Healthy Ocoo

🤗 Health isn't just about avoiding sickness, it's about investing in your future!

Yup, you read that right!

When you nourish your body with whole foods , you're actually making an investment in your long-term well-being. 😍

Think about it:

💪 Feeling energized and ready to tackle anything

💪 Glowing skin that's turning heads

💪 A mind that's sharp and focused

Investing in your health isn't just about money.

It's about prioritizing your well-being over non-essential expenses.👏

How do I invest in my health?

⌛️ One way I do it is by prioritizing time for myself.

I chose to retire at 60 so I could enjoy my morning exercises rushing to the office.

Traffic jams are a thing of the past!

🥗 Another way I invest in my health is by cooking all my meals at home, except when I'm traveling.

This allows me to control the ingredients and ensure I'm not taking in harmful toxins.

💎That's why I invested in quality cookware that I can trust.

Remember, health is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come.

🧐 Note: Make sure you're using toxin-free cookware to maximize your efforts.

Have you ever tried sorghum?

😍 Sorghum is one of the oldest grains in the world, and it contains powerful antioxidants that can protect your cells from oxidative stress and inflammation. 🔥

Sorghum contains 3-deoxyanthocyanidins, which are unique antioxidants that are only found in sorghum.

💪These potent antioxidants have a number of health benefits including lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and cancer prevention.

It can also improve your digestion, immunity and brain function. 🧠

Sorghum is very versatile and easy to cook.

I like to use it to make porridge.

Do try to add this gluten-free food to your diet and enjoy its amazing benefits. 😊

🤔 Do you think that eating less salt is good for your health?

You might be surprised to learn that low-salt diets are not as beneficial as you think. 😲

To stay healthy, I have to remind myself to use more salt.

Salt is not just a flavor enhancer.

It is also a vital nutrient that our bodies need to function properly. 💯

Salt helps regulate our blood pressure, fluid balance, nerve impulses, muscle contractions, and many other processes!

But not all salt is created equal.

Most of the salt we consume today is refined, processed, has additives, and stripped of its natural minerals. 😢

This kind of salt can cause problems like dehydration, mineral deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances.

That’s why I use unrefined salt, such as Celtic Sea Salt, Himalaya salt and black salt.

Unrefined salt contains over 80 minerals that are essential for our health, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iodine. 😍

These minerals can help lower blood pressure, prevent cramps, support thyroid function, and boost immunity.

Unrefined salt also tastes better and enhances the flavor of whole foods. 😋

So, don’t be afraid of salt. Embrace it as a foundation of health. 🥰

🙏 But remember, moderation is key.

Too much of anything can be bad for you. 🙅‍♀️

Reference:
Dr. David Brownstein, "Salt your way to health."

🥩 Meat has long been considered the go-to source of protein, but it's time to reconsider.

Beans that have been a staple in many cultures for centuries, are actually a much healthier protein source than meat. 🥩

Here are a few reasons why:

🥜 Beans are rich in antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage and inflammation.

🥜 Beans are low in fat and they have no cholesterol.

🥜 Beans are also a good source of iron, folate, and magnesium.

🥜 Beans are low in calories, which helps you maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity.

🥜 Beans are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

🥜 Beans are versatile and affordable, which makes them easy to include in your diet.

So, try adding beans to your soups and stews, not just your desserts.😊

Note: Beans keep you fuller, longer because they are so rich in fiber, however, meat protein has no fiber at all.

📙 Reference:
Cleveland Clinic article, "What are the best sources of protein?"

😱 Did you know that your beloved non-stick cookware could be a silent danger lurking in your kitchen?

😨 Brace yourselves for the shocking truth!

🚫 Non-stick cookware is made with a chemical called PFAS, which has been linked to cancer, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune diseases, and obesity. 😵

PFASs are also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment. 🌍

This means that they can build up in your body over time, and have harmful health effects.

Can you believe it? 😢

I used to own a few of these non-stick pans many years ago.🍳

And I ditched them for the sake of my family's health.

💥 This is a toxic chemical we can't afford to ignore!

If you cherish your family's health, you should stop using it immediately.

💚 There are many safe and healthy alternatives available.

🙌 Did you know that the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates once said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food"?

This powerful quote highlights the healing potential that lies within the foods we eat every day.🥦

🌿 Hippocrates believed that nature provides us with an abundance of nourishing foods that can support our bodies in maintaining optimal health.

Fruits and vegetables, for instance, are packed with nutrients that protect our cells, boost our immune system, and help prevent chronic diseases.🥗

Incorporating a rainbow of colorful produce into our meals can bring us closer to the vibrant vitality we all desire. 🌈

🌟 So, let's embrace the wisdom of Hippocrates and harness the healing potential of our meals!

🍽️ Remember, it's not just about eating food—it's about nourishing our bodies, supporting our health, and finding joy in the process.💚

😄 I don't eat rice every day.

Well, one of my favorite alternatives is mung beans.

🍲 I usually pair them up with barley because grains and beans make a great combination in terms of nutrition.

In Traditional Chinese Dietary Therapy, mung beans are considered a cooling superfood, especially when the weather gets hot.🌞

These little beans have a remarkable ability to clear heat and toxins from the body.

They naturally act as a diuretic,👍 helping to keep our kidneys healthy and flushing out toxins through urine.

But that's not all.

Mung beans are a powerhouse when it comes to nutrition.

They're packed with essential vitamins and minerals like folate, iron, and potassium.🍵

Plus, they boast high levels of fiber and protein, which not only make you feel satisfied but also support healthy digestion.

😃 Adding mung beans to your diet is easy.

You can sprout them for added crunch or cook them in soups, stews, desserts, or porridges.

It's a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed in many tasty ways❗️

😢 Did you know that raw whole grains contain anti-nutrients?

The outer layer of raw grains has anti-nutrient factors that serve as protection against insects and bacterial infections, but they can also interfere with minerals absorption, inhibit digestion and irritate the intestinal tract.

🤓 One of these factors is phytic acid.

As phytic acid can bind with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc in the intestinal tract, this may result in mineral deficiencies.

Therefore, proper preparation guidelines should be taken to reduce the phytate content. 📉

One method is soaking the grains before cooking.

To do this, add the required amount of water to the grains in a cooking pot, and mix in 1 tablespoon of acidic liquid per cup of water, such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.🍋

Soak the mixture overnight, or for at least 7-8 hours, in a warm environment.

When you cook it the next morning, there is no need to drain the water.

🤩 Other methods that can help to reduce phytates and increase mineral bioavailability are fermenting, and sprouting.

📌Note: Phytates are also found in beans, seeds and nuts.

🤔 What kind of person is an "active couch potato"?

Even if you exercise every day, sitting for hours can increase your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers.😢

According to World Health Organization, around 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men do not do enough physical activity to stay healthy.

But don’t worry, there are simple ways to reduce the time spent being inactive.

🧍‍♂️ Standing up and moving around for a few minutes every half hour can help improve blood flow and reduce some risks associated with sitting too long.

👍 Investing in a standing desk can be a long-term solution too.

It’s important to remember that sitting all day may erase many of the benefits of a daily workout❗️

So, let’s try to sit for fewer hours every day and enjoy greater health.😍

😢 Are you worried that you may lose your memory bit by bit?

You may also have heard of older people around you who are struggling with memory loss or cognitive decline.

Are these stories making you fearful❓

In Malaysia, about 50,000 people have Alzheimer's (Source: Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation of Malaysia).

👴 It is the most common form of dementia, affecting possibly at least 5 percent of the population over 65 years of age.

It’s important to know that memory loss is not an inevitable part of aging.

🧠 There are things you can do to maintain and even improve your memory as you age.

One of the most effective ways to do so is through exercise.🚶‍♀️

Yes, that’s right.

🚶‍♀️ Exercise is not just great for your physical health, but also for your brain's health!

🤔 Are you aware that coconut is a health-giving wonder?

I’m into all things coconut, whether it is coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, or coconut meat.

I feel so blessed to be living in a county where coconut is so easily available.😇

In fact, freshly grated coconut is very high in fiber compared to other fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts!

🥥 71 percent of the total carbohydrate content in fresh coconut is dietary fiber!

The remaining 29 percent is composed of starch and sugar.

Grated coconut is a great way to add bulk and flavor to foods.🥗

🥥 Now, you know why my family likes to add kelapa parut to our foods.

It is so healthy, cheap, and delicious!

📒 Reference:
"Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut," by Dr. Bruce Fife.
*The graphic shows the amount of fiber as a percentage of total carbohydrate content (page 128).

😍 Today my juice fast is different from my usual routine.

This week, I am including Zendocrine essential oil blend to support my body’s natural detoxification system.💪

Zendocrine is a blend of essential oils ☘️(Rosemary, Cilantro, Juniper Berry, Tangerine, and Geranium) that can support healthy liver and kidney function, but I have not been using it for a long time.

🥤 I normally just add 1 drop of cilantro EO to my juice.

So glad that there are essential oils from nature to support my weekly detoxification.😃

😃 Our emotional states have a powerful effect on our physical health.

When we are feeling sad or anxious, our bodies are put under stress and our health can suffer. 😔

On the other hand, when we experience joy and positive emotions, it can strengthen our immune systems.💪

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, anxiety injures the "qi" (energy of life) and consequently, the health.

To handle anxieties, I turn to God in prayer.

😍 The Bible says, "…cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you."

🤔 Are you missing out on the amazing benefits of red dates?

I used to think that red dates only improve the blood circulatory system.

That’s until I began researching 🔎 about Chinese medicated herbs recently.

Chinese highly value red dates as a food, a tonic, and a traditional medicinal herb.

Also known as jujube (红枣), it is consumed for its health benefits for thousands of years!

High in antioxidants, this popular herb increases “qi”, improves sleep 🛌🏻, helps digestion, supports liver function, and boosts immunity.

However, many people are unaware of its many health benefits.

After spending hours learning more about red dates, I am now adding them to my diet regularly.

🥘 As it is naturally sweet, it is so easy to add them to my food.

Enjoy greater health with this valuable fruit, everyone.

📌Reference: Chi Cheng et al. (2020), “Chinese Functional Foods.”

🙁 Are you worried that you have changed your diet for 1 week and it hasn’t worked yet?

Taking healthy foods is not the same as taking medication.

With medication, you might get some “quick results,” but those effects won’t last long unless you eat nutrient-dense foods and take supplements.🍎🥦

The underlying causes, such as toxins in your body, are not treated by medications.

🧐 The most you can get is an anti-inflammatory effect.

But you can get an anti-inflammatory effect from foods as well.

Feed your body the nutrition that it is “starving” for.🥗

Stay motivated, and you will be pleased with your reward.

👣 Becoming healthy is a journey.

🤔 Do you need to take 10,000 steps to stay healthy?

Nope.

Where did 10,000 steps a day come from?

The 10,000 steps per day challenge was actually a marketing ploy, 😉 created by a pedometer company in Japan in the 1960s.

The number was never backed by science.

Try to move more throughout the day 🦶 because all activity can improve your health in the long run.

Sedentary is…

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️ taking less than 5,000 steps each day.

Source: Very Well Fit website

🤩 Amazing research…

Dr. Alexis Carrel, the late French scientist, kept a chicken heart alive for nearly 27 years by immersing it in an isotonic solution of sea salt.

According to Professor C. Louis Kervran who was a candidate for the Noble Prize, 👨‍🔬 the key to immortality is found in the trace minerals from seawater.

The author of the book "Sea salt's Hidden Powers," 👨‍🔬 Dr. Jacques de Langre, claims that naturally and properly sun-preserved sea salt can mean the difference between health and disease; its minerals are vital for healthy body functions.

🤔 Did you know…

Sea salt contains 92 essential minerals and refined table salt only have sodium and chloride (Na and Cl)❓

😉 Want to know if you have enough stomach acid?

This test measures stomach acid by how much carbon dioxide gas is produced when the baking soda solution reacts with it.

The amount of gas produced depends on how much acid is in the stomach.

🙂 It is important to do this test first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

1. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of baking soda into 1 cup of cold water.
2. Drink the solution and start timing.
3. Record the time it takes to get your first burp.
4. If you have not burped within 5 minutes, stop timing and carry on with your daily routine.
5. Repeat the test for 5 consecutive days at the same time each day, to give a better estimation of your stomach’s acidity.

📚 Source: Thornhill Naturopathic Health Clinic, Ontario, Canada.

🤔 Is this true?

Most people who experience “acid indigestion” or “acid reflux” really do not have enough stomach acid in about 90% of cases!

According to 👨‍⚕️ Dr. Wright, too little stomach acid is the most common cause of heartburn and indigestion.

Contrary to popular belief, stomach acid secretion tends to decline as people grow older.

But, we need sufficient stomach acid to have optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients.

😥 Our gut health and our overall health will be badly affected too.

Diseases might develop when stomach acid is too low for too long.

Most importantly, we can’t be healthy if we are malnourished.😥

😃 However, this book offers natural ways for indigestion and heartburn, without using stomach acid-blocking medications.

📋 Source:
“Why Stomach Acid is Good for You,” by Dr. Jonanthan V. Wright and Lane Lenard (Ph.D.)📋

🥺 Going raw may be unthinkable for some people.

But how can we minimize nutrient loss if we eat mostly cooked foods?

Foods cooked at high temperatures, cooked in too much liquid, or cooked for too long may lose nutrients.🥘

Here are some healthy cooking tips.

🥣 Vegetables can be just lightly cooked in water or steam as it retains more vitamins than frying in oil.

🥣 Steaming is a good cooking method, because it helps to protect minerals from being destroyed.

🥣 Stewing and braising are also good methods because the cooking liquid retains those vitamins and minerals that are not destroyed by heat.

Although cooking decreases the level of some nutrients, but others, like those in carrots and tomatoes, are made more available after cooking.🥕

Healthy eating is not just about what you eat; it is also about how you prepare the food.👨‍🍳

🤔 Does a cold shower daily keep the doctor away?

Having a cold shower may seem challenging, as we often prefer warm or hot showers.

I don’t have a heater at home, and I don’t take hot showers.

In the past, I dread taking a shower when the weather is cold or rainy.🚿

However, I have trained myself to enjoy cold showers.

👍 Let’s look at some benefits of cold showers:

✅ Improve cardiovascular circulation
✅ Improve lymphatic circulation
✅ Help to lower stress levels
✅ Help with mental focus and alertness
✅ Increase emotional resilience
✅ Relieve symptoms of depression

Best of all, cold showers help to build your immunity naturally.

Have you ever tried cold showers❓

🤔 If so, what has been your experience with them?

🤔 Is exercise alone enough?

A research at the University of Sydney looked at 346,627 participants’ self-reported exercise and dietary habits over the course of 11 years.🏃🏻

They also tracked mortality among the participants.

👩🏻‍🦰 Lead author Associate Professor Melody Ding summed up their findings with the following statement:

“Both regular physical activity and a healthy diet play an important role in promoting health and longevity. 🌮

Some people may think they could offset the impacts of a poor diet with high levels of exercise or offset the impacts of low physical activity with a high-quality diet, but the data shows that unfortunately, this is not the case.”😥

📕 Reference:
Dr. Melody Ding et al., “Physical activity, diet quality, and all-cause cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality,” British Journal of Sports Medicine.

🤔 Celery for bones and joints health?

Celery is one of our highest-sodium foods❗️

But the sodium in celery is not the same as in table salt.

As natural organic sodium can neutralize acids in our body, it is considered an alkaline healing food.

🦵 Celery’s organic sodium content is helpful for stiffness in the joints too.

It also has enough calcium and silicon to repair damaged ligaments and vitamin K for strong bones.🦴

Celery is not only important for bone health but also great for those with arthritis issues.

Celery is best eaten raw or taken as a juice.

I like to use it for my breakfast smoothie, 🥗 or just add it to my salad.

🍏 Suggested juice recipe: Celery + apple or pineapple.🍍

😍 My latest favorite is fermented red onions.

Since I discovered AEON carries red onions from the UK, I have been making them regularly.

🧄 They are pretty, delicious and even healthier than raw onions!

Actually, fermented foods are better than raw foods.

🥕 They not only have enzymes, but also probiotics.

I can’t go without fermented foods.

As they are staples in my diet, I would find time to make them.

If I am too busy, then I would just make a cucumber pickle.

Mesophilic yogurt is very easy to make too.

😍 Here are my top favorites:

🌼 Both thermophilic and mesophilic yogurt
🌼 Milk kefir
🌼 Jun kombucha
🌼 Fermented veggies (garlic, onion, carrot, leek, ginger, radish, cucumber)

Share with us your favorites in the comments below.😀

😍 Making homemade yogurt can be healthier and cheaper than commercial ones which have flavorings and additives in them.

For more than 15 years, I use the same freeze-dried yogurt starter from Canada (Yogourmet).

Its probiotic strains include Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus in yogurt maintain the balance of the intestinal microflora by suppressing the growth of harmful bacteria.

😷 A review in 2014 supports that consuming yogurt with probiotics decreases the duration of common cold and upper respiratory tract infections.

By the way, this is the same starter that I use to make whey and yogurt cheese.

📙 Reference:
Sarah King et al., "Effectiveness of probiotics on the duration of illness in healthy children and adults who develop common acute respiratory infections: a scientific review and meta-analysis." British Journal of Nutrition (2014).

Cut down on salt.

It increases your blood pressure and is bad for your heart.

🤔 You know about the dangers of too much salt, but are you aware of its health benefits?

Did you know that salt is a strong natural antihistamine?

🧂 Salt can help to clear your lungs of sticky phlegm, and clear up runny nose too.

🧂 Salt, together with potassium, enables the proper functioning of your nerves and muscles (heart).

🧂 Salt is vital for the absorption of food nutrients through the intestinal tract, and moving waste out.

🧂 Salt (sodium chloride) is important for digestion as chloride is a component of hydrochloric acid.

🧂 Salt also maintains fluid balance, electrolyte balance, blood sugar balance and pH (acid/alkaline) balance.

Understanding the role of salt in your body is important.

🧐 Too much is bad, but too little can be just as harmful!

However, not all salts are healthy.

🧂 When refined table salt goes through the refining process, more than 60 trace minerals are stripped of!

Be careful what salt you are using, as there are salts that heal, and there are salts that kill.

😍 My personal favorites are Himalayan salt, black salt, and Celtic sea salt.


📒 Reference: “The Salt Fix” by Dr. James DiNicolantonio📒

Diabetes can affect anyone, even people in their thirties ❗️

In Malaysia, the diabetes trend from 2011 to 2019 shows that 8.9% of the population is unaware that they have the disease.

🥺 Most diabetics find out they have the condition accidentally during a
medical checkup.

So, like hypertension, it is a silent killer as well.

We all know that having diabetes raises the risk of infections, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, blindness, neuropathy, and amputation of limbs.🦵🏻

The number of diabetics in Malaysia was only 2.2 million ten years ago.

It is now at 3.9 million ❗️

It helps to change your diet by eating less sugar🍬and refined carbohydrates and increasing your level of physical activity.

Avoid becoming a statistic.

💪🏻Take action to prevent it.

Source: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019