Forget about scientific evidence and let’s all start believing in it. Don’t agree? Alright, I’ll do a little research and prove you wrong.

Top Six Health Benefits

I did a bit of googling and these are what I find. Great! Does that inspire you to have a good laugh now? Come on. Force one out now!

Are you laughing?

Other Benefits of Laughing
Even if you are not a believer of health, how about the next few benefits:

Okay, fine. You were right. Laughter does not make you any smarter. But it’s definitely smart to laugh! My throat’s turning dry now. Hope I’ve delivered my point. And brace yourself now.

Are you ready for a good laugh?

Origin of Samgyetang
This is a dish eaten by Koreans during the hottest days in summer called boknal (복날) where people tend to have little appetite due to the hot weather. Koreans believe that it replenishes the energy lost from excessive sweating and that consuming this delicious soup can help maintain health. I couldn’t really find a detailed history on Samgyetang but according to one source, it is over 1300 years old. Please share by commenting below if you happen to know about the history of this dish.

Possible Benefits of Panax Ginseng
Since Panax Ginseng is an integral part of this dish, aren’t we interested to know how it may benefit our health?

Panax Ginseng is an adaptogen which increases the body’s adaptability to stress by strengthening the immune, nervous and grandular system. It stimulates the production of immune cells that destroy pathogens, balances the release of stress hormones by supporting the organs (e.g hypothalamus) that produce them, helps produce endorphins (a hormone that can be produced naturally by the body) to make people feel good. It helps to increase blood circulation which is probably why ginseng is said to improve libido.

The main active ingredient responsible for the benefits of Panax Ginseng is known as ginsenosides. The amount of ginsenosides actually depends on many factors. Some of which are the soil that nourishes the root, the age of the root and storage conditions of the harvested ginseng.

Beware
Ginseng may not be suitable for some people including:

Hence do check with your doctor before taking ginseng. So are you curious about this dish or wish to try making it? 여기와 보세요! (Please view this!)

Source: Maangchi

A Little Background of Sushi-san
Sushi used to be just fermented fish and rice. Then, around AD 1336 – 1573, someone added vinegar to the rice for better preservation. As years went by, the Japanese became bored with just fish on top of rice. So, they got creative and added other toppings like pickled vegetables, eggs or tofu. And voila! It became what we all know today as sushi.

“Yummy! Getting hungry?”

The Three Delicious Health Benefits
Traditional Japanese sushi, made up of mainly raw fish and rice, is low in saturated fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.  On top of that, sushi…

Caution! Two Things to Look Out For…
A few points to take note of before you start to dig in…

Other Reasons to Love Sushi
Wow. What a spread! The embodiment of sushi and woman. Most guys are going to love this! LOL. Okay. Let’s not read too much into this! This used to be an uncommon Japanese practice known as Nyotaimori or body sushi. It is still not widely popularized today because the practice itself lies on a fine moral boundary and some conservative societies are unable to accept this.

For sushi lovers, be rest assured that the food is still relatively hygienic (the women take a bath before the display). And one advantage of Nyotaimori that you probably didn’t know – the food is kept warm at body temperature!

“Oh! What a spread!” Image taken from HawaiianLife.com

So how do I eat less of these?
1) Fat
Not all fats are bad. You might want to refer to my previous post 7 Fatty Facts and Myths for examples on how one can fall trap to bad fats unknowingly. Some simple steps you can take to avoid eating too much of such fats are to:

2) Salt
NaCl. Not to flaunt my chemistry but to bring across that sodium and chloride ions in salt are so commonly found that you don’t really need to purposely include extra amounts in your intake in normal circumstances. You will naturally consume them in the food and drinks you take.

3) Sugar
Some say replacing white sugar with brown sugar helps. However, do remember that brown sugar is still sugar at the end of the day and also contributes to empty calories.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol may be an alternative to sugar but overeating is a no no. Diarrhoea is one common side effect to overuse of these sweeteners. There have also been cautions about the association of artificial sweeteners with cancer (Source: NCI)!

In the end the only solution I can think of is to limit the intake of sweet food.

Tipoff: Eat less of these!
For the sharp-eyed ones, (assuming you have clicked the link to view the pyramid) you would have noticed that at the very top of the pyramid,

are grouped together. The key is to eat less of these which appear at the tip of the pyramid.

Huh??!! So What’s Wrong With…
1) Fats
Fats though important, contain the most calories per gram of energy compared to carbohydrates and proteins. So imagine if you don’t really use the energy (because you are too lazy to exercise or think etc…me guilty), they will be stored in your body! Blubber = cute + good insulation. But too much = trouble. It can contribute to high bad cholesterol levels in your body, clogging blood vessels, causing fatty liver and creating many health problems. Breast cancer for one is highly linked to obesity.

2) Salt
Sodium, a component in common salt, is linked to high blood pressure. For one, it always attracts water. When there is too much sodium in the blood such that the kidneys can’t rid of them fast enough, more water is retained, increasing blood volume and raising blood pressure. There is also say that the salt sensitivity of a person determines his response to salt levels. Those who are sensitive to salt have an increased risk of death regardless whether they have high blood pressure (Source: NIH).

3) Sugar
There is a common misconception that sugar causes diabetes. The relationship is indirect. Sugar contains empty calories that contribute to obesity which puts one at risk of diabetes. Empty calorie food refers to those that provide mostly energy but are of little nutritional value (examples of nutrients are vitamins and minerals). With obesity, the problems mentioned earlier ensue.

Now that you know why, look out for my next post on how to eat less of these!

Anyway you got it. The tea I’m referring to here comes from the plant Camillia Sinesis. Herbal tea, fruit tea or flower tea don’t count!

Types of Tea
A few common ones are white, green, oolong and black tea in ascending order of the amount of oxidation and processing each undergoes. The less amount of processing it is subjected to, the higher the retention of its antioxidant property.
Benefits of Tea
So what’s potentially good about tea? The antioxidants! In particular, the high levels of polyphenols (e.g. catechin) and vitamins. You might have come across conflicting reports claiming benefits of tea (e.g. reducing risk of cancer and improving fat metabolism) while others refute them. While research is ongoing, my own belief is that tea consumption in moderation can still be good for health and refreshing to the mind. Sometimes it may not be tea per se but the company you are having tea with that makes the difference!

Beware!
Though tea has got beneficial properties, it matters when you drink it and what you take with it.

Let’s Ponder!
Which one has more caffeine—coffee or tea? I’ll share my findings together with your comments below.

How am I supposed to eat this? Or rather how long will it take me to finish it? Are the seeds edible?

Talking about the seeds, there is a Greek myth associated with this. For those who are into mythology and given the title of this post, you would have known the name of the ‘thing’ by reflex now. For the sake of others, here is a short summary of the myth. Persephone, daughter of the goddess of agriculture, ate seeds belonging to a certain fruit while being imprisoned in the Underworld and had to spend several months of every year there. That is the period when the earth experiences winter.

Pomegranate
Yes, the fruit is pomegranate. I seldom eat this fruit because I find it hard to handle. Nevertheless the potential health benefits that I had chanced upon drove me to find ways to conquer this.

Potential Health Benefits
Pomegranate reportedly

The high levels of antioxidants in pomegranate may help in reducing the risk for cancer. Though more research is needed to support the health claims, it is worth giving them a try as part of our diet.

Getting Seeds Neatly Out
Facing resistance because of the messy stains you can encounter with the seeds? Not a problem if you remove them from the pulp properly!

Want something more visual? See how to deseed promegrante in this step-by-step guide! By the way, the edible red flesh containing the seeds is called the aril.

Ways to Integrate It Into Your Diet
Now that you have gotten the arils out. What do you do? Some suggestions are:

Personally I find chewing seeds weird so I would opt for the first or second suggestion to  enjoy the benefits of the seeds.

Know of other benefits and creative ways to include pomegranate in the diet? Share them in the comments below!

In school, he doubted his ability to make friends, got anxious over every test and panicked at any unexpected turn of events. Upon stepping into the society, he became apprehensive about new job responsibilities, got upset over his lifestyle and felt uncertain about his future. Things took a turn for worse when he started to feel uneasy at the slightest noise and even fret over what to eat for lunch! Many nights were spent running thoughts through his mind. He lost sleep, energy and time. Finally, he realized that all this while, he had been missing out on the finer things in life!

Luckily for him, he is determined to change this. The first big step he took was to change his name to MM. No longer was he the old WorryWart, he is now MiracleMaker!

Okay, why the heck am I talking about worrying? I am supposed to talk about health! Well, worrying IS closely tied with health. Notice how the old WW worried to the extent of jeopardizing his health?

A bit of worrying is inevitable and can keep you on your toes. Over worrying however, wastes lots of time and inhibits your ability to find solutions. While not all things get resolved just by simply doing nothing, worrying is definitely not the way to solve problems.

So what can we do?

Source it out

So what is causing you to be constantly worried? Does it stem from your past experience? Are you are trying to prevent something? Is it unfounded? Understanding the cause of your worry is imperative so you can go on to the next step…

Evaluate it

What is the probability of the event happening? Is it worth the effort worrying? If not, stop worrying! If the answer is yes, address the source and come up with solutions!

Trash it out

Talk to a trusted person who can lend a good listening ear and give good advice. Certainly not another worry wart! This can be therapeutic as after letting it out, it can help clear a cluttered mind and get you into a receptive state again.

Breaking your train of worried thoughts by distracting yourself with activities you like can help. You can always revisit the source of your worry when you are in a better physical and emotional state to handle it.

Move on

Sometimes you may have already come up with a solution. Then you probe further and worry about the solution itself. It is okay if you want to polish up your solution but it won’t help to linger too long.

By the way, MM does these and found a positive change in the quality in his life. Let’s wish him luck in his future endeavours!

Myth #1: All fats are bad. I should avoid fats at all costs.

Fact #1: Fats are one of the body’s energy stores. They are sources of essential fatty acids which cannot be produced by the body and have to be obtained from food sources in small amounts. Also acting as insulation and protection, fats are found surrounding our organs. Fats are important in absorption of fat soluble vitamins and hormone production.

Not all fats are bad. Unsaturated fats (poly and mono-unsaturated fats) are found to be beneficial in reducing the risk of heart diseases and lowering bad cholesterol. Yes, even cholesterol has ‘good’ (HDL) and ‘bad’ (LDL).

Cholesterol is not fat per se. Together with fats, they are called lipids. Cholesterol is mentioned here as it is very much linked with fats.

Opinion#1: As long as taken in moderation, there is no need to totally cut off fats from the diet. After all, there are good fats to choose from.

Myth #2: I choose food that says ‘no cholesterol’ so I am super safe.

Fact #2: Food can be labeled ‘no cholesterol’ if it contains very little quantity (how little?) of cholesterol. Even if there is ‘no cholesterol’, there can be saturated and trans fats in the food. These are known to raise LDL levels in our body.

Opinion#2: To test how much you know about cholesterol, you can try this quiz.

Myth #3: I only eat ‘good’ fats. Hence I can eat as much as I want.

Fact #3: There are only so many calories you need in a day. The amount of calories depends on your age, lifestyle, health status, gender etc. Fats, no matter good or bad, contribute to your total calorie intake. In fact, it gives 9kcal per gram of energy. If too much is taken, you can easily exceed your total calorie intake.

Opinion#3: Too much of a good thing is no good.

Myth #4: I only eat that specific fried food once in a while.

Fact #4: Well it depends on HOW MANY specific fried foods you are referring to. Say you eat fried A on day 1, fried B on day 2, fried C on day 3… (the list goes on, you have at least until Z) it is no longer that ‘once in a while’!

Opinion #4: What a mortifrying excuse! While it may be true that you don’t eat that specific fried A every day, the fact that you eat any fried food consecutively or very often is definitely not going to help.

Myth #5: Only fried foods are bad.

Fact #5: Fried foods are just one of the more obvious ones that glisten with oil. There are hidden fats aplenty! Red meat contains saturated fats and cholesterol; pastry like cookies can contain ingredients like butter and shortening…

Opinion #5: Old adages don’t exist for no reason. Don’t judge a book by its cover. You may be unwittingly consuming too much fat if you don’t take note of the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Myth #6: Margarine is better than butter as it has less fat.

Fact #6: There are 2 types of margarine—hard and soft. Margarine undergoes hydrogenation, generating trans fats in the process. Hard margarine contains more trans fats than soft margarine. Being a diary product, butter contains saturated fats and cholesterol. On the contrary, good fats can be found in canola, sunflower, olive and soybean oil, nuts (e.g. almond and walnut) and fish (e.g. cod and salmon).

Opinion #6: The fact speaks for itself.

Myth #7: I am still young; I will not have high cholesterol levels.

Fact #7: Having high cholesterol levels can be hereditary. Lifestyle habits like overconsumption of fat-laden food, lack of exercise and smoking can put you in this category too. Note that besides external food sources, cholesterol is also produced internally, excreted by the liver into the gut and reabsorbed into the bloodstream too!

Opinion #7: Remember my first post? Being young will not give immunity against poor health.

Do you have thoughts on the topic of fats? Share them! 

Yes, when it comes to sleep, quality mattress…I mean matters.

Heard of Junk Sleep?
According to Dr Chris Idzikowski from Edinburgh Sleep Centre (source: NHS), junk sleeping is “sleep that is neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school.”

Junk sleep is a common observation in schooling children. To me, adults are just as capable of it. Have you ever fallen asleep watching TV /surfing the internet/ whatever late into the wee hours? See, guilty faces aplenty.

A Right Time to Sleep
Typically, adults need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep. This might be common knowledge. But do you also know that when to sleep is just as important? I have heard about different versions of ‘optimum sleeping time’. Some says it is 10pm to 3 am; some 11pm to 2pm etc. It depends on what works for you. For me, sleeping before 12 midnight for 7 hours will make me feel refreshed the next day.

Time to Pay For It
By having an inadequate amount of sleep, we can accumulate a sleep debt (source:  Helpguide). Remember I mentioned that I almost missed the deadline for my first post? (If you don’t, it’s a sign of lack of sleep.) Well, I had been sleeping 1 to 2 hours past my usual bedtime continuously each night on the week I was supposed to submit my post. I haven’t been working on it and just the day before the deadline, I actually snoozed straight after dinner till dawn! Because of the sleep debt I incurred, I was left with very little time to complete it and almost broke my promise!

Missing the deadline is one thing, being deprived of sleep in the long run can lead to health issues like high blood pressure, obesity and slower reflexes just to name a few. Heard of driver fatigue? It’s an example of how lack of sleep can be as hazardous to us as to others.

More to Play Safe?
Okay, so to play safe we sleep and sleep and sleep. Wrong! Oversleeping is a medical disorder and you can feel constantly tired after sleeping for too long. I have ever tried going back to sleep (greed?) after waking up from my usual number of hours of sleep. Instead of feeling refreshed, I feel more tired than ever.

What I Practise Now
Just in case you think I’m the case of a pot calling kettle black, I need to emphasise that I am ALREADY making an effort to have quality sleep. I avoid drinking caffeinated drinks like tea from afternoon onwards; sleep and wake up at the same time every day. After some consistent efforts, I can automatically wake up feeling refreshed without the help of an alarm clock!

If you have problem sleeping, don’t let it pass. Go find out the root cause and seek professional help.

Oh yes, quality mattress may help.

P.S. Proud of your own reflex? Here’s something interesting – "Sheep Dash".