Tuak Education & Appreciation” in Bangsar, Sunday 3pm, August 4th 2013.

Tuak Education & Appreciation” in Bangsar, Sunday 3pm, August 4th 2013.

This session will introduce tuak as a traditional Sarawak brew with some demonstration on making tuak and the different stages of fermentation. There will be an explanation on the difference between traditional methods and modern methods. Our focus for the session would be a demonstration for making tuak using the improvised and alternative method.

details

The 6 NO’S After A Meal

6 Dangerous Acts after meal (Must Read and Share)</p>
<p>DON'T ACT THE 6 ACTIONS BELOW<br />
AFTER YOU HAVE A MEAL </p>
<p>* Don't smoke- Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).</p>
<p>* Don't eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1hr before meal.</p>
<p>* Don't drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.</p>
<p>* Don't loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked.</p>
<p>* Don't bathe - Bathing after meal will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.</p>
<p>* Don't sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.
6 Dangerous Acts after meal (Must Read and Share)DON’T ACT THE 6 ACTIONS BELOW AFTER YOU HAVE A MEAL

#1 Don’t smoke- Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).

#2 Don’t eat fruits immediately – Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1hr before meal.

#3 Don’t drink tea – Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.

#4 Don’t loosen your belt – Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked.

#5 Don’t bathe – Bathing after meal will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.

#6 Don’t sleep immediately – The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.

5 TREATMENTS FOR HICCUPS RELIEF

Involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, also known as hiccups, are an annoying situation, especially if you are in a formal meeting, at the movies, and so on. The ‘hic’ sound comes after each contraction when the vocals close. Hiccups normally goes away on their own, but sometimes they last more than what is comfortable. There are a variety of natural treatments that may help you the next time you see yourself in an unstoppable hiccups attack.

1. Breathing

This is the most important and efficient medicine for the human, unfortunately most of us don’t know how to use it.
Try to breathe into a paper bag. Hold the opening snugly to your mouth and breathe faster than you usually do, in and out, up to 10 times.
You can also try to hold your breath 10 seconds.

2. Sweet or sour

Biting into a lemon, drinking a teaspoon of vinegar, or swallowing a spoonful of sugar may help relieve hiccups. The body’s reaction to the granular texture and its need to swallow often result in the rapid termination of hiccups.

5-Treatments-for-Hiccup-Relief

3. Water

The classic cure for hiccups is to slowly drink a glass of lukewarm water while holding your breath. The slow swallowing action calms the body and helps to reset the diaphragm, while the rise in carbon dioxide which occurs as the breath is held provides a second line of attack.

4. Use Your Hands

Press the palm of your hand with the thumb of your other hand – the harder, the better. Alternatively, you can squeeze the ball of your left thumb between the thumb and forefinger of the right. The discomfort is a distraction that affects your nervous system and may put an end to hiccups.

5. Plug your ears

Stick your fingers in your ears for 20 to 30 seconds. Or press the soft areas behind your earlobes, just below the base of the skull. This sends a ‘relax’ signal through the vagus nerve, which connects to the diaphragm.

5 FOODS THAT CAN MAKE YOU MORE ATTRACTIVE

The secret to outer beauty comes from the inside, focus on your inner health and the rest will follow. What if I tell you, you can eat your way to a prettier you? That there is a completely natural way to enhance your beauty?
The best part? You don’t need any expensive skin creams, treatments and potions; all you need is probably in your kitchen cupboards. You can stop putting all those vitamins on your body and start putting them inside your body.

1. Papaya!

A higher intake of Vitamin C was associated with a decreased likelihood of a wrinkled appearance. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and bell peppers are also good sources of Vitamin C.

papaya2

2. Oysters!

High doses of zinc are important for a proper growth and development, it also helps to promote great skin by boosting collagen production as well as wound healing.

oyster

3. Swiss chard!

A high amount of biotin, a B-complex vitamin has a beautifying effect on both hair and skin; it is also high in vitamins A, K and C, vitamins associated with overall anti-aging.

chard1

4. Soybeans

A high intake of omega 3 fatty acids helps in lowering cholesterol, waist size and risk for high blood pressure and provides radiant, glowing skin. Omega 3 can also fight against inflammation in the body and helps your skin look younger and feel moisturized. If You’re concerned about GMO, try organic soybeans.

foods that burn fat1

5. Brazil nuts

You only need small amounts of selenium to prevent a deficiency; selenium is a trace mineral essential to good health that provides powerful antioxidants shown to help prevent the formation of free radicals.

brazil nuts

The Power of Gratitude

So, you’re having a really lousy day. I mean everything is going wrong and it seems to just be getting worse. Your mood is a combination of black storm clouds, growling thunder and lightning and a dirty, stagnant, smelly swamp. You feel like finding a hole somewhere and just crawling in until it’s all over. You know this is a horrible place to be but attempts at talking yourself out of it sound weak and futile. You feel trapped. What can you do?

I’m going to share with you one of the most powerful tools I have learned in my life. It can turn things around very quickly, raise you up and open your heart and mind to receive the help you need from your spirit. This tool is gratitude. Let me show you how it works and how you can use it.

Gratitude is a very powerful energy. When you invoke it, you are essentially stopping whatever is going on with you energetically at the moment and taking command of the situation. It gets you out of your head that is on automatic pilot force feeding you reasons to feel bad and telling you why whatever is happening shouldn’t happen. Gratitude totally puts the breaks on that process and puts you in the present moment, in your heart, in your power.  It opens the mind and allows you to look at things from a higher and more expanded perspective.

All you have to do is start. I do what I call “Thank you, Gods” (or you can use whatever name you prefer for the Divine). Just start saying all the things you are grateful for in your life. “Thank you God that I am breathing. Thank you God for my family. Thank you God for my senses. Thank you God for nature. Thank you God that I ate lunch today, Thank you God for farm fresh produce. Thank you God for that little bird,” ….whatever comes to you. Pretty soon your gratitude goes on automatic pilot and you’re coming up with all sorts of things to be thankful for and your energy rises like a cork in a pool that was held under then released. Keep going as high as you want. Now, from this higher perspective you are open to many, wonderful new ways to proceed with your day.

Another amazing way to use gratitude is to think of something you want, for instance, healing. You simply say, “Thank you God for the healing that is  taking place in me now.” This is like a perfect prayer. You’re in the present moment, in your heart, in your place of power accepting the fact that your Divinity is providing you with exactly what you want right now. Saying thank you means that you accept that it is done and that you are receiving it.  It is the perfect place to be energetically and whatever you are asking for will be drawn to you.  It’s a lot different that begging for something to happen. It’s a very powerful statement of truth and allowing and believe me, it works. You can use it for anything. Just make sure to phrase the statement in a way that makes sense to you and is clear.

So, with the powerful tool of Gratitude you can take charge of your life, get out of the doldrums, and create what you want instead of wallowing in what you don’t want.  Don’t take my word for it, try it out. You will see what I mean. This can totally change your life.  Bright blessings!

How to Make Basic Marinara Sauce

Post image for How to Make Basic Marinara Sauce

There are as many recipes for tomato pasta sauce as there are Italian grandmothers. My Sicilian grandmother used to make her sauce every year from the tomatoes in her garden. Much of the time the sauce had meat in it but I don’t think it was ever exactly the same twice.  A child of the depression, my grandmother would throw into the pot whatever she had on hand; scraps of a roast, pieces of cooked pork, sausages, rinds of parmesan cheese. You never knew what you’d find in the sauce, but it was always good.

This is really a base pasta sauce recipe, meant to adapt to whatever you want it to be. Like meat in your sauce? Add a tough cut and let it cook down to make a Bolognese. Want to keep it vegetarian? Enjoy the recipe as it is or add some diced up vegetables. Like Pasta alla Norma? Add red chili flakes and diced eggplant to the sauce. Mushrooms or meatballs, it’s all up to you.

While the photo shows the sauce in a jar, I didn’t can this sauce. There are only so many ways to photograph tomato sauce, and stacks of tupperware just don’t make that pretty of a picture. But the sauce does freeze well, so you can enjoy the taste of freshly made sauce a few months from now, once the weather turns cold.

Basic Marinara Sauce

2  yellow onions, peeled and diced (about 2 cups diced)
2 Tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc)* mixed, total
1/2 cup red wine***
12 cups peeled and seeded fresh ripe tomatoes**
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions and cook slowly, on medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly brown and soft. Cooking them this way brings out the natural sweetness in the onions. Add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of red wine and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and their juice and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook on low, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours, or longer depending on the water content of the tomatoes. The sauce should be thick with much of the water evaporated to concentrate the flavor (sometimes I let it cook 4-5 hours over a very low flame). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking marinara sauce

*Dried herbs hold their flavor much longer than fresh herbs so when slow cooking. If you want to use fresh herbs, add them at then end of the cooking process, just before serving. Use  which ever of those herbs you prefer for a total of 2 Tablespoons.

**Start with 4-5 lbs of fresh, ripe, tomatoes. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can use 2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes and 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste. When I use canned tomatoes, I always add a couple tablespoons of sugar to counteract the acidity of the canned tomatoes. I find I don’t have to add any sugar with the ripe tomatoes from my garden.

***On the question of “Do I have to use red wine?” The answer is no, but it does add to the flavor and if you’re going to have wine with dinner anyway, or have an open bottle, throw some in!

7 Foods for 7 Days of Easier Periods in Women

Periods are a regular feature of healthy young women’s life that can turn them into a zombie for a week every month because of period pain, fatigue, or other symptoms. Salvage lies in a disciplined diet and women with problematic periods should try following diets for a definite relief.

cancer-fighting-foods

1. Fiber-Rich Complex Carbohydrates:

Women usually are exhausted, drained and low on energy during their monthly periods and consequently they crave for sugar and simple carbohydrates in order to maintain their energy levels. Some women like this quick fix and go for sugar to gain some energy but the right way to kill the craving should be to eat fiber-rich complex carbohydrates. There are a lot of options to choose a complex carbohydrate meal from, like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, or whole wheat pasta. Brown rice is a particularly good option because brown rice is loaded with slowly digested complex carbohydrates and it is also a top source of magnesium, which is believed to alleviate bloating.

2. Citrus:

Citrus is another bloat-buster, which is a natural diuretic too due to its potassium content thats why your snack should consist of clementines or oranges, or add lemon or lime to the water you drink throughout the day.

3. Whole-Grain Cereal Fortified With Iron:

Those women who are vegetarians or consume very little meat, don’t get the iron as per daily requirement. This saps the iron and consequently energy from the women during their periods especially in women with heavy periods, which makes it difficult for them to concentrate. An easy way to get your daily dose of iron is to consume iron-fortified whole-grain cereal. Take a pack that provides at least 25 percent of the daily value for iron, followed by a glass of orange juice, which will help you absorb even more iron because of its vitamin C content. At dinnertime you can have some iron rich red meat if you’re craving for it, just stick to a lean cut and a 3- to 4-ounce portion.

4. Dairy Products:

The daily calcium requirement for an average adult woman is 1,200 milligrams a day, which is the equivalent of four servings of dairy. Since four glasses of milk can cause lactose intolerance in many women, you can mix it up by adding in a container of yogurt.

5. Lentils:

Lentils are rich in complex carbohydrates that raise the serotonin levels, which is a brain chemical that promotes feelings of well-being and relaxation. They’re digested slowly for a sustained carbohydrate release because they’re also loaded with fiber and protein that will soothe you for hours. Lentils are also rich in the B vitamin thiamin, which has been linked to reducing incidences of PMS.

6. Oysters:

You can help mute your monthly cramps during your period by consuming oyesters. Oysters are a very good source of iron and cramp-busting omega-3s. Just 3 ounces of oysters are packed with over 1,000 mg of omega-3s. During your period, your uterus secretes compounds known as prostaglandins and leukotrienes which cause your uterus to contract, resulting in cramps. Omega-3s signal your uterus to release less potent sources of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, reducing those contractions. Vegetarians are recommended avocado and flax seed to get a dose of omega-3.

7. Canned Salmon:

Vitamin D can also help alleviate perimenstrual symptoms just like calcium. The required dose to reduce these symptoms is 700 IU of vitamin D a day. Salmon is a top source of vitamin D, which delivers 530 IU in just 3 ounces. Plus, its bones are a great source of calcium, and it’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Hence it is one of nature’s perfect foods for beating mood swings and monthly cramps.