Have You Ever Noticed A Lot Of Recipes Have Sugar In Them? Dont Get Me Wrong. A Little Bit Of Sugar Does

Have you ever noticed a lot of recipes have sugar in them? Don’t get me wrong. A little bit of sugar does add to the taste of many recipes. I made this beef broccoli without the sugar and it was horrible. Next time however I added ½ teaspoon of Ceylon Cinnamon powder instead of sugar and the result was the classic taste of the beef broccoli. In dare say it was perhaps even better. You see Ceylon Cinnamon makes things sweeter, especially beef. It has zero sugar. It also adds to a deeper complex flavor. Just a little mind you. Don’t overdo it.  Even better Ceylon Cinnamon is known to reduce blood sugar. A bit strange right? How can it make things taste sweet but also reduce blood sugar? In addition to its special properties, it does this by delaying gastric emptying which has a secondary benefit. Better nutrient absorption. And the final benefit? Adding a pinch of Ceylon Cinnamon to beef helps it brown and give it nice rich color.

#beefbroccoli #chinesefood #keto #diet #recipe #cinnamon #ceyloncinnamon #sugar #sugarsubstiute #digestion #nutrition #absorption #gastricemptying #browningmeat #bloodsugar #flavor

Had a little discussion with my cousin about cooking vegetables the other day. Many cultures seem to overcook their vegetables while the Chinese seem to be masters of steaming and stir frying their vegetables perfectly, retaining their nutrition. It took me years to steam broccoli just perfectly, retaining that color and firmness. My trick is to steam it covered for exactly 10 minutes starting with cold water although the Chinese blanche it in hot water for just a minute or so for stir fries. How do you make your vegetables? Boiling, roasting, cooking or steaming? The consensus seems to be steaming is better for the most part or at least not overcooking it.

#vegetables #cooking #boiling #roasting #steaming #cooktime #broccoli # bok choy #cabbage #kale #spinach #silverbeet # broccoli #beans #brusselssprouts #cauliflower #leeks #peas #sweetcorn #carrots #parsnips #pumpkin #turnips #yams

I used to live in Hong Kong for many years and left for America the land of opportunity. But not good health. Hong Kong to my surprise has the best longevity in the World. This is despite heavy pollution, limited organic food, really cramped living conditions and low health care spending. Why do they live so long? Part of the answer may lie in the fact they eat a lot of fresh food. Unlike in the US where people shop once a week and either freeze or refrigerate their food, people in Hong Kong have really tiny kitchens. There is no space. So, they eat out. Virtually every day. There are plenty of inexpensive restaurants serving fresh food. Because of the massive scale, prices are cheap and food waste is  also reduced by cooking for many. And they eat plenty of fish. Glorious varieties of fish, often steamed. Vegetables too, made in the most amazing ways. For such a busy place there are plenty of outdoor spaces. You should see how many retired people get up early in the morning, gather in large groups and practice tai chi. It is truly a sight to behold. Afterwards they go to a restaurant with fellow retirees which may be building a sense of wellbeing. This is often done on a daily basis. The younger people are too busy to do this but they too meet in large groups at lunch time. Again, fresh food. In the evening they meet friends or work mates for dinner. It could be a simple place like a Dai Pa Dong (a no-frills restaurant) or a more expensive place for special occasions or somewhere in between. This social fabric and a huge variety of food may explain their longevity. I am so glad Hong Kong exposed me to the art of eating better and the social gathering. I have got to eat more fresh fish despite concerns about mercury. My fish skills are not great but I started with this expensive Halibut. It was out of this World. Next how to master Hong Kong style steamed fish. Got to live long and healthy. 

#longevity #fish #healthy #ageing #hongkong #family #freshfood #vegetables #socialintreactions #taichi #qigong #exercise #friendship #halibut #asparagus #rice #germanredcabbage

Tea is much more dangerous than beer. I drank 14 beers until 2:00 a.m. at the local pub while my wife stayed home drinking tea.

You should have seen how violent and angry she was when I got home.

I was peaceful, silent and headed to bed. She shouted at me all night and well into the morning.

Please ladies the choice of tea is very important. Try some Ceylon Cinnamon Ginger tea to get a good nights sleep and reduce

any irritation you might

feel towards me.

Or join me at the pub

for a beer. Ginger beer.

#tea #gingertea #cinnamontea #beer #mood #anger #cinnamon #ceyloncinnamon #ginger #calm #pub #sleep #relaxation #cinnamonoil

I was doing a Zoom call with a friend and noticed she was drinking water like crazy and going to pee often. When I asked her why she was drinking so much water she replied it was for her skin. That got my thinking about how we should drink water. Turns out there are some interesting facts and myths about drinking water. Drinking too much water before a meal will make your stomach acidic according to one study. Your stomach needs to be alkaline for proper digestion. Turning your stomach more acidic before a meal does not help digestion and also creates bloating. A little bit of water during a meal is actually beneficial as it lubricates the stomach lining and helps your stool be softer. But not too much. Take a page from the Chinese custom of sipping hot tea with their meals in small little cups. Maybe they do know a thing or two about digestion because it turns out drinking cold water is not great for digestion as it apparently solidifies fat in food, worsens joint pain and might even give you a sore throat. One thing that is clear, drinking too much water will wash away salts and other electrolytes. And my friend was exhibiting the classic symptoms of such electrolyte losses, especially headaches, irritability, muscle weakness, fatigue, lethargy and especially abdominal cramping. But she is as stubborn as they come. Not even willing to run an experiment and see. Sigh. The good news is she sips her water, only drinks warm water and drinks while seated. At the end of the day we do have to use common sense and really listen to our bodies. As we get older our thirst receptors do not work as well, often mistaking thirst for hunger. So a little extra water will be useful.

#water #howtodrink #whentodrink #howmuchwater #h2o #electrolytes #sodium #salt #potassium #magnesium #chloride  #headaches #irritability #muscleweakness #fatigue #lethargy #abdominalcramping #jointpain #kidneys #stomachacid #digestion #bloating #gas

I got my first Covid-19 vaccination (Pfizer) two weeks ago and going for the second shot soon. As a consummate hypochondriac who has never had a flu shot or taken any medication for 11 years now, I don’t leave anything to chance. First, I exercised to get my body in supreme form but stopped a few days before the vaccine. This ensured the body was calm and not distracted rebuilding muscle tissue when the vaccine entered the body.  Alcohol and OTC pain medication dulls the immune response system. This can result in antibodies that are not as strong.  My fasting diet was halted and replaced with three full meals days prior to the vaccine including a nice breakfast a few hours before the vaccine. While fasting is good, when we begin to fast, the body initially breaks down a number of immune fighting white blood cells. I was building reserve fuel so my body had all the resources to build the best possible antibodies as soon the vaccine entered by body. The vaccine process was pretty simple. I was out of there in all of ten minutes. Wow. Did I tell you I hate needles? Of course, I took the opportunity to do some binge eating. I got myself a nice steak, a generous helping of vegetables, fries and bread. Got a large chocolate cake too. Yes, sugar is the fastest energy source. Admittedly it is a dirty fuel but, in this case, it gets the job done. It was only for a few days.  I really was tempted to pour myself a nice brandy to get the arm pain to go away. It would have gone down well with the steak. The next day the arm pain was a little worse. More irritating than painful. Again, I resisted the temptation to take some Ibuprofen or Advil. You see pain killers tell the body it’s not that serious. The higher the pain the better your body is triggered to mount a robust immune response and build antibodies that can machine gun any Covid-19 vermin that come its way in the wild. Get plenty of sleep. I took the opportunity to binge watch some movies and eat like a pig. It was rather fun. Anyway, that is the story of a hypochondriac getting a vaccine. But I am looking forward to another round of binge eating for the second shot. Apparently, you get the chills for 24 hours so the thermal blanket is ready. Besides I have my Cinnamon ginger tea which we know warms the body. So, all set.

#Covid-19 #vaccine #antibodies #protocols #preparation #alcohol #medication #otcmedication #sleep #sugar #fasting #dieting #immunity #antigens #immunity #virus #coronavirus #exercise #chills #armpain #advil #ibuprofen #chills #fever