and some sports
Later: loss all of the weight gained and revert back to original state

Conclusion:
Dietary pattern is the crucial factor of weight gaining and losing. What you are eating now, is what will make you into.

3rd Attempt: on experimenting
Aim: To discover the burn and lose the fat while maintaining the body size and slower growth
Diet: same as second attempt but eat in moderation and quality of food
Activities: As much as i can get