Cook and Brew.

Unless it’s not chronic and not accompanied with fever, vomiting and extreme pain, the occasional bout of diarrhea can usually be prevented with just a change in diet and of course personal care precaution. Here are some tips I’ve collected from my internet research and those that I’ve constantly read from parenting books (in connection with preventing viral and bacterial infections on children):

1. Carefully wash hands after using the bathroom and after changing a baby’s diaper.
2. Practice safe food-handling. Always wash the hands before and after handling food.
3. Avoid raw or rare meat and poultry. Always cook them thoroughly to their recommended temperatures.
4. Thoroughly rinse with clean water raw fruits and vegetables that will be consumed.
5. Regularly clean water dispensers and replace your wf2cb water filter periodically.
6. Avoid diarrhea at breakfast by not drinking caffeinated coffee, tea, or soda pop. At lunch, skip the raw fruit or vegetable salad. At dinner, go easy on the fatty foods.

Research and statistics show that the current generation of kids are getting more unfit. Instant foods, junk foods, sweets and candies, then they get lots of distractions not to exercise like fascination with TV watching, ps3, wii, xbox video games and computers. So aside from giving them a healthy diet, parents should also get their kids to exercise. The best way to do this is to exercise together as a family. The motivation and good example should come from the parents themselves. After all, this also makes a great family bonding activity.

I’ve been through a whirlwind of weekend events and activities over the weekend and I think I need to look for some sort of medical assistance program now because I’m feel so exhausted and sick. I’ve been sniffling for two days now and I feel like my sinus and my head are about to explode. They feel so heavy and my body’s just yearning to lie still and rest. BUT, online works have piled up over the last couple of days that I wasn’t able to go online so I don’t have a choice but work in front of my laptop with a box of tissue by my side.

*Hachoo!*

Ooopps..sorry..I don’t meant to spread the virus.

Many of us are anticipating and excited for the Christmas Holidays but a lot also dread the “weight gain” inevitable opportunity that Christmas feasting brings. If only there’s a thing such as a calorie emergency alert system that will tip off or warn when one overeats, many would have included this in their Christmas wish list. But since this isn’t invented yet, then I guess people don’t have a choice but practice self-control. I have read some holiday eating tips last week and I’ll be sharing them in a while.

Christmas Feast

You might have heard a lot of times already about the research study on cleanliness comparison between a kitchen sink and a bathroom sink. Odd as it may sound but according to the study, kitchens are dirtier than bathrooms when it comes to bacterial contamination. The “Hygiene in the Home Study 2009″ held in Egypt exposes that, internationally, 90 per cent of kitchen cloths, 46 per cent of kitchen sinks, 38 per cent of bathroom sinks accounts the majority of the total bacterial count in most of the households. Wet and damp kitchen cloths and sponges harbor bacterial growth that is why it is imperative that the kitchen should not just be mere “cleaned”. It should be disinfected in the same frequency that we do on our bathrooms. We must regularly wash our hands especially before preparing the meal or cooking our food, and most importantly, dispense old cleaning cloths and replace them as often as possible to prevent from attracting bacterial growth and infestation.

With this study, people’s notion about bathrooms dirt may be changed. Especially with luxurious bathroom suites such as those from betterbathrooms.com, people might even lounge longer in the bathrooms now. They might even prefer doing their daily routines there like sleeping and dining.

I used to avoid and abhor the sour taste of yogurt. But when my 19 month old son’s pediatrician included this in his dietary intake, my mindset changed because of the following benefits:

* Tolerance to Milk. According to studies, yogurt enhances lactose digestion in individuals with low intestinal levels of lactase which is the enzyme necessary to digest lactose or the milk’s sugar.

* Avoids Cancer. Yogurt improves the enzymes in intestine and liver and helps in the production of white blood cells. These helps fight off cancer (specifically colorectal cancer and possibly breast cancer) and improves one immunity.

* Balances Weight. It makes our digestion functions smoothly and prompts maximum nutrient absorbing.

* Prevents Diarrhea . It kills harmful bacteria in our intestines. A particular strain of bacteria used in yogurt, Lactobacillus strain GG, aids in treatment and prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, traveler’s diarrhea, and acute diarrhea in children.

* Prevents Ulcers. It suppresses the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a known ulcer-inducing bacteria.

* Reduces Cholesterol. Good bacteria in yogurt absorbs the cholesterol in small intestine and also helps in decreasing cholesterol in blood.

I took the food personality quiz from here and below is the result I got:

Junk Food Addict: Cupcakes, chips, chicken wings…If it’s loaded with carbs, fat, and sweets, you’ve gotta have it. While eating this stuff is okay in small portions, make sure to balance your diet with healthy stuff like veggies and salads.

Tsk tsk tsk..looks like I really have to watch my diet more closely and responsibly.

Have your realized what your food attitude has been? Well, if not yet, check out and try this wonderful and helpful food diary sample (from here) and you might be surprised how healthy or unhealthy your diet is. Ideally, keep a food diary for at least three consecutive days and from the results, do notice the patterns and that’s where you’ll start taking action on.

Some realizations may include:
- a tendency to overeat because you miss a mealtime
- whole day meals from breakfast to dinner consist of fast food meals (hello whopping calorie and fat contents!)
- responding to stress through mindless munching

Finding out your food habits can help you make conscious decisions about your daily food intake. Start jotting down your food habits through this table.

Here’s one smoothie recipe that I’ll be trying once we can buy loads of strawberries this December in Baguio.

2 cans (240 ml each) Pure Pineapple Juice
1/4 kg fresh strawberries, washed and trimmed
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

Freeze contents of 1 can of Pineapple Juice in an ice cube tray. Chill the other can. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Garnichs with fresh strawberry slices. Serve immediately.

**This is rich in folic acid and helps prevent/reduce birth defects so this drink is ideal for pregnant women.

Here’s another smoothie recipe my grandmother taught me using pandan leaves. These abound at their home in the province and she would always make us whenever we spend our summer vacation there.

Ingredients:
1 pc buko, meat shredded, (reserve water)
18-20 pcs of pandan leaves
1 can (240 ml) Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup sugar

For 5 minutes, boil pandan leaves in the reserved buko water plus 1 cup of water. Remove leaves and add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool and combine buko and pineapple juice in a blender. At high speed, mix. Add to pandan mixture then serve with crushed ice.