How to do a Liver Detox...

When I first heard and read about a liver detox, I had my reservations not about its effectiveness but more to why I would want to do that to myself so I got CJ to agree to be my guinea pig! *sniggers* He blogged about his experience on his blog too... whaahaha!

I'm not a kind of person who would go through fasts or eat all organic food just because its good for me. I love my nitrates aka hams/sausages/luncheon meats... and I don't see the need to purchase a carrot at $3 instead of the usual 60 cents... something in that drift if you know what I mean. The only holistic thing I can appreciate would be massage therapy but leave my hotdogs alone. *smacks lips* But since we've started our new weightloss cycle, I thought that perhaps clearing out our insides a little would certainly help in the absorption of the very select nutrients and supplements that we would be taking in the coming weeks.

Thus the first detox experiment. The Liver Detox. A procedure that has been practiced with great success for untold generations. I did some research online to how to do it and I will adapt it here. While there are recommended timings to fulfill each part of the detox, I have broken it down to the timeslots that can work for almost any similar timing.

IMPORTANT: The rest of this post can be somewhat gross. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you're easily queasy about bodily excretions, skip this post and exit now.

I have adapted the content from this website but compiled it here for easier reference according to what we did. So this info below is not something I thought about randomly or created. I compared several sites on this and this one was sufficiently informative to help me get the procedure together at home. I was very methodical about all of it too y'know! :) However, please use common sense should you attempt this detox and I disclaim all liability towards any and all possible negative reactions you might have to this after reading this post if you do the detox.

Please DO NOT do this if you have doubts about doing it - have not done other research or if you are not feeling well, if you have existing health conditions -better to check with your doctor before proceeding and/or if you are pregnant.

Introduction to the Standard Liver Cleanse:
This is a natural way to effectively and painlessly remove from the gallbladder and liver, most stones, gravel, crystals, debris and residues that hinder your body's detoxification and healing. It cleanses the liver bile ducts and eventually purifies the blood stream by making the liver cleaner and more efficient. This is a procedure you can do at home, over one weekend, using ingredients from a local supermarket and pharmacy - for a little more than $10.00. In addition, it is non-toxic, fast acting, has no side-effects, promotes increased well-being, raises the level of available energy and can provide freedom from most allergies.

Purpose of the Cleanse:
This cleanse is used to clean the liver and gall bladder of gall stones, gravel and sand to dramatically improve your body's health. The liver cleanse also has the ability to expel pollutants and toxins from the gallbladder and liver. You can expect your allergies to disappear more and more with each subsequent cleanse and even improve your complexion! Each liver cleanse "cures" a different set of allergies, suggesting that the liver is compartmentalized - different parts having different duties. Incidentally, a liver detox also eliminates most shoulder, upper arm and upper back pain.

Introduction:
One of the main function of the liver is to make bile, up to an estimated 1.8 litres in a day! The liver is full of tubes (biliary tubules) that deliver the bile to one large tube - the common bile duct. The gall bladder is attached to the common bile duct and acts as a storage reservoir. Eating fat or protein triggers the gall bladder to squeeze itself empty after about twenty minutes (or after ingesting the liver cleanse solution). The stored bile finishes its trip down the common bile duct to the small intestine and eventually to the colon (large intestine).

Of course the gall bladder does not hold enough bile to neutralize all of the liver cleanse solution you have ingested. The empty gallbladder then signals its master, the liver, to dump all available bile forcefully into the common bile duct as well. In this fashion, the liver turns itself practically inside out and empties all of its available bile together with stones, gravel and crystals.

Epsom salt serves to relax the tubules so that the passage of larger stones is painless and smooth. The Epsom salt also serves to evacuate the small and large intestines of feces. See benefits of Epsom Salts HERE. For many persons, including children, the biliary ducts (tubing) are choked with gallstones. Some develop allergies or hives, but some have no symptoms at all. There are over half a dozen variety of gallstones, most of which have cholesterol crystals in them. They can be black, red, white, green or tan colored. The green ones get their color from being coated with bile.

At the very center of each stone scientists found a clump of bacteria, suggesting a dead bit of parasite might have started the formation of the stone. *Shivers.GROSS!Shudders again* Perhaps it is the liver's function to encapsulate parasites to avoid getting destroyed by such an invader. That's fine for one or two, but how about thousands of such encapsulations?

With gallstones and liver stones, much less excess cholesterol leaves the body and cholesterol levels may rise. A liver cleanse will invariably result in a lowering of cholesterol levels.

How is it Done?
Choose a free weekend where you won't be going out or doing anything much to attempt this. There was a semi-fast that they ask for prior to the detox but since CJ wasn't really eating heavily this week and was already on his low carb cycle, he had chicken for lunch on Friday and spent the rest of the day plus the whole of Saturday detoxing without solids (on liquids only - water, clear juices and teas) till I returned home to administer the process.

STEP 1
The recommended semi-fast before you commence is said as this...
Drink apple juice for three days preceding the liver cleanse. For these three days, eat frugally, if you must, and then only small amounts of raw unprocessed fruit and/or vegetable salads. Every day take at least one full quart of high quality, unfiltered, preferably home-made apple juice. You should be able to see the sediments on the bottom of the container. The pectin in the apple juice helps to soften and flatten the stones in the gall bladder and liver. This will also help their passage through the bile ducts. This semi-fast also empties the intestines of their food content and makes the collection of stones less problematic.

Ingredients needed:
4 Heaping Tablespoons of Epsom Salts (you can purchase this box for less than $5 from Guardian Pharmacy)
3/4 cup of Good Quality Olive Oil (we used Extra Virgin Olive Oil - purchased from any supermarket)
3 Fresh Grapefruits (freshly squeezed to give you at least 3/4 cups worth)
1/2 Teaspoon of Vit. C powder. We used 2 of our usual Vit. C tablets aka Redoxon dissolvables - easily purchased at any supermarket or pharmacy.

They also suggest some natural sleep supplements if you need them if you have problem sleeping usually. Ie Ornithine but these are not really necessary.

Apparatus needed:
1 drinking cup
1 citrus fruit juicer *if you don't have this just manually squeeze it. Just that grapefruits however are quite hard to squeeze without one*
1 strainer to remove the pulp
1 measuring cup for liquids
1 bottle or jar big enough to hold 3 cups of water.
1 125ml disposable bottle
1 tablespoon for measuring/stirring

STEP 2
Choose a day like Saturday for the cleanse so that you can rest the next day. Take no medicines, vitamins or other pills that you can do without. They could hinder success of the cleanse. Eat a no fat fruit breakfast and light fat-free lunch such as cooked cereals with fruit but no butter or milk. This allows the bile to build up and develop pressure in the liver. Higher pressure pushes out more stones.

2:00 PM.
Do not eat or drink after 2:00 o'clock. If you break this rule you could feel quite uncomfortable later. Get your Epsom salts ready. At 2:00pm, mix 4 heaping tablespoons of Epsom salts in 3 cups of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of Vit C powder and pour this into a jar. This makes four servings, 3/4 cup each. Please keep in mind that the first serving begins at 6:00pm and the 2nd serving for the evening is taken at 8:00pm. The other two required servings are reserved for the following morning. Place the jar in the refrigerator to get ice cold (this is for convenience and taste only).

6:00 PM.
Mix and shake the jar. Pour and Drink one serving (3/4 cup) of the ice cold prepared Epsom salts water. You can certainly drink a few mouthfuls of water afterwards or rinse your mouth.

Reaction: CJ started feeling stirrings in his stomach. Felt a little bloatedness. He said the bitter salty solution was vile.

8:00 PM.
Repeat the above by drinking another 3/4 cup of Epsom salts water. You have not eaten since two o'clock, but you won't feel hungry. Do something light like watch tv, read or use the computer for the balance of the evening, extremely light leisurely activity only. The timing of the actual cleanse is relatively critical to achieve success. Do not be more than 10 minutes early or late for anything that follows next.

Reaction: CJ started going to the bathroom at hourly intervals with slight watery diarrhea. Slight stomach cramps and the start of an "ass burn" where you eliminate so much that your butt starts too hurt.

9:45 PM.
Pour 3/4 cup (measured cup) of your high quality olive oil into the disposable bottle. Pour the prepared 3/4 cup of squeezed grapefruit juice into the measuring cup, adding this to the oil. Close the bottle tightly with its lid and shake briskly until well mixed, almost watery. Only fresh squeezed juice will do this. Now visit the bathroom one or more times, even if this makes you slightly late for your ten o'clock drink. Be ready to go to bed and STAY in bed.

10:00 PM.
Take the solution to your bedside if you want, but drink it standing up. Drink the potion you have mixed. Get all of it down immediately, if possible. Very elderly, or weak persons, should space this over a period of five minutes. CJ found this the hardest to do of all the processes as it really isn't the most pleasant of drinks to chug down.

Reaction: CJ found it quite difficult to drink down the bottle of oil & grapefruit juice solution but did it at one shot. It was just THAT gross so he had a little nausea after finishing it.

Lie down immediately. The sooner you lie down, the more stones you will get out. Put your knees up to your chest in a fetal position. Lie on your right side for at least half an hour. The oil/citrus juice mixture will go to your gallbladder and liver. These organs will not know what to do with THAT much oil emulsion, so they will spasm and throw off all the available bile - plus stones, gravel and crystals.

10:30 PM.
You may turn on your back with a good thick feather pillow. Try to think about what is happening in the liver. Think loving thoughts - your liver is sensitive and responsive to feelings of resentment, vindictiveness and hate. Try to keep perfectly still for about half an hour or at least 20 minutes. Visualize the cleansing action taking place. You may feel a train of stones traveling along the bile ducts like marbles. There is little likelihood of pain because the bile duct valves are open - thanks to the Epsom salts.

Relax and go to sleep if you don't already need to go to the bathroom. Let nature do her thing. Tomorrow you will be cleaner, much cleaner, and also healthier than before.

Reaction: CJ went to the bathroom again! No major stomach cramps but watery diarrhea for sure. He didn't wake up through the night after that till it was time for the next dose the next morning.

Next morning (est. 10 hours later at least, after 6:00 AM)
Upon wakening, take your third dose of prepared Epsom salt solution. If you have indigestion or nausea, wait until this is gone before drinking the Epsom salts. Do not take this before 6:00 AM. It would be best if you don't get up and have someone else give you this potion.

Reaction: This was where it got a little scary and mightily gross. He went to the bathroom to eliminate and they came shooting out fast, furious and explosive. The first sitting of the day saw little black specs floating. The 2nd to the 4th onwards after literally came at 30 minute intervals and it was shocking! It works and he's now a convert!

The toilet bowl was filled with floating mushy green lumps, foam and hard fingernail sized stony bits in the green pea like soup concoction. Sample image of a liver stone HERE. <-- these are not his stones - I found this online incase you were curious how it looks like. But you've got to check out your own eliminations if & when you do this yourself and shock yourself.

2 Hours Later
Take your fourth (the last one - Thank God!) dose of Epsom salts. Drink 3/4 cup of the mixture. You may go back to bed if you like. After 2 more hours you may get up and take something into your empty stomach. Start with some fresh-made fruit juice. Half an hour later, eat some fruit. One hour later you may eat regular food but keep it light, uncooked and natural. By dinner time on Sunday, you should feel fully recovered and ready to slay a dragon.

What to expect?
Expect diarrhea in the morning of the second day (Sunday). Alot of it. CJ claims that he had never gone to the toilet so many times before in such a short time frame..even with food poisoning. Wahhaha! It wasn't as painful as actually having food poisoning though as there wasn't the element of bad stomach cramps or vomitting.. the only issue was the ass burn!

I doubt you would want to filter what you had eliminated. Peering into the toilet bowl would be sufficient. Look for the greenish kind, since this is proof that they are genuine gallstones and not food residue. Only bile from the liver is green. The bowel movement (if there is any) sinks, but gall and liver stones float because of the cholesterol content and it is actually VERY obvious! Eventually, you may have to eliminate up to 2,000 stones, in several sessions, over a period of a year or so, before the liver is clean enough to rid you of all allergies or upper back, or other symptoms, permanently.

Overall Reactions: A total of 16 diarrhea visits that ended around 4pm on Sunday. With a heck alot of green & black floaty stuff that came out mostly on the 2nd day within the first 5 eliminations of the day. The rest of the evening, he was back to normal feeling lighter and cleaner. Normal and very light bowel movements resumed on Monday morning. We'll probably do this again in 2-3 months time again! Liver Detoxed!!

Something Interesting Coming Soon...

There's going to be something interesting coming up in the coming weeks... so watch this space! Let me give you a hint tho... does it involve exercising? Yep.. Would it be informative & interesting? I think it would be fun actually if not why agree to do it, right? Would I need a heck alot of moral support? Hell Yea!!... so... watch my space closely.. something is going to come walking by...

Out of Action Again...

I've been out of action for the past couple of weeks already... my back decided to keep me grounded for either bed or home rest if you have not otherwise seen me instructing classes and even these have been kept to a minimal to pre-booked permanent slots or personal clients.

The hubster says it would take up to a month for my back to recoup its full function and ease of movement. I'm either practically hunched over in pain, hobbling like an old lady or just lying down these days to make gravity and non pressure my best friend. And yes, I've seen the therapist who painfully and tearfully rubbed my body while I cried the whole hour. It was effective so it was an hour of freakish pain for a couple of days of gradual relief but I would not be in any dance class if you've been looking for me till May.

What happened? Well, not sure really but my lower back went into a crazy nerve pinch literally overnight that sent me flat out in bed for a full 3 days on painkillers and muscle relaxants. We had crossed our fingers that it wasn't as serious as a slipped disk simply because that would literally put my dance instructing in horrible jeopardy. I'm now walking albeit a little slower than usual and bending with caution.

I'll be resting my back till next week where I take my FITBALL certification training.. another week of rest after and then Zumba ZIN25 training at California Fitness... then if I'm fine by then, I'll be back at class as usual.

Till then, enjoy your classes everyone! I'll see you all when I see you. *hugs*

Wanna cheer me up? Leave me a note here.. so I'll know you've bothered to keep on reading me even though I haven't been around much lately.. What say you?

What Do You Think is Going On?!

Over the past couple of weeks since the start of Chinese New Year, I've been under attack. Literally. BUGS!! Viral Bugs!!

First it was a persistent hacking cough that was so bad it made me hack till I cried, the force of the hacks broke the blood vessels in my face so my face was spotty for awhile and I spat blood.. and I literally peed in my pants from the lack of urinary control due to the force of the hacking... *sighs* I had to cancel classes and meetings for more than half a week to recover from that...

Then last week, I fell into some kind of cold not cold, flu not flu bug.. I spent a good part of the day sneezing my head off, head was cottony, ran a fever and body was aching. Spent 2 days in bed with my laptop, bottle of water, flu & cold caplets and some candy... no classes cancellation necessary. Thank God.

Then today, I woke up and looked into my throat and saw my already usually enlarged Tonsils covered in a crazy amount of white specs. Immediately I knew, Oh Damn it!! Its either going to be a major case of strep throat or Tonsilitis.. either way, I USUALLY break out in a majorly high fever that would hit like 41.5 deg. and would be down for at least a week. And on a plus side usually lose 3-4kg...

BUT strange thing is.. other than having a little tenderness while swallowing...and that it was bleeding this afternoon... I can feel the swell and my throat looking like mangled roadkill... its strange that I'm otherwise feeling alright. No fever.. -strange again.. I almost ALWAYS have a fever when this breaks out. Body feeling tired.. but not strange there.. no other symptoms so we're just monitoring the situation.. I'm really hating all this half fucked kind of bugs that are getting me week on week. Its constantly breaking my carb cycle because I eat normally when I'm ill so I recover faster..

I just want one major bug to hit, throw me down for a week and then give me weeks and months of smooth sailing health and vitality.. Dear God.. can I just have that instead of these small annoying spurts? Thank you.. :( Are you up there?

UPDATE: I'm now supplemented with Colostrum from Dr. Ong.. wonderful to have a personal friend who is a Doctor huh... looking to clearing up this bug and whatever else is in me asap.. been procrastinating on getting it even though I know it really works.. looking forward to feeling a hell of alot better and getting back to my jogging and new choreography for new dance classes!

Snippets from my Aqua Aerobics Class

One of my clients who sat in one of my Aqua sessions took some shots of the class and me and I thought I'd share 3 with you.

I instruct Aqua Aerobics aka AquaFit to corporate classes. Clients will book the pool - whether it is a private or a Singapore Sports Council public pool. The latter usually is a tad tricky and has alot of red tape and waiting time to getting an SSC location.

I have had enquiries for a public class, however I have yet to manage to source for a location that would allow such public classes if it was not corporate or condo-private. If you know of a pool that I can use, please let me know!

My students go through rounds of warm ups, heart pumping cardio workout, resistance exercises, circuit training, interactive games, sometimes we dance - yes, you can dance in the pool. I call it purposeful movements. Each movement has a purpose to work a certain body part/joint/muscle group. I usually end with some relaxing water therapy and a complete cool down.

I use water resistance and equipment such as Aqua noodles and balls. I may decide to invest in water dumbells and aqua vests at a later time to do deep water classes in the future.

In the meantime, I conduct shallow depth *chest level* classes for my students. There are times that I do have students who are not swimmers or have a certain amount of water fear. We try to ease their anxiety over the course of the program. So far so good! I am very proud of all my participants! I can see the improvement in everyone! *hearts*

Non swimmers usually manage to complete my class too. Options for participants and those who can manage more advance moves are usually provided for different skill and confidence levels.

If you know of an organisation, school or company or a group of at least 15 people or if you are interested and can gather a group of friends and FIND a pool suitable for use. Talk to me at honeymeow@gmail.com and perhaps we can explore some sessions together. :)

What have I been up to Lately?

Ever since that weekend from the Blogathon.. I fell really sick with a bad flu that had me crashed completely knocked out for 2-3 days straight for most part of the day and night. Was it diagnosed as H1N1? Nope, the GP didn't mention anything about that but it did help that I was only running a low grade fever and I had a crazy amount of antibiotics and various pills.

With a really bad throat, body aches, head aches, running nose, loss of voice, lethargy, sneezies and whatever else you would expect from having a bad flu...

I'm fine now though...meanwhile, I was looking into my blog stats and noticed that you.. yes you.. my dear dear blog readers have STILL been faithfully reading me despite such a long absence from my blog.. Thank you!!!! *loves* And on certain days... readership has risen too! I feel so bad for the lack of posts! Hugs to all!

We've been having alot of Yong Tau Foo at home.. and I love topping the soup with half boiled eggs and chicken! Totally the way you should have it... minus the extra gravy... light on the tummy too!

And I have a full day filming for a UK Corporate Healthcare organisation tomorrow so I DIY re-dyed my hair again. Unfortunately, I kinda forgot that I didn't really like this colour and bought the wrong one.. but since I only realised it when it was on my head.. I'm now officially, Miss Orangey Red head.. again....

And last Thursday before I went to teach my Aqua class for the evening, the hubster CJ and I went to Carls Jr at Vivo City! Yep, we're still on a low carb regime and Carls Jr I say? Yeah! Carls Jr!!

DID YOU KNOW? That you can order ANY CARLS JR burger on the menu LOW CARB STYLE? That just means that they omit the bread and they wrap your ordered burger in layers and layers and layers and layers of lettuce.... topped with fresh Salsa... OMG.. heaven!

Why I say layers and layers so many times is because it seemed like there was at least half a head of lettuce wrapping each of our burgers!! Whoa lao!! Lettuce overload but it was SOOOO GOOD!! And for the first time in Carls Jr history for me.. I finished the whole burger without needing to pass it on to anyone to finish. And I didn't feel like I needed to give "birth" after either!! It was so refreshing!!

Those who are watching their carb levels can find Low carb heaven fast food joint in Carls Jr!

Nom! Nom! Nom! Nom!!....

We also tried the new Freddies Burger joint sometime last week, which came highly recommended at the new ION Orchard!

After my ZumFit class on Friday... Lauren and I head down to check out ION Orchard and had dinner there after chugging down some Starbucks Coffee each! ... yeah.. my 9 year old daughter drinks Starbucks Frappucino and still sleeps normally after.. just like me!!

Thats Lauren unveiling her burger... and me assessing it... :) And next, my Freddies burger! .... it wasn't all too bad.. about half the price of a Carls Jr. burger. About 3/4 the size of at CJ burger too.. the patty was about maybe about double the size of a single CJ patty but a little more mushier.. very beefy though... and sets came with a drink and curly fries.

And since we're still on Freddie's Burgers... here's a voucher that you can click on, save as image, print and use at ION Orchard for a $1 Off a combo set! :) Valid till 21st August 09. Happy Burgering!

And on the way home, I noticed something on the MRT walls.. an Ad for Predictor Pregnancy Test kits... watch it and realise why I WOULD NEVER BUY this kit.... simply because its as "accurante" as a doctor's test... *cough cough*.. indeed...

Copywriter, Printer and everybody who let this kind of error pass, specially for THIS KIND OF PRODUCT and get it plastered over the train walls ought to be SHOT. Seriously.

SOYJOY Challenge 3: What is LOW GI?

With all this talk about SOYJOY and its LOW GI factor.... What exactly is Low GI (Glycemic Index)? Lets explore this and at the end of this entry.. tell me if it was helpful in your understanding towards what LOW GI is about. And perhaps let me know if this would now help influence the type of food choices that you consume from here on?

Let me thank those that have supported me by helping vote for me at http://www.gi-joy.com/ these past weeks. If you have not put in your vote today, please do! You can vote once every 3 hours from now till the 28th of June 09. Thanks! *hand to heart*

A word of thanks too to those who have supported me in Challenge 1 "Feed the Office" Challenge and in Challenge 2 "How I like my SOYJOY best!" Picture Challenge.. you can still leave comments there as it would be great to hear from you! Let me know which one you like! :)

The Glycemic Index was devised about 20 years ago by a Professor of Nutrition, Dr. David Jenkins. Researchers looked closer at the dietary recommendations for diabetics; which was to eat more complex carbohydrates (starch) because they took longer to process and digest than simple carbohydrates (sugar).

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels.

Explaining this simply, you can check out this video of this guy named Kieran explaining LOW GI in easy terms for those who would rather hear it in audio version.

You can find out more on the GI levels of individual food at this website. http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70 or more

You get a bell-shaped curve when you eat food containing carbohydrates; the blood glucose rises and as your body produces insulin, it pushes the glucose out of the blood and into tissues, and then you see the blood-glucose level falling.

When eating high GI foods, you get a very high bell curve response with a dramatic drop. With a low-GI food, there is a slower and steadier rise in the blood glucose level.

Research has shown that very high glucose levels after meals, called glucose spikes, are damaging to our arteries and various blood vessels, and they promote far too much insulin to be around.

Eating low-GI foods means you avoid those spikes and dramatic falls in blood-glucose so you get a much steadier stream of energy. You, therefore, reduce your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases that are implicated by those blood-glucose fluctuations.

How does LOW GI contribute to weight control?

High GI foods are bad for weight control for two reasons, the glucose spikes stimulate hunger because you are getting that dramatic drop in glucose, 90 minutes to two hours after eating. By eating low GI foods, you feel fuller for longer and are, therefore, not as likely to go searching for snacks every two hours.

Secondly, insulin is a storage hormone that stockpiles nutrients for later use by the body. A high-GI diet causes a lot of insulin to be produced and when you have too much insulin in your body too much of the time, it makes it easier to store fat and harder to burn it.

If your chosen weight loss plan leaves you feeling hungry then it will be even more difficult to resist eating between meals. GI eating promotes foods that raise your blood sugar slowly, so you won’t suffer from mid afternoon energy slumps that can leave you craving sugary snacks.

Getting a little scientific here... Foods that stimulate insulin surges can cause people to eat 60 - 70% more calories at the following meal! Low glycemic foods do not stimulate food-craving hormones like Neuropeptide Y and Lipoprotein Lipase. Stimulation of these hormones can cause chemically-triggered cravings for food and uncontrolled eating binges. Definitely something that we would like to keep under control!

Why do many high-fibre foods still have a high GI value?

Dietary fibre is not a chemical constituent like fat and protein. It is composed of many different sorts of molecules and can be divided into soluble and insoluble types.

Soluble fibre is often viscous (thick and jelly-like) in solution and remains viscous even in the small intestine. For this reason it makes it harder for enzymes to move around and digest the food. Foods with more soluble fibre, like apples, oats, and legumes, therefore have low GI values.
Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, is not viscous and doesn’t slow digestion unless it’s acting like a fence to inhibit access by enzymes (eg. the bran around intact kernels). When insoluble fibre is finely milled, the enzymes have free reign, allowing rapid digestion. Wholemeal bread and white bread have similar GI values. Brown pasta and brown rice have similar values to their white counterparts.

Many people make the assumption that since the amount of carbohydrate in the foods is the same, then the areas under the curve will finally be the same. This is not the case because the body is not only absorbing glucose from the gut into the bloodstream, it is also extracting glucose from the blood. Just as a gentle rain can be utilised better by the garden than a sudden deluge, the body can metabolise slowly digested food better than quickly digested carbohydrate.

Fast- release carbohydrate causes "flooding" of the system and the body cannot extract the glucose from the blood fast enough. Just as water levels rise quickly after torrential rain, so do glucose levels in the blood. But the same amount of rain falling over a long period can be absorbed into the ground and water levels do not rise. I believe this analogy makes for a very good reference to how your body assimilates High and Low GI food.

You can watch and listen more about this with this lady who gives a rather detailed explanation of what LOW GI is about and examples of various food selections of what a Low, Medium and High GI food category entails.

So tell me about common LOW GI Food options?

PASTA
Pasta has a low GI because of the physical entrapment of ungelatinised starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein (gluten) molecules in the pasta dough. Pasta is unique in this regard. As a result, pastas of any shape and size have a fairly low GI (30 to 60). Asian noodles such as hokkien, udon and rice vermicelli also have low to intermediate GI values. Pasta should be cooked al dente ('firm to the bite'). And this is the best way to eat pasta - it's not meant to be soft. It should be slightly firm and offer some resistance when you are chewing it. Overcooking boosts the GI. Gluten-free pastas based on rice and corn (maize) tend to have moderate to high GI values so opt for pastas made from legumes or soy.

POTATOES
The good news for potato lovers is that a potato salad made the day before, tossed with a vinaigrette dressing and kept in the fridge will have a much lower GI than potatoes served steaming hot from the pot. The cold storage increases the potatoes' resistant starch content by more than a third and the acid in the vinaigrette whether you make it with lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar will slow stomach emptying. The GI value of potato chips or french fries is lower than baked potatoes. Most potatoes tested to date have a high GI, so if you are a big potato eater, try to replace some with lower GI starchy alternatives such as sweet corn, yam or legumes.

BREAD
Try to increase the soluble fibre content by partially substituting flour with oat bran, rice bran or rolled oats and increase the bulkiness of the product with dried fruit, nuts, muesli, All-Bran or unprocessed bran. Opt for breads made from chickpea or legume based flours. Chapattis made with besan (chickpea flour) have a low GI.

Did you know that freezing slices of bread and popping them into the toaster the next morning, lowers the GI level of bread?

FRUIT & VEGETABLES
Temperate climate fruits - apples, pears, citrus (oranges, grapefruit) and stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots) - all have low GI values.

Tropical fruits - pineapple, papaya, rockmelon and watermelon tend to have higher GI values.

Leafy green and salad vegetables are not measureable in terms of GI as they are very low in carbohydrate. GI Higher carb starchy vegetables include sweet corn (which is actually a cereal grain), potato, sweet potato, taro and yam, so watch the portion sizes with these. Pumpkin, carrots, peas, parsnips and beetroot contain some carbohydrate, but a normal serving size contains so little that it won't raise your blood glucose levels significantly.

NOODLES, GRAINS & LEGUMES/NUTS
Buckwheat (soba) noodles; cellophane noodles, also known as green bean vermicelli, are made from mung bean flour; rice noodles made from ground or pounded rice flour, are available fresh and dried. As for wholegrains, try buckwheat, quinoa, low GI varieties of rice such as basmati and sweet corn. Contrary to popular belief, brown rice does not have a lower glycemic index than white rice.

Legumes (pulses) including beans, chickpeas, whole and split dried peas and lentils. When you add legumes to meals and snacks, you reduce the overall GI of your diet because your body digests them slowly. Nuts are high in fat (averaging around 50 per cent), it is largely unsaturated, so they make a healthy substitute for foods such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, potato chips and chocolate. They also contain relatively little carbohydrate, so most do not have a GI value. Peanuts (actually a legume) and cashews have very low GI values.

DAIRY
Low fat dairy foods and calcium-enriched soy products low fat milk, yoghurt and ice-cream or soy alternatives provide sustained energy, boosting your calcium intake but not your saturated fat intake.

How can LOW GI choices affect my health?

Apart from its physical *weight loss or weight maintenance* and emotional & psychological benefits that the properties of GI choices provide, individuals who followed a Low GI diet over many years were found to have a significantly lower risk for developing and/or controlling both type 1 & type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia, hypertension and coronary heart disease.

So with SOYJOY, what additional benefits does do the bars hold? With each flavour combination, I've found the following fun facts that you may be interested to know!

With the Raisin Almond SOYJOY bar, almonds has been regarded as a food that could help increase vitality, improve complexion and improve body’s capabilities to resist intoxication! Good Combination already!

With the Cacao Orange SOYJOY bar, chocolate studies have shown that consuming a small amount of chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. Chocolate also stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure. It also contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. As well as theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants. Another good combination!

With the Hawthorn Berry SOYJOY bar, Hawthorn berries have a long history of use as a heart tonic. The Chinese used the berries for both digestion and circulatory problems and the Greeks employed hawthorn berries primarily for heart disorders.

And finally with the Apple SOYJOY bar, Apple is a rich source of flavonoid and polyphenols both are powerful antioxidant. Apples also contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins that can strengthen the blood. Eating apples daily can lower cholesterol and reduce skin diseases too!

So with all these benefits... using this knowledge of Low GI, we can now make more informed and preferred food selection in our daily lives. Snack wise, SOYJOY can be an excellent alternative to your other "sinful" non beneficial snack choices that your body will thank you.

You are what you eat is never more true.

Thank you for taking the time to go through all that information with me, I hope it helped you understand more about what LOW GI is about. Please feel free to leave me comments or questions or if you feel that there are facts or details here that can be more accurate, please drop me a note here in the comments section or email me at honeymeow@gmail.com.

Information above has been researched & collected from the following sources:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=693899
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/gi_diet/glycaemic_index_tables.htm http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/
http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/carbs/8/

Out of Action.

Down with a NON SWINE flu and tonsilitis. Slept the whole Thursday in. Was up for a max of 2 hours to wash up, drink and take medicine. Am on Antibiotics & other meds. Slight temperature but more a general malaise.

Slept in earlier today, went out for an appointment. Coughing and spitting bloody phelgm. Grumpy. Pissy. Not well. Thank you to those who have smsed your well wishes. *muaks*

Just a little more rest and I should be up and dandy come monday morning. :)

Oh Fuck, Please Don't let me be Sick Now.

I don't know what happened or how it happened but there's a bug in me. I feel it. I don't get sick so easily and can go for months and months fit as a fiddle. But when it hits me, it hits me HARD.

I had minty nose all day. Minty nose is where u feel this tingly feeling in your nose and throat like somethings brewing up in there. I tried drinking more water to suppress or flush anything out.

The girls and I decided to go downstairs to the coffee shop to grab some dinner this evening and the strangest thing is that once we hit the ground floor. A whole host of symptoms SUDDENLY APPEARED. And I mean Suddenly.

My tummy started to hurt & cramp. My back started this increasingly throbbing ache. A wave of extreme exhaustion hit me and I had to sit down. I was dizzy, clammy and cold. An overwhelming nausea washed over me. Seriously wanted to throw up.

I could almost feel my face drain of blood and turn pale and Lauren kept on exclaiming "you're turning yellow! turning yellow!".

Oookay! Not helping!! Sshhh!! *grabbing onto Lauren and walking.. thank god for my children being big, strong and sturdy... they make good support when you need it.*

In between deep breaths, I checked in with them as usual "you know Daddy's number right?" They know that if anytime I get unconscious or in an accident that they would call their father. If they couldn't reach him, they'd call my sister in law and they know all the numbers to call too.

And incase you were wondering... NO! I'm NOT pregnant. I KNOW I'm not bc I'm on Day 2 of my cycle.

So after buying dinner, we made our way back home and I downed 2 panadols and an iron pill just to compensate for my "woman symptoms" and waited for CJ to come home from teaching class today.

And guess what? I started sneezing too! and my voice.. which is already somewhat lower pitched is now nasal... *fucks* Great. Just... great... oh.. and there it goes! My nose has started to drip... GAH!!

Of ALL TIMES, I CANNOT cannot be sick NOW. I have a fully packed weekend, a roadshow on Saturday morning. Ticketing in the evening. A Complete Movie Event on Sunday that involves almost 400 parents and children. So even if I want to die, I have to die on Monday.

Please... please don't let me be sick now. Not now. *heading off to be tucked into bed*

UPDATE: Yep. Fully blown flu with the exception of not having a fever. Which in a sense is a good thing bc my temp can shoot to 41.5 degrees when I do have a fever. Seen a Doctor already, taken meds and now in a semi-conscious state of DUH.

Dancing at the Zumba Party...

With reference to this and this past post, I pulled some strings and was given the raw video taken at the Zumba party for my personal records. The file was FREAKING huge and I was told that parts of this video will be edited and they will post it up on the TVs at the gym! Very the unglam lahhh.... :(

*GAH!!!* Anyway, to those who were curious to what Zumba is about, I've put in some clips here which I unconventionally took in the most un-techie way. I played it on TV and video recorded it with my HP and transferred it to my computer.

-.-''. I couldn't convert the DVD file into an editable file so I guess watching non high resolution videos will have to suffice for now. If you're interested to check out the real deal though, JOIN ME FOR CLASS INSTEAD to get the full and proper experience and take it from there. For those interested, Zumba is conducted at California Fitness Singapore. CFit has exclusive rights to be the only one in SG to conduct the Zumba program so you would have to join me for class if you really want to give this a go.

This video above is PART of our Zumba routine and this was lead by Rashidah. I love the way she dances.. she's like pumped with caffeine man! So high energy!! And the moves are so simple right? Zumba is a multi-level class. See the Aunty at the end of the video? If she can do it! SO CAN YOU! You can come in with your "two left feet" and still complete the class in glorious style. :) Or you can pump up the volume and the intensity and dance like a mad woman... *cough* like me.. *cough*

This video is part of the routine lead by Rashidah and David. Both my Zumba/Rumba instructors! I love that I have a video of them BOTH...*love love* these 2 people are the 2 other very important people in my life changing experience through my weightloss journey and fitness lifestyle OTHER THAN my hubster, CJ who is my personal fitness coach and driving force from 104kg to now.

And this video is part of the "Zumba style Street Battle" that was held towards the end of the Zumba party. The class was split into two opposing sides and we were up for a dance battle! Lets see who is more "XIAO ON!!*" *crazy.

One side had Rashidah & Diana with the rest of her group and the other side had David & Me with the rest of our group.

We won!!!! I think?! There wasn't a prize though but it was FUN!! And yeah, I'm looking pretty pudgy in this video *I always do!! :( * but I can attest that the past 2 weeks since then have done wonders *with alot of cramps and aches in between while doing weights* towards the firming up the back and arms and whatever else you see shaking in this video... Whoooot!! You've gotta check me out to believe it hahahaha... so anyone else wanna try Zumba or Rumba class?

Aaannnd..... Stop gawking at my fat arse hahaha at least I dare to shake it. :)

Exercise can be fun... even WITH 2 left feet. :) Agree?

A Boy had a Fit

God works in mysterious ways. And sometimes I can see how things happen for a reason or at least have it seem like things happen so that it will bring you to a place at the "right time" for a reason. I think it happened tonight.

For months now, I do my evening jogs around my estate and I start of with some mandatory stretching and then I begin plodding along my route and I do this normally for 6 rounds + stretch/crunch/legraise + do a final 25 floor climb to finish off. On most days, mental strength will pull me through my rounds and enable me to complete it with much gusto.

Some strange days like today, I was winded by my 3rd round and I couldn't understand why and I walked the 4th round and decided that that was it for the day so I settled in for my regular stretches and leg raises that I do after my runs. No matter what I did to talk to myself today that my body can do it, its all in my mind.. today. It was really just not working.

The playground was full so I didn't even have my regular spot on the ground to lay down so I chose a different area. I finished my 100 leg raises and then I decided again... thats it. Today was just not a workout day.

I strolled to my block and purposely slowed my steps so I'd miss a lift that was getting full from people coming back from work. Also because I smelt like sweat which really isn't that pleasant in a crowded lift.

I stood there with another lady and the other lift came down and opened. To our surprise, we saw a teenage malay boy bending over another one and we saw to our horror that the one on the ground was having a foaming fit.

Wah lau eh!! HENGSUAY LAH! Must happen to me lor!

At that moment, there was really no one else other than myself and that other lady around with the boys. We hesitated and stared not knowing what to do. I stared at her and we stared at them.

She asked "what happened?" The boy said "he's like that, just needs some time to get up"

So I asked "you need help?" The boy feebly nodded.

With the woman holding the lift doors open, I hopped into the lift and together with the other boy, dragged the unconcious one out to the lift floor.

MY GOODNESS. An unconcious body is DAMN BLARDY HEAVY OKAY!!! And he was skinny type one lor! -.-''

I take it that the boy is around 15 years old or so.

I attempted to lift him and fireman lift him but he was really damn heavy so we just dragged him by his armpits out. Aiyoh!

It just so happen also at that moment when we stepped out, another block resident was returning home from work and it happened to be a NURSE.

The woman yelled out "are you a nurse? are you a nurse? can you help?" and I turned to look at who was coming.

OF course she was a blardy nurse lah! She's wearing her full uniform what?!?!!! What the hell? Panic warped your mind issit? DUH!! Relax mah!! U panic, they panic, everyone panic then how? Piangs!!

Immediately I turned into healthcare mode. *I bet you didn't know I'm actually "medically trained" hahaha I'm a St. John first aider/student nurse and my MIL was a TTSH nurse before she retired...*

I pulled out my phone to call the ambulance and asked the boy if he wanted us to proceed. He didn't want us to call and said his brother is always like that. So we waited and checked again. "Sure you don't want us to call the ambulance?". He declined again.

I positioned the boy into recovery position and together with the nurse, we tried to assess his situation and check that he was able to breathe and had a pulse etc etc... he seemed fine considering that he wasn't actually still convulsing and foaming anymore.

He stopped spitting saliva and was just getting really relaxed. A minute later, he fell asleep.
Really sleep like snoring too.. so we all just squatted around him and stared at him while talking to his brother. Obviously we found out that they were brothers and they were walking up and down the blocks sticking "TO RENT" signages on the walls of each floor for some rental agent as some part time work.

We found out that they lived nearby and that the brother actually had fits regularly. We could still see the fear in the little brothers eyes so we tried to stay calm.

Then the RC door opened nearby from a finished tuition class and a stream of parents and children started to crowd the area. Obviously there were KAYPOs too, asking and asking what happened. IRRITATING LAH!! We tried to clear the area to make sure there was enough ventilation and before long, after some really LOR SOR uncles talking and giving their "sound" advise were cleared.

The lady that found the boys with me offered to drive the boys back home and she and her husband waited around while the nurse and me sat by the boys side.

For some reason, I didn't want to leave until I was sure that he woke up and was alright. I'm sure the nurse felt the same. It was like an obligation that held us there knowing that we'd not be able to live with ourselves if we just left the situation half done.

We patted his arm trying to rouse him. He slept on so we waited and waited and waited.. probably for about 30 minutes then he started to stir and rub his head.

We called out to him, "Irfan! Irfan! Can you hear me?" He finally opened his eyes and we pulled him up to sit.

He was in a total daze with his eyes wide open in shock and stared at us in panic. I quickly told him to stay calm and that he had a fit.

"Huh! Me had a fit? Oh no." Then clutched his head. We all held him up in a little of a panic thinking that he might throw another fit.

It turned out that while he was collapsing, he hit his head in the lift. Aiyoh!! Poor thing lah.

His brother said he has medication at home so we told him to go home and rest and make sure he took his medication. The couple then helped him up, he was steady enough to walk and they made their way to the car.

The nurse and I just stood by as we watched the car drive off to the boy's home. And I felt my heart swell in pride.

Pride in not that I was able to help but how we all rallied together to help a stranger out of genuine concern. And with that I was heartened to see the strength of the human spirit come together in times of trouble.

Thank God. You work in mysterious ways. I hope the boys are fine....

Sick and Grumpy

Down with a bug. Am not feeling too chirpy. May not blog till I feel better but do come back regularly if you have already been reading me on a daily basis.

Nose blocked & dripping. Head pain. Eyes aching and blurring. Joints aching.

All I'm missing right now is a full blast high fever and I can qualify as officially sick for bed rest.

And yes. I will be seeing the doctor tomorrow. And yes. I already drink so much water that I'm a water buffalo already. And yes. I will be resting. And finally... yes. I do not diet when I'm sick.

Thanks for the concern. :) I'll be back. In the meantime, I need some serious TLC...
*mumble.. lao gong... a massage sounds good...can?*

Off to Bed I go. ZZZZzzzzzzz.....

UPDATE 11th Apr: Seen the Dr. already. Running a slight fever. Have enough medicine to drug a Rhino. And yes.. I know.. I'm sleeping early tonight. Out~