Eggs BUNedict

Eggs make for a great day. Here I attempted to make egg Benedict with homemade bread. Sausages and tomatoes.

Who's Full of *&%#

Do you have days where you look like this on the toilet?  

If so, I say ReThink Health. 

Your digestive system is a major influence on your health, and if it's not working as it should, trouble will find it.

This image could mean your body is telling you a few things. And as I always say... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!

One being the obvious constipation; this is when there's a lack of ability in having a bowel movement. Stools most likely are hard, or you may experience incomplete evacuations. But don't be fooled, what must stay in can come out. Excess pushing or straining may caused prolapse of the rectum (and we sure don't need any more appendages). Moreover, 'straining' over a period of time can lead to loss of intestinal and rectal muscle function, causing you to be trapped in a circle of constipation & pushing.

Think: What goes in Must come out. We eat the food, absorb the nutrients and transfer our body toxins into the remaining matter - the fiber. Now the only thing left to do is expel. The longer it takes us to do such release, the higher the chance we have to reabsorb the toxins.

It's considered healthy to make 1-3 bowel movements daily. Get the toxins out as quickly as possible.  Constipation is not necessarily a dangerous disorder; however,  leaving constipation untreated can cause discomforting symptoms like  abdominal pain, swollen abdomen, vomiting,  skin problems, hemorrhoids, infrequent bowel movements, bad breath,  prolapsed rectum, kidney dysfunction and of course body odor. 

If you understand how our body functions, it'll be easy to see how one can eliminate or reduced constipation and hardened stools. Tools are needed to help our body in this journey of health. Dietary Fiber plays a major role here.There are two types: Soluble & Insoluble.

As there name states, the soluble fiber retains water and turns to gel during digestion. It also slows digestion and nutrient absorption from the stomach and intestine.The reason soluble fiber is good is partly due to the 'gel' for it takes. Think of it as a sponge absorbing all the toxins your body wants to eliminate.

Soluble fiber is found in Foods such as oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. 

 Soluble Fiber - Retains water - Forms a gel - Absorbs toxins for elimination

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand is insoluble, the fibers in these foods can't be digested so they remain as fibers - similar to a mop, ready to sweep away all the gunk. Insoluble fiber appears to speed the passage of foods through the stomach and intestines and adds bulk to the stool. It is found in Foods such as wheat bran, vegetables and whole grains.

Insoluble Fiber - Adds bulk to stool - Acts as fibre-mop - Sweeps unwanted matter & toxins out

Note that fiber alone isn't enough. Too much fiber and no water for instance can also cause constipation. Balance is key, and once again listen to your body and your stools, they tell you what's going on inside you. 

Other measures to be taken: 

• Adequate fluid intake
• Exercise
• limit over-consumption of dairy products,
• Don't prevent yourself from making bowel movements when your body wants to. 
• Eat your Fibers

Soluble fiber Sources	Non-soluble fiber Sources
Oat bran Oatmeal Beans and legumes Peas Carrots Sweet potatoes Rice bran Barley Citrus fruits Strawberries Bananas	Whole-wheat breads Wheat cereal Wheat bran Rice (except for white rice) Barley Cabbage Beets Brussels sprouts Turnips Cauliflower Fruits and vegetables with skin

Some people may experience constipation caused by diseases and disorders like hypothyroidism, hemorrhoids, colon cancer, neurological conditions (eg. Parkinson's disease), metabolic disorder, and a host of other disorders.

Happy Eating!

The Last 15 Seconds

 

Theater: The Last 15 Seconds

Date & Time: Friday January 27, 2012 at 8pm

Location: MiST Theatre, University of Toronto Mississauga Campus

The Last 15 Seconds is a meeting of the minds, so to speak, between a suicide bomber and the man who was killed, alongside his family, as a result. Using movement, dance, video, vocals and text, this project explores the topic of terrorism. It starts from the tragic death of Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad and his daughter Rima in a series of coordinated attacks that hit three prominent hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman in 2005. The work constructs an imagined physical and verbal dialogue between Mustapha Akkad and Rawad Jassem Mohammad Abed, the suicide bomber who carried out the explosion. The work also looks at the imagined lives and memories of both the victim and his killer as they revisit each other’s lives after their fatal encounter.

Created by Gary Kirkham (Writer) Directed by Majdi Bou-Matar Produced by The MT Space (Kitchener-Waterloo)

Click here & Watch a brief Video Clip

CBC news Article of The Last 15 Seconds

Simple yet Magnificent Stage - Imagination at it's Best

SPRING into Liquid Life

Post a Water Spring - lets Drink away our diseases.

Hi everyone... with my craze of being healthy I came across a website that puts all fresh water springs on the map.

I thought of my hometown Lebanon (and specifically 3ammatour) and the many springs it has.  Since I don't live in Lebanon and I'm not very familiar with it, I thought some one in this group may know better as to where the 3youn or Water Springs are.


The site is http://www.findaspring.com/submit-a-spring/  here you will be able to put info & pictures of the 3ain (Spring) and put Lebanon on the map. Please note - the water should be good to drink.  Lets start drinking clean healthy mineral rich water... it keeps our body happy & healthy.  

Let the earth give to us as it is intended. Happy Drinking!!

'Tis the season to be Brain-full

BRAIN BOOSTING FOODS 

- Cheer up for Christmas
- Easily make & remember the "Gifting" list
- Attack all those exams


'Tis the season to be jolly...   Indeed, but it's also the season to be stressed and worried. Lists and lists pile up in your mind, who's been naughty, who's been nice, who gets what and who deserves what. then to top it all off Schools decided to Gift us with the Exam Burden.

So as I'm in need of all of the below as well, I've decided to create some Brain Boosting Power foods to help you organise and eliminate stress, all while ACING each and every class.

Do note.. these are great year round foods, don't just limit their use to stressful times. Prevention is Key, so if your body & brain are well equipped prior to the stress. It'll even save you a lot of stressing about stressing.





Wild salmon.
Not only a Brain food... but beneficial for a myriad of other things pertaining to the body such as Mood elevation, Heart Health & blood vessel maintenance, Helps reduce the risk of stoke, Alzheimer's or Dementia, Improves Brain Matter & helps with synaptic connections (Yay to learning). Wild salmon is a great source of Essential Fatty acids (such as Omega-3). It's also a rich source of Protein with low saturated fat. It has been shown that of all the fish, Salmon is one that generally has low contamination (eg. Mercury)

Wouldn't you love to live here? I wouldn't

Please note WILD,  unfortunately these days, most of our salmon is farmed, meaning we humans control them from point A to point Dish.. and you know we love money more than anything. so the Salmon doesn't get what life truly intended it to have. The food it's fed has been altered, living environments changed, and all which provides it with it's health has been stripped away. If we eat it, we are provided with just that. Un-health. Moreover, the 'farms' for Salmon are sometimes contaminated, almost always restrict full salmon potential movement and, Provide Genetically Modified plants such as corn or soy as the main diet. SALMON don't eat Corn.. they aren't intended to (& we know that because they have no legs to walk the corn fields). Usually the 'Lack of Health' of a Fish can be seen by it's colour, the amount of Meat it has. But we've done it again and found a solution to hide all that - Food colouring and additives.
Don't get me wrong. Not ALL fish Farms are money crazed; there are the few that are health-focused and do it the right way as much as they could, it's just a matter of finding out who those are. In the mean time if you could get your hands on the WILD.. your brain is waiting.



Cacao Beans
Ok yes this is chocolate, or the beginning of chocolate, But minus the butter & milk & sugar & processing & heating & artificial flavours. Cacao is Excellent - only when minimally processed. so when all the other ingredients & methods are added to it, you can say bye bye to all the "health".  The Cacao Bean is packed with vitamins, minerals & nutrients - and A lot of it too - some even claim that it's one food on this planet that contains the most nutrients. It's a powerhouse all on it's own, providing us with antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins and many other brain & body enhancing nutrients. The Theobromine in cacao beans helps improve our mood and our Cognition is greatly enhanced. Just remember, heat kills a lot, vitamin C for example is diminished greatly with heat. To get your hands on this wonderful Bean - opt for cacao Nibs (broken cacao bean) or Cocoa powder - Go for the 100% organic (non-alkalised).

Make your self a morning drink with cocoa powder, milk (try nut milks) and perhaps some Cinnamon or cayenne pepper. {Protein - Blood Sugar Stabilising - Brain enhancing - Circulation & respiratory enhancing Drink}

If you really can't get your hands on the good stuff, you can opt of the Dark Dark chocolate bars (75% or more)

Butter is Better
As posted in one of the comments by a dear friend at FullFat.ca Butter is definitely better. We have been given the notion that butter is bad for our heart and health in general. But further studies have shown that butter contains 63% saturated, 26% mono-unsaturated, and 4% poly-unsaturated fat. Knowing the constituents of butter, along with the extensive research that has been done on saturated fats, we can conclude that such fats are very important in maintaining and building cell walls, brain cells, vision, skin rejuvenation, energy and heart heath as well as increasing HDL in blood - good cholesterol. Moreover butter provides us with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (poly-unsaturated), omega-9 (mono-unsaturated) and, mouth watering flavor!

With this idea - don't go adding butter on everything. Combinations of foods may be detrimental to the body, even though the constituents are 'healthy'.   Do add butter to vegetables, the butter itself helps your body absorb the nutrients present in the vegetables. Don't add butter to bread (or carbohydrates), butter and carbs act together to form bad cholesterol LDL and promote inflammation - leading to heart diseases.

Note: When I say butter, I mean a proper form of butter. Sadly, not all our cows are grass-fed, which leads to bacteria filled milk, and hence not so good butter. If you can get your hands on grass-fed cow butter or milk that's the better way to go.
Note: Margarine is NOT butter..and it's no where near as good. It's best if you could avoid margarine

And always remember, moderation is best. Don't over do it and never go to the extreme.

Want to make your own butter?  Ask doc0c

Hot Leeky Quinoa

Spicy Quinoa & Leek Salad

Immune Boosting, Digestive clearing salad. Consists of quinoa boiled in chicken broth and slightly cooled. Chopped Leeks, green onions and Cucumbers were added to the mix, and finally topped off with an Olive-Oil & Mustard dressing.

I'm a fan for heat, and I try to include it in many of my meals to increase circulation and maintain heart health. I've added cubed Cayenne peppers to this dish to give it a little kick and add some health.

Wholy Wheat & Nuts

Whole Wheat & Nuts


Great as a snack or a breakfast. This dish is filled with nutrients, vitamins and dietary fibres. It consists of boiled whole wheat (which unlike porridge - keeps it's shape due to the outer layer of the 'whole' wheat)  it's this skin in whole wheat that provides us with the whole wheat health benefits. As for the nuts, a mix of natural raw almonds, raw pistachios, and raw walnuts are added. Take note that they are raw, this is the best way to get all the benefits and nutrients from nuts. 


This dish is beneficial for Digestive Health, Heart health & Mental Health.

 
HOW TO:

This recipe is trés simple.
Portion size: 2

½ cup Whole Wheat
2 ½ cup Boiled Water

¼ cup Mixed Raw Nuts (Walnuts, Whole Almonds, Green Pistachios)
½ tsp Honey



You could also add:
2 tbsps of Shredded Coconut (powder)
2 tbsps Dried fruits (Raisins, prunes, apricots, figs, dates)
OR
2 tbsps Pomegranate Arils

 


 DIRECTIONS:

• It's best if the nuts are soaked in water over night, or less - but if you are making it on the spot you can use non-soaked nuts.
• In a pot boil the whole wheat for about 30 minutes.
• Drain whole wheat of water, and let cool slightly
• Mix in nuts (coconut) & Honey
• Enjoy

I have to admit, I sometimes cheat with this recipe, and add sugar instead of honey - Against what I preach since I think sugar is one of the "deadly whites", but I sometimes prefer the taste that sugar adds to this recipe. So since your tastes buds may not be familiar to this recipe, I suggest you train them with a healthier option for sweetening.

Note: With the addition of dried fruits, you could avoid addition of sugar or sweetening agents since they'd provide with the 'sugars'

Avocado Olive Dip

So last night I posted a pic of my Avocado Olive Dip, and was kindly asked to include the recipe. So here goes. Before I show you the recipe, I wanted to show you my other forms of avocado feasting.

LEMON AVOCADO 

Before I get stated, I wanted to show you my personal favorite & traditional way of eating an avocado. This method simply consists of an Avocado cut in half, pit removed and sliced in a grid like form. On the side, a good squeeze of lemon, and a mashed up garlic clove with a pinch of salt. Pour the lemon-garlic mix into the avocado, stir & eat.

AVOCADO & OLIVES

Then there's the inspiration to this recipe. A staple at the dinner table after our meal, we include the avocado and the olive. I prefer a spoon, my family members prefer a "La'meh" of pita bread (when the pita bread is used as a scoop to hold food). The lemon-garlic mix can be excluded here & it still tastes amazing


Finally off the the recipe:

AVOCADO OLIVE DIP

• 1 Avocado cubed
• ½ Lime or Lemon squeezed
• 1 clove of garlic mashed
• 1/2 tomato cubed
• 5 olives pitted & cubed
• pinch of salt

You can also add

• ½ tsp cumin ground
• ¼ tsp coriander ground
• ¼ tsp fresh hot peppers