I came across an interesting article with a lengthy comment by Stanley Koh.Since mooncake festival will drawn on us very soon,let's see what he has to say, to quote;
The traditional Chinese mindset is perfectly tuned to folklore and legend. It therefore comes as no surprise that the Chinese, wherever they live in the world, celebrate scores of religious and cultural festivals throughout the year to commemorate events that go back thousands of years.
The lore of the Mooncake Festival—involving the beautiful Chang Er, who stole the elixir of life, and the archer Hon Yi, who shot nine suns—has been tirelessly repeated for generations.
How many of us in this age of advanced science and technology believe that such events actually took place in the ancient past?
Unless we are lunatics, we cannot believe the sad and bizarre tale of Chang Er being banished to the moon with her pet rabbit as being more than symbolic or an innocent piece of entertainment for the sentimental imagination.
But here is a more believable version: the Han people once used moon cakes to carry secret messages in a rebellion against the Mongols.
Well, that does not sound so lunatic. Choosing the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is at its full roundness and brightness, to launch a rebellion with secret messages hidden inside moon-shaped cakes does make some sense.
This gist of the story of the overthrow of the Mongols has been repeated year after year throughout the world for generations, or at least since moon cakes became a commercial commodity. However, many of these infomercials ignore the real significance of the celebrative event as a commemoration of the heroism of the Buddhist monk Zhu Yuan Zhang, who toppled the Mongolian Yuan dynasty in 1368.
How many of us, when exchanging gifts of moon cakes, actually mention Zhu’s name or even vaguely remember his heroism?
The commercialization of this festive event has turned us away from the moral significance of the event towards more mundane concerns about prices and the taste of the cakes that are offered for sale.
Today, a piece of moon cake may cost anything between RM12 and RM15, or anything above RM50 for a box.
The actual price, of course, depends on the ingredients inside the cake. And it gets more expensive every year. In years to come, will the price go over the moon?
But the pricing is not my main grouse. I have not eaten a moon cake for years.
Food for thought
One of the main concerns is that today’s approach to rituals and customs is akin to emphasizing the eggshell over the yolk. The outer forms of rituals and celebrations are maintained, but the essential meaning is often lost in the passage of time.
To the traditional Chinese, timeless wisdom, goodness and beauty are more important in legends than the real facts.
However, folklore and legend have also indirectly influenced modern-day food culture. For instance, the traditional moon cake baked in the 14th century would be unrecognizable to us today. Hundreds of regional variants have been created across China.
But let’s not forget the uniquely Malaysian varieties, such as the mashed durian paste moon cake. Whoever invented this should be given a free trip to the moon in recognition of his lunatic contribution to moon cake baking.
So there you have it. Any festival celebration without any emphasis on food indulgence is unimaginable.
In fact, there is a ruthless joke about the obsession of the Chinese with food. “The Chinese will eat anything under heaven as long as its back is facing the sky,” says a familiar jibe, suggesting that even hunchbacked people must be wary of being an endangered species.
Many would probably agree there is a ring of truth to the teasing. After all, the types of Chinese crusine available worldwide is unimaginably variegated.
The wide variety of food for worshipping can differ from simple vegetarian food to expensive gourmet delicacies as the Chinese seldom miss a chance to harvest every opportunity to hold a grand feast for family and friends after the rituals are done with.
So what does it matter whether a festival is celebrated to mark a successful rebellion against a tyrant emperor or a heavenly deity’s birthday?unquote.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
When You're down to nothing,God is up to something!
Another food for thought.On a lazy Sunday,I chanced to come across an interesting article about Jimmy,my namesake!Just to share here:
This is beautiful!
She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?'
The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'
Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'
The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university..'
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked.. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ' Mum , I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mum .' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'
Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there.. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car..
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :
'Dear Mum ,
I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You' . I will always love you, Mum , even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.
Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mum ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mum ? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'where was He when I needed him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.
Oh, by the way, Mum , no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone.. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.
This is beautiful!
She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?'
The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'
Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'
The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university..'
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked.. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ' Mum , I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mum .' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'
Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there.. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car..
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :
'Dear Mum ,
I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You' . I will always love you, Mum , even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.
Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mum ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mum ? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'where was He when I needed him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.
Oh, by the way, Mum , no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone.. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Your Choice of diet - Meat or Vege?
When Shiau Wen announced and created a new chapter in her life by denouncing meat during our meeting today,she stared at me hoping for more answers.
Really I have none at that very moment but just to console her to take it easy, perhaps by trying it twice a month,namely on the first and the fifteen day of the Chinese lunar calendar month.
Many of us do so in Penang but for me,I did the nine days vegetarian feast on the Nine Emperors Gods' festival and also when I was at BABA's Asram in Puttaparthi in India.
Have I said good-bye to my favourite meat?Let's explore what Colin Boyd Shafer has to say to quote:
"I have not eaten red or white meat for almost a year.Recently, I even said goodbye to seafood.I have completely given up eating animals.
Three main reasons have influenced my decision to stop eating animals in the 21st century: one, consuming meat is extremely harmful to the environment; two, purchasing meat is not worth the suffering it inflicts on the animals; and three, producing meat for mass consumption is simply not healthy.
For me, eating meat is simply unjustifiable.
I just finished reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s provocative new book “Eating Animals” (2009).Preparing for the book, he spent three years trying to decide, through detailed investigation, whether he wanted to raise his newborn son as a meat eater or a vegetarian. He decided on the latter.
His conclusions were my catalyst for change.
The book is full of mind-blowing revelations. For example: Animal agriculture makes a 40 per cent greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change.
Eating meat has other environmental implications as well. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for these farms — destroying biodiversity.
More fields are used to grow feed for these animals than to grow food for us!
Seafood is delicious, but large scale fishing is entirely unsustainable. As reported on BBC News, if trends continue, all major global fisheries will be depleted by 2050 (Black, 2006).
Eating meat is just not green.
An average American consumes 21,000 whole animals over a lifetime. The majority of these animals are factory farmed.
It’s important to remember that all meat comes from sentient beings. In the movie “Earthlings” (2007), one gets to see the harsh reality of where our meat comes from. Chickens crammed together in cages no bigger than a shoebox, cows skinned alive as they dangle by their legs from hooks, pigs poked, prodded and underfed, and dolphins being clubbed en masse.
Safran Foer spends a lot of time explaining how fish are no different, and just as deserving of our compassion.
However, most of us are disconnected from all of this. What we see is small cubes of meat ready for our consumption.
The whole “pain-filled” process is hidden. Why is it that the pleasure we derive from eating meat is enough to justify the act?
In the words of Safran Foer, “Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.”
Our meat consumption even creates disease. Zoonotic pathogens (animal-human or human-animal) result from our close contact with animals.
Safran Foer explains how the 1918 Spanish flu (a form of avian influenza) killed up to 100 million people worldwide in the course of a year and we may be leading ourselves down a similar road. Keep in mind that H1N1 derived from pig farming.
Farmed chickens are no better — with 95 per cent infected with E.Coli, 90 per cent Capylobacter, and 8 per cent Salmonella.
Due to their weak immune systems from altered genetics and harsh living conditions, they are very susceptible to diseases. We are setting up the conditions for the creation of a new super-pathogen.
Films like the Academy-award nominated Food Inc. (2009) demonstrate how dangerous our factory farmed meat can be. One woman in the movie discussed the death of her little boy from a contaminated hamburger. What makes the story even sadder is she is not alone. There are many people who have suffered from eating what appeared to be an innocent meal.
Many Malaysians like meat. It is an important component of the local diet.
About 25 per cent of total protein intake is from meats (Mohamed & Abdullah, 1987). In fact, a 2000 USDA report listed Malaysia as the number one consumer of seafood per capita, with the average person eating a whopping 374 pounds!
According to Maria Divina Sinalubong-Paraguas from Universiti Sains Malaysia (2006) “with rapid population growth and improved per capita income as well as lifestyle changes resulting from urbanisation, it is predicted that there will be further increases in demand for meat products in the country.”
As development in Malaysia continues so will the increase of factory-farmed meat and seafood consumption.
While researching this article, I found statistics — but no mention of how Malaysians feel about the treatment of animals bred for consumption on factory farms or fished from the sea.
Furthermore, there is apparently little concern over environmental impact. A notable exception is a recently published letter in the Sun from the president of the Consumer Association of Penang, S.M. Mohamed Idris.He asked for the closure of all shrimp farming operations. This industry is devastating the local mangrove ecosystem with far-reaching consequences.
Meat consumption is not a necessity for human survival. The vegetarian diet can be healthier than an omnivorous one as you can get protein from sources such as beans and soya.
As reported in the Huffington Post on July 13, 2008, impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study’s shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50 per cent! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30 per cent reduction in mortality! On a personal note, all of my friends who are vegetarian seem to be doing well.
I am afraid of where we are heading. Do we care about the perpetuating effects of global warming? Do we care about our health? Do we care about the treatment of these animals? Do you care?
If you are just eating meat for pleasure, is that just? What would it take for you to live life without your favourite meat dish? I challenge you to reflect on your choice of diet.
Not only should you think about your health, but your role as a global citizen. In the words of Jonathan Safran Foer, “when we lift our forks [chopsticks, hands — whatever you use to eat] we hang our hats somewhere.”unquote.
Good luck Shiau Wen, you have joined the Chronic Self-Righteousness Syndrome group as at today but as for me perhaps I should call my experiences as an Omnivore's Dilemma.Don't you think so???
Really I have none at that very moment but just to console her to take it easy, perhaps by trying it twice a month,namely on the first and the fifteen day of the Chinese lunar calendar month.
Many of us do so in Penang but for me,I did the nine days vegetarian feast on the Nine Emperors Gods' festival and also when I was at BABA's Asram in Puttaparthi in India.
Have I said good-bye to my favourite meat?Let's explore what Colin Boyd Shafer has to say to quote:
"I have not eaten red or white meat for almost a year.Recently, I even said goodbye to seafood.I have completely given up eating animals.
Three main reasons have influenced my decision to stop eating animals in the 21st century: one, consuming meat is extremely harmful to the environment; two, purchasing meat is not worth the suffering it inflicts on the animals; and three, producing meat for mass consumption is simply not healthy.
For me, eating meat is simply unjustifiable.
I just finished reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s provocative new book “Eating Animals” (2009).Preparing for the book, he spent three years trying to decide, through detailed investigation, whether he wanted to raise his newborn son as a meat eater or a vegetarian. He decided on the latter.
His conclusions were my catalyst for change.
The book is full of mind-blowing revelations. For example: Animal agriculture makes a 40 per cent greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change.
Eating meat has other environmental implications as well. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for these farms — destroying biodiversity.
More fields are used to grow feed for these animals than to grow food for us!
Seafood is delicious, but large scale fishing is entirely unsustainable. As reported on BBC News, if trends continue, all major global fisheries will be depleted by 2050 (Black, 2006).
Eating meat is just not green.
An average American consumes 21,000 whole animals over a lifetime. The majority of these animals are factory farmed.
It’s important to remember that all meat comes from sentient beings. In the movie “Earthlings” (2007), one gets to see the harsh reality of where our meat comes from. Chickens crammed together in cages no bigger than a shoebox, cows skinned alive as they dangle by their legs from hooks, pigs poked, prodded and underfed, and dolphins being clubbed en masse.
Safran Foer spends a lot of time explaining how fish are no different, and just as deserving of our compassion.
However, most of us are disconnected from all of this. What we see is small cubes of meat ready for our consumption.
The whole “pain-filled” process is hidden. Why is it that the pleasure we derive from eating meat is enough to justify the act?
In the words of Safran Foer, “Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.”
Our meat consumption even creates disease. Zoonotic pathogens (animal-human or human-animal) result from our close contact with animals.
Safran Foer explains how the 1918 Spanish flu (a form of avian influenza) killed up to 100 million people worldwide in the course of a year and we may be leading ourselves down a similar road. Keep in mind that H1N1 derived from pig farming.
Farmed chickens are no better — with 95 per cent infected with E.Coli, 90 per cent Capylobacter, and 8 per cent Salmonella.
Due to their weak immune systems from altered genetics and harsh living conditions, they are very susceptible to diseases. We are setting up the conditions for the creation of a new super-pathogen.
Films like the Academy-award nominated Food Inc. (2009) demonstrate how dangerous our factory farmed meat can be. One woman in the movie discussed the death of her little boy from a contaminated hamburger. What makes the story even sadder is she is not alone. There are many people who have suffered from eating what appeared to be an innocent meal.
Many Malaysians like meat. It is an important component of the local diet.
About 25 per cent of total protein intake is from meats (Mohamed & Abdullah, 1987). In fact, a 2000 USDA report listed Malaysia as the number one consumer of seafood per capita, with the average person eating a whopping 374 pounds!
According to Maria Divina Sinalubong-Paraguas from Universiti Sains Malaysia (2006) “with rapid population growth and improved per capita income as well as lifestyle changes resulting from urbanisation, it is predicted that there will be further increases in demand for meat products in the country.”
As development in Malaysia continues so will the increase of factory-farmed meat and seafood consumption.
While researching this article, I found statistics — but no mention of how Malaysians feel about the treatment of animals bred for consumption on factory farms or fished from the sea.
Furthermore, there is apparently little concern over environmental impact. A notable exception is a recently published letter in the Sun from the president of the Consumer Association of Penang, S.M. Mohamed Idris.He asked for the closure of all shrimp farming operations. This industry is devastating the local mangrove ecosystem with far-reaching consequences.
Meat consumption is not a necessity for human survival. The vegetarian diet can be healthier than an omnivorous one as you can get protein from sources such as beans and soya.
As reported in the Huffington Post on July 13, 2008, impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study’s shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50 per cent! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30 per cent reduction in mortality! On a personal note, all of my friends who are vegetarian seem to be doing well.
I am afraid of where we are heading. Do we care about the perpetuating effects of global warming? Do we care about our health? Do we care about the treatment of these animals? Do you care?
If you are just eating meat for pleasure, is that just? What would it take for you to live life without your favourite meat dish? I challenge you to reflect on your choice of diet.
Not only should you think about your health, but your role as a global citizen. In the words of Jonathan Safran Foer, “when we lift our forks [chopsticks, hands — whatever you use to eat] we hang our hats somewhere.”unquote.
Good luck Shiau Wen, you have joined the Chronic Self-Righteousness Syndrome group as at today but as for me perhaps I should call my experiences as an Omnivore's Dilemma.Don't you think so???
Friday, January 29, 2010
Eating too full in reunion dinners!!!
Chinese New Year is just two weeks away.As with any merry making, there are lots and lots of food to eat.Eat moderately and things will be fine with your body system as over-indulging in ten course reunion dinner or buffet lunch/dinner may do more harm than good.Ronnie forwarded this article by Dr. Lee for your consumption to quote:
WHAT'S WRONG IN EATING TOO FULL?
Don't overeat and don't encourage your family members and friends to overeat - unless you wish to shorten their healthy living and perhaps die younger!
"The more you eat, the sooner you die. The lesser you eat, the longer you live." This is what Dr Lee always says in his health talk. He also mentions, "Eating too full causes all sort of health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc."
Why eating too full is so harmful to your health?
What can you do about it?
=================================
Mice experiment
=================================
To see how eating habit affects life span, a professor from University of Texas did an experiment on mice.
For the first group of 100 mice, he let them eat without any restriction, just like a buffet meal. The second group was fed only 60% full. And the third group was given food without restriction too. But this time, he reduced protein content to half. After 2.5 years, guess how many mice were still alive out of 100?
* First group (eat without restriction) - only 13 mice was alive.
* Second group (eat 60% full) - 97 mice was still alive. Only 3 mice died.
* Third group (eat without restriction with protein cut half) - 50 mice still alive.
What can we learn from these results?
Firstly, eating too full is really harmful to your body. Secondly, eat 60% full if you want to live longer and healthier. Thirdly, taking too much protein is harmful to your body too. We don't need so much protein after all.
=================================
Overworked body
=================================
Imagine having a small family car. Instead of using it for short travel between home and office, you use it for long distance travel between different cities every day. Instead of using it 1 hour a day, you use it for 10 hours a day. Instead of driving at 70 km/h, you always speed up to 170 km/h, hitting engine's red line.
Can you estimate your car life span? Do you expect having various problems with your car after a short time?
Driving your car at high speed for a long time is like always eating too full. You force your body to always work at its red line.
Do you know digestion is the most demanding work for your body? Think about the organs involved such as your mouth, stomach, liver, pancreas, duodenum and intestine. Think about the length of digestive tract from your mouth to intestine.
Eating too full zaps up much of your body energy for digestion. Otherwise, this energy may be used for other purpose such as enhancing your immune system.
Do you realize you become very tired easily after a big meal? That is the sign of your body working hard to digest all the food you take in.
If you eat an extra bowl of noodle, your pancreas has to produce extra insulin hormone to process the extra carbohydrates you take.
Your liver, stomach and intestine also have to produce extra enzymes to digest and process specific nutrients from that bowl of noodle.
Therefore the more you eat, the harder your body has to work to process it. Of course, we must eat to survive. But we don't have to eat that much!
If you drive your car slowly and handle it gently, you can use it for a long time. But if you always floor the accelerator and drive like a rally driver, you know the consequence on your car life span.
=================================
Side effect of eating
=================================
Your car engine burns fuel to move your car and bring you to anywhere you like to go. As a result, the engine produces exhaust smoke which is toxic. It must be dispersed out from your car.
Similarly, your body cell burns nutrient for energy to survive. In the process, it produces free radicals. Since free radical is toxic to your body, it has to be neutralized and expelled.
"Just metabolizing food especially fatty and carbohydrate-rich fare causes the body to produce free radicals, which attack cells and can promote the development of chronic conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer," says Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D.
Of course, your body can control free radicals in small quantity. But the more you eat, the more free radicals your body produces. Without adequate control, these free radicals easily attack your body cells and eventually cause all sort of diseases.
=================================
Good eating habit
=================================
After knowing the harmful effect of eating too full, what's your choice? Do you want to live longer, just like the second group mice in the experiment? Or do you want to risk ending your life earlier, just like the first group mice?
If you wish to live longer, here are some tips you can follow:
1. Always eat until 70% full. Do not exceed 80% full. You may want to stop eating when you feel slightly full.
2. Avoid having buffet style meal which makes it harder to control how much you eat. Instead, prepare the food you want to eat in a plate. After finishing it, don't add anymore food.
3. Leaving the dining table earlier may prevent you from picking some extra food to eat.
4. It is always a good idea to prepare lesser food in the first place. Some people are afraid of having not enough food for everyone. Actually, lesser food is beneficial for everyone..
In a restaurant, order in small amount first. You can always add in some extra order if necessary. But if you can get by with the original smaller order, that's great.
Remember this: You have higher chance of overeating if you serve more food on the table. You have better chance of not overeating if you serve less food.
5. Avoid stuffing your fridge with ice cream, chocolate or other dessert. You cannot eat what you do not have.
6. When someone prepares a big plate of food for you, look at it first. Ask yourself, "Do I want to stuff it all into my stomach?"
If your answer is no, just put aside some food to another empty plate first. After finishing your food, look back at the extra food on that new plate. Say to yourself, "Phew! Luckily I didn't stuff that portion into my stomach."
7. When you get too hungry before your meal time, just take some fruit instead of heavy meal.
The tendency to overeat is very high for modern people. Do you know most monks only eat twice a day?
They wake up at 4am, meditate and say their prayer. Later they have their simple breakfast at 7am. Before 12pm, they have their lunch. That's all for them. They eat no more after that. No tea break. No dinner. No supper. They still look strong and energetic.
Of course, we don't have to eat like them. But it reminds us we can eat less and stay healthy. So remember to eat only 70% full if you want to stay healthy.Unquote.
So to all my friends, a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year to all as we welcome the year of the tiger.May the God of Prosperity smile on you all on this auspicious occasion!
"KEONG HEE HUAT CHAI"
WHAT'S WRONG IN EATING TOO FULL?
Don't overeat and don't encourage your family members and friends to overeat - unless you wish to shorten their healthy living and perhaps die younger!
"The more you eat, the sooner you die. The lesser you eat, the longer you live." This is what Dr Lee always says in his health talk. He also mentions, "Eating too full causes all sort of health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc."
Why eating too full is so harmful to your health?
What can you do about it?
=================================
Mice experiment
=================================
To see how eating habit affects life span, a professor from University of Texas did an experiment on mice.
For the first group of 100 mice, he let them eat without any restriction, just like a buffet meal. The second group was fed only 60% full. And the third group was given food without restriction too. But this time, he reduced protein content to half. After 2.5 years, guess how many mice were still alive out of 100?
* First group (eat without restriction) - only 13 mice was alive.
* Second group (eat 60% full) - 97 mice was still alive. Only 3 mice died.
* Third group (eat without restriction with protein cut half) - 50 mice still alive.
What can we learn from these results?
Firstly, eating too full is really harmful to your body. Secondly, eat 60% full if you want to live longer and healthier. Thirdly, taking too much protein is harmful to your body too. We don't need so much protein after all.
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Overworked body
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Imagine having a small family car. Instead of using it for short travel between home and office, you use it for long distance travel between different cities every day. Instead of using it 1 hour a day, you use it for 10 hours a day. Instead of driving at 70 km/h, you always speed up to 170 km/h, hitting engine's red line.
Can you estimate your car life span? Do you expect having various problems with your car after a short time?
Driving your car at high speed for a long time is like always eating too full. You force your body to always work at its red line.
Do you know digestion is the most demanding work for your body? Think about the organs involved such as your mouth, stomach, liver, pancreas, duodenum and intestine. Think about the length of digestive tract from your mouth to intestine.
Eating too full zaps up much of your body energy for digestion. Otherwise, this energy may be used for other purpose such as enhancing your immune system.
Do you realize you become very tired easily after a big meal? That is the sign of your body working hard to digest all the food you take in.
If you eat an extra bowl of noodle, your pancreas has to produce extra insulin hormone to process the extra carbohydrates you take.
Your liver, stomach and intestine also have to produce extra enzymes to digest and process specific nutrients from that bowl of noodle.
Therefore the more you eat, the harder your body has to work to process it. Of course, we must eat to survive. But we don't have to eat that much!
If you drive your car slowly and handle it gently, you can use it for a long time. But if you always floor the accelerator and drive like a rally driver, you know the consequence on your car life span.
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Side effect of eating
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Your car engine burns fuel to move your car and bring you to anywhere you like to go. As a result, the engine produces exhaust smoke which is toxic. It must be dispersed out from your car.
Similarly, your body cell burns nutrient for energy to survive. In the process, it produces free radicals. Since free radical is toxic to your body, it has to be neutralized and expelled.
"Just metabolizing food especially fatty and carbohydrate-rich fare causes the body to produce free radicals, which attack cells and can promote the development of chronic conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer," says Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D.
Of course, your body can control free radicals in small quantity. But the more you eat, the more free radicals your body produces. Without adequate control, these free radicals easily attack your body cells and eventually cause all sort of diseases.
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Good eating habit
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After knowing the harmful effect of eating too full, what's your choice? Do you want to live longer, just like the second group mice in the experiment? Or do you want to risk ending your life earlier, just like the first group mice?
If you wish to live longer, here are some tips you can follow:
1. Always eat until 70% full. Do not exceed 80% full. You may want to stop eating when you feel slightly full.
2. Avoid having buffet style meal which makes it harder to control how much you eat. Instead, prepare the food you want to eat in a plate. After finishing it, don't add anymore food.
3. Leaving the dining table earlier may prevent you from picking some extra food to eat.
4. It is always a good idea to prepare lesser food in the first place. Some people are afraid of having not enough food for everyone. Actually, lesser food is beneficial for everyone..
In a restaurant, order in small amount first. You can always add in some extra order if necessary. But if you can get by with the original smaller order, that's great.
Remember this: You have higher chance of overeating if you serve more food on the table. You have better chance of not overeating if you serve less food.
5. Avoid stuffing your fridge with ice cream, chocolate or other dessert. You cannot eat what you do not have.
6. When someone prepares a big plate of food for you, look at it first. Ask yourself, "Do I want to stuff it all into my stomach?"
If your answer is no, just put aside some food to another empty plate first. After finishing your food, look back at the extra food on that new plate. Say to yourself, "Phew! Luckily I didn't stuff that portion into my stomach."
7. When you get too hungry before your meal time, just take some fruit instead of heavy meal.
The tendency to overeat is very high for modern people. Do you know most monks only eat twice a day?
They wake up at 4am, meditate and say their prayer. Later they have their simple breakfast at 7am. Before 12pm, they have their lunch. That's all for them. They eat no more after that. No tea break. No dinner. No supper. They still look strong and energetic.
Of course, we don't have to eat like them. But it reminds us we can eat less and stay healthy. So remember to eat only 70% full if you want to stay healthy.Unquote.
So to all my friends, a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year to all as we welcome the year of the tiger.May the God of Prosperity smile on you all on this auspicious occasion!
"KEONG HEE HUAT CHAI"
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