FOODS THAT CAN LOWER CHOLESTEROL. BLUE PRAWNS BBQ.

foods that can lower cholesterol.

blue prawns bbq recipe

As with other seafood, prawn/ shrimp is high in calcium, iodine and protein but low in food energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source of cholesterol, (122mg-251 mg per 100gram of shrimp), depending on the method of preparation.

However, shrimp consumption is considered healthy for the circulatory system, because of low levels of saturated fats in shrimps.

This means the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.(In humans,triglycerides are a mechanism for storing unused calories, and their high concentration in blood correlates with the consumption of starchy and other high carbohydrate foods).Note: according to one dietician, it is the head that has high cholesterol, not the body.
fresh water blue prawns bbq

I prefer a simple marinade to compliment the already delicious prawn  flavor.

Just blend 2 stalks of already sliced lemon grass. Keep juice and remove residue. Mix lemon grass juice with lime juice and salt.

Marinade prawns for two hours in the fridge.  Next, rub in garlic oil, ready for bbq.cooking varieties copyright images

Foods that can lower cholesterol,

from the Harvard Heart Letter oct’09  link here

white eggplant-cooking varieties copyright

lower cholesterol- may lower heart disease risks
Different foodies that can lower cholesterol levels.
Some foodies contain soluble fiber, which binds to cholesterol in the digestive system. 
The fiber  then drags the cholesterol out of the body... in this way, cholesterol is removed. 
Oats, barley, other whole grains, beans, eggplant and okra (lady's finger) are good examples.

Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. I dunno how it tastes, never tried :( :) the okra leaves are edible as in beet root and dandelions. May be i should try cook the shoots, as in mix veggies.

Fruits such as apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus are rich in a type of soluble fiber called pectin.

purple eggplant-cooking varieties copyright

Some foodies contain polyunsaturated fats, which can lower LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Nuts and vegetable oils are some examples.

Nuts- Studies showed that eating 2 ounces of nuts daily— like almonds, walnuts and peanuts—can lower LDL around 5%.

Vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower instead of using butter or shortening.

Food fortified with sterols and stanols. 

Sterols and stanols gum up the body’s ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine to orange juice and chocolate. 

Getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day can lower LDL / bad cholesterol by about 10%.

Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them can lower LDL.

Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL by delivering omega-3 fats.

Omega 3 examples : link here

-Eskimo people eat daily about 400 g of seafood rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Heart attack is almost unknown to them.

-Residents of Japanese fish villages eat on average 200 g fish per day and are therefore well protected against coronary-heart diseases.

- People of Siberia consume huge fish amounts daily (sturgeon, starlet), which protect them against coronary artery diseases.

Garlic and onion are irreplaceable foods to help lower LDL cholesterol and they also help raise good cholesterol level as well. (at least half of onion and  2 – 4 garlic cloves per day).

Chocolates- dark/ plain chocolate contains flavonoid, an  antioxidant, which prevents binding and depositing of erythrocytes on artery walls. 

Green tea-Antioxidants "catechins" reduce damage caused by LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

happy new year  2013

FUN, FOODies
quote

“in three words, i can sum up everything about life.. it goes on.”

– Robert Frost (poet)\
my wish to all who came by to visit:

bright and cheerful days  always for you in 2013 

for me, it will be:
more collagen this YEAr

more simple cooking
more  simpler  cooking     more no  cooking      more  one  dish  meal

vegetarian once a week
more ice cream and chocolates

mORE GREEN TEA AND Nuts 

IN TRANSIT 2013

 in transit 2013

water on the blue planet

 water is life

 keep our water sources clean

 no comments for this post- thank you

 enjoy your last day of 2012

IN TRANSIT TO 2013

in transit to 2013
no comments for this post in transit- happy viewing

extravant-garde kebaya
heritage

           The kebaya has evolved into haute couture so grand, so lavish, that it's basic function has given way to its forms:luxurious and not conventional.

Photographer Darius Manihuruk

Credit to Aquila style

        HERITAGE

        pilgrimage of the mystic

..HOW can you ever hope to know the beloved, without becoming in every cell the lover - 

Jalaluddin Rumi, Persian poet (1207-1273)

 Photographer Panji Indra

NO COMMENTS FOR THIS POST IN TRANSIT- HAPPY VIEWING         Credit to Aquila  style
My great blogger friend Jan Oliver (1-2punch) commented on the above 

"Thank you for sharing bits of who you are, also I wanted my daughter to see 
your blog today, and she knew one of the models, 
the one still, by Panji Indra,,small world eh? "

my  reply   

                         Hi Jan , my best regards to your daughter in US, who is a friend of this model  in  Jakarta

 and me in KL- -discovered by you :)  that's a real transit ,as in this post title

and a nostalgic coincidence for end 2012

WRAP UP 2012, COLLAGEN IS VITAL.

wrap up 2012 and unwind

FUN, FASHION, FOOD, flowers- NO WORK, NO SERIOUS COOKING

A food and beverage blog like mine, is a site centered around foods and drinks… health benefits if any, will be a priority bonus.

A wrap up recipe  for year end 2012 would be almost perfect…. .. But for me, end of year means  a time to relax and  stay cool… no hassle, no cooking, just eat out, socialize  and keep up with friends- until next year end …

I also spend some time looking at women mags and fashion…  like those designer clothes and accessories… and the humor that spice them all… some fun and stress free moments will be a real treat, like anti oxidant is to the body cells.

The way is, to strife for quality life –

hence the need for excellent health, mental alertness and slowing of the aging process. 

My way is, i must ensure my collagen intake is sufficient- 

and go for the five color fruits. 

Collagen cannot be produced without vitamin C. Over 90% of the collagen in the body, however, is of type one = ie:  skin, tendon, vascular ligature, organs, bone (main component of the organic part of bone)

Collagen nourishes the skin from the inside, strengthen skin tissues, prevents drying and reduce wrinkles. Also for cartilage, bases of cell basement membrane (eye lens, kidney) and cell surfaces ( hair and placenta) – to name a few of the 28 types of collagen.

The ratio of veggies (may include fruits) to other foods is 4:1

NO WORK NOW,,,,

FASHION as i saw in the mag 

best dressed of the year- critics choice.

1.Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann – 2.Emmy Rossum in Monique Lhuillier - 3.Sonam Kapoor in Salvatore Ferragamo –

best dressed of the year- readers choice

1. Diane Kruger in Vivienne Westwood –2. Coco Rocha in Zac Posen –3. Blake Lively in Zuhair Murad Couture – ‘Savages’ LA Premiere- 4. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in Jenny Packham –

2012  - 

To us, watching gala fashion shows on runway is part of an expensive entertainment,

to the models it is a fun  serious career.. 

They look like killer shoes- ankle twist or fracture is not impossible> my comment

I feel like a candy

each of us went through 
flip flops in our career..

looking back.... gardenia first love , a beautiful white

NO-BAKE COOKIES RECIPE. NO BAKE FRUIT PIE

no-bake cookies recipe

nO BAKE FRUIT PIE RECIPE

MERRY CHRISTMAS 
AND  HAPPY holidays

cookies recipe
ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder

1 cup milk 

 2 cups 'quick cook' oatmeal or crushed graham crackers

3/4 cup white sugar

 1/2 pound butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins - chop or minced

method

Melt butter in a saucepan.

Mix the cocoa powder, milk, sugar and butter. 

Stir until mixture is of even consistency. Pour into the pan.

Add in the oatmeal and stir until they are evenly spread and distributed.

Let the mixture cool for five to ten minutes.

Spoon the mixture into balls on a cookie sheet, leaving enough space between them for their spreading out.

Let stand on counter for at least 20 minutes to stiffen, or you may refrigerate for quicker stiffening of the cookies.

tips and variations

May use peanut butter to give the no-bake cookies an extra flavor.

FRUIT PIE

Do a pie instead of cookies.

Make a pie crust using graham crackers.

6 1/2 oz graham crackers (12 crackers), finely ground (=1½ cups) = makes one “9-inch pie crust”.

Pour the hot mixture into the crust of Graham crackers.

Once cooled, top with whipped cream and fruit or other toppings. Voila ! done!

Technically, crackers are not really graham crackers unless they are made with graham flour, which is a hard (high protein) wheat flour in which the constituent bran, germ, and endosperm have been ground separately, the first two coarsely and the third finely… graham pie crust and crackers below>

CULINARY NUTS- NUTRITION AND HEALTH BENEFITS. NUTTY VEGETABLE STEW.

culinary  nuts
Nutty vegetable stew  

Just an ounce of mixeD nuts per day can help maintain good health and wellbeing.

I have always been in love with nuts. So I did what any red-blooded, internet-obsessed sucker for nuts/ health freak / nutty woman would have done.  Well, i googled on my nuts for their health benefits…. Spent three days reading in great details and came up with this very concise post.

You can read more via the links here. Oh yes, what I read and discovered makes me smile and glad I did. Nuts don’t have cholesterol and that is the best point. 

more  nuts- it’s good for your body and mind.link here

Natural Health News — Research showed that eating a handful of nuts every day can help curb hunger  and reduce fat deposits in the abdomen.
Eating a small amount of  30g, or 1 ounce, of nuts daily (of mixed raw unpeeled walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts)  for 12 weeks, showed improved body levels of serotonin. 
Serotonin is a substance that helps transmit nerve signals and decreases feelings of hunger, feel happier and improves heart health. Thus a way to lose weight.

walnuts

   link here     Source- Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia -Abstract-

Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols. The study showed that it can slow cancer growth and reduce breast cancer risks.

almonds

The cholesterol-lowering effects of almonds. Read more  here

peanuts 

Peanuts contain about 25% protein (a higher proportion than in any true nut). They are a good source of niacin for brain health and blood flow.

the pistachio principle-

Dr. James Painter, a behavioral eating expert  from  Eastern Illinois University described ‘ The Pistachio Principle’ as a  method  of "fooling" one's body into eating less. Example: the slow act of shelling of pistachios, slows down eating, allowing one to feel full faster.

The fats in pistachios are not completely absorbed by the body. This is good in weight loss-wikipedia.

General benefits

 Nuts also provide Arginine, a substance that may help make artery walls more flexible and less prone to blockage from blood clot.

Many nuts are good sources of vitamins E and B₂, protein, folate, fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.

Nuts are most healthy in their raw form. Up to 15% of the natural healthy oils in nuts are lost during the roasting process. Raw or unroasted walnuts were found to have twice as many antioxidants from other nuts.

Hazelnut butter is being promoted as a more nutritious spread than its peanut butter counterpart, though it has a higher fat content.

A Nutcracker

Nuts acts as a Replacement for Carbohydrates in the Diabetic Diet -link here

Findings: Two ounces of nuts daily as a replacement for carbohydrate foods improved both glycemic control (fullness factor) and serum lipids in type 2 diabetes.

Another Nutcracker but with wings

Weird nuts can give problems
Weird problems can go nuts
Eating Pine nuts can cause taste disturbances, developing 1-3 days later and lasting between a few days to a few weeks after. The Pinus armandi species, is the cause of this bitter, metallic taste and this problem is known as "pine nut syndrome" or as "pine mouth". This armandi species are smaller and more rounded than the typical pine nuts. Cases are self-limited and resolved without treatment. 

I guess if squirrels eat these.. they have really gone nuts.

nutty vegetable stew 
I got this recipe from Dr Kenneth Goldman of spectrum wellness- Huntingdon valley pain relief center, read more at link   here

I wish to thank Dr Ken for his kindness in letting me to" feel free to use" his superior health recipe using nuts and veggies, which I find it very interesting. I think this is so good to eat. Especially when the body is unwell and has no appetite for eating food.

You can try this- 

Process  half cup sunflower seeds/ flax seed  AND  half cup peanuts/ walnuts in food processor until you have a crunchy butter. Set aside.

Fry brown in 2 large onions and garlic with 2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive, sesame, sunflower, etc.) and set aside

Boil water and add in the fried onions above with VegeBase , seed and nut butter. Turn to low fire. Finally add all (remaining ingredients below) to pot and simmer on a low heat for an hour.

Remaining ingredients

4 large cloves of garlic (minced)

4 large carrots (grated)

1 C broccoli (chopped)/ spinach

3 (15 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes with liquid (low salt variety)

8 cups of water

2 T VegeBase

1/2 C sunflower seeds/ flaxseeds

1/2 C peanuts/ walnuts

2/3 C uncooked brown rice

1/3 C uncooked pearled barley

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika