You know, when a man reach middle age (or even earlier, depending on your health condition), one of the main health problems that could happen is the prostrate problem. It could lead to enlarged prostrate or worse, prostrate cancer. Then, there is also the more embarrassing problem which may end up with you searching for viagra online.

But, you can actually prevent this from happening. You only need to be more selective in your foods and choose foods for prostrate health. There are a lot of foods that are good for prostrate health (and sexual health too) that you can eat on a daily basis to prevent any future suffering of prostrate problems. Here are some of the foods:

Foods good for prostrate health

1. Soy and soy products like tofu

Research has shown that soy food products like soya milk and tofu (beancurd) is really good for prostrate health. Instead of drinking milk, why not substitute it with soy milk? It is healthier and better for your prostrate.

2. Fruits and Vegetables that contain Quercetin and lycopene

This would include vegetables like broccoli, kale and cabbage. Fruits that have this compounds are grapefruit, berries, melons and tomatoes. So, in short, do add more vegetables and fruits to your diet for the sake of your prostrate health. Even red wine is good as it is derived from grapes that has lycopene too, but it is better to eat the grapes than to go for the wine because alcohol is not good for prostrate health.

3. Water and clear vegetable broths

Yes, water is always good for health, especially so for prostrate health because it helps to flush out the toxins in your body and get things going as smoothly as possible. Clear vegetable broths are also good as it is full of nutrients from the vegetables and because it is liquid, it also helps to flush out your kidney and bladder to prevent any possible blockage.

Now, other than consuming the above mentioned foods more regularly, it is important that you try to limit some foods to prevent prostrate problems. Or if you already have a prostrate problem, these are the foods to limit or cut out of your diet completely:

1. Meat  – because this triples your risk of prostrate enlargement

2. Milk – because this doubles your risk (thus, it is better to drink soy milk as substitute which is good for prostrate health)

As with any advice for a healthier lifestyle, do try to cut down your caffeine and alcohol consumption. Instead, drink more herbal caffeine-free teas or water, eat more fruits and vegetables and add grains to your diet for a healthy body, healthy prostrate and no worries of any disappointment between the sheets and you won’t ever need to furtively search for viagra or cialis.

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Let’s first look at the nutrition value of coffee without looking into the various claims by various researchers and scientists.

Nutrition value of Coffee

If we talk about 2g of regular instant powdered coffee:

• it is low in calories, about 5 calories
• it is low in cholesterol
• it is low in fatty acids
• it has ZERO vitamins
• it contains potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and small amounts of calcium
• it contains 62.8mg of caffeine

Now, we come to the findings and research by various scientists and experts.

Pros and Cons of Drinking Coffee

According to WebMD, researches have found that drinking coffee could possibly help lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, cavities and treat headaches too.  However, the article also maintained that  if you consume more coffee than your body could handle, it could result in adverse effects such as nervousness, trembling hands and rapid heartbeat. Coffee, although low in cholesterol, was known to raise cholesterol levels in certain people and this could result in artery clogging which could lead to heart attacks.

Contrary to the WebMD article’s claims, a Harvard research showed that coffee consumption has not effect on cancer in any way at all. However, it concurs with the findings that drinking coffee has been beneficial in reducing the risks of Alzheimenr’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver and gout.

Coffee is also known to cause heartburn and other related illnesses and yes, it does contain anti-oxidants that could prevent cell damage but that is very minimal. In fact, research has shown that more than 1,000 chemicals are found in roasted coffee and many of these chemicals are rodent carcinogens.

Doctors have advised those with heart problems and pregnant mothers to limit the intake of coffee and for a good reason too. That’s because coffee contains caffeine and caffeine is found to cause an increase in the stiffening of arterial walls which is not good for people with heart problems.

Also,  drinking coffee can result in iron deficiency anemia in mothers and babies. It won’t even help if the mother consume supplemental iron because coffee would block the absorption of iron.

In conclusion, I think that all these contradictory researches only goes to show that coffee isn’t all that bad but it’s not all that good either. If you want anti-oxidants, fresh fruits and vegetables contain loads of anti-oxidants that is proven to boosts your immune system and also contains loads of vitamins and minerals.

You don’t need to fall for the ridiculous Nescafe ads on getting your anti-oxidants from coffee when you can get it from other natural sources that are healthier and better.

Also, if you enjoy a cuppa every once in a while, it’s not all bad. When it comes to our health and food, moderation is always the key. So, if you consume coffee in moderation it probably will not cause much bad side effects on you. Still, it all boils down to how your body takes it.

For example, my husband has a heart problem and he only needs to drink a cup of Nescafe before he suffers chest pains for the next few days. So, he has to cut out coffee entirely from his diet.  As for me, I don’t drink coffee either because after years of over-indulging in Nescafe and other coffee brands, my body finally puts a stop to it all. Now, a drink of really rich coffee (such as Nescafe, Expresso and brewed coffee) would give me heart palpitations, shortness of breath, trembling hands and nervousness.

So, whether you are a coffee addict or simply loves the taste of coffee, do remember that coffee is not all that good for you but it’s also not all bad. Enjoy the taste and the aroma by all means but do remember, moderation is the key.

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Anyway, last week, I did put up a post on the foods I ate in Bangkok but unfortunately, due to some virus in the server, it was ‘eaten alive’. So, ended up I will probably have to redo the post and put it up again soon.

I’ve been pretty busy and tired since I got back from Bangkok, that’s why this blog has been sorta neglected. I just did not have the energy after work every day or even during the weekends to put up posts in this blog. I just have this bone-tired fatigue that won’t go away. Hopefully, I will be able to get better and be energised to start blogging regularly in earnest again. Let’s just say I am taking sick leave from this blog for awhile until I am feeling better.

So, today, I came across a very touching video on world hunger and I felt the need to share it with everyone. I hope you watch this and think twice the next time you want to throw out your leftovers.

No diet is ever worth wasting food when there are so many starving people in this world.

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Today, I’m going to give the low-down on flax seeds and its health benefits. Why do we need this oily looking seeds and why is it so good for us? Well, read on to find out more.

Health Benefits of Flax Seed

These tiny golden seeds (or brown) do pack a lot of health benefits, much more than sesame seeds although they both look alike, in a way. Flax seeds are a bit bigger than sesame seeds and looks oilier. Well, no wonder, because flax seed is high fat. Before the alarm bells ring in your head due to the words ‘high fat’, let me explain further.

Flax seed is:

1. High in Omega-3 fatty acids – this means it is high in the good type of fatty acids that help to reduce heart disease, bad cholesterol and all that stuff. These are not exactly fattening fatty acids but good fatty acids your body need. Much like when you eat fish with high Omega-3 fatty acids, like cod fish.

2. High in lignans – this is another good thing that is good for the heart and also is an anti-cancer compound that have been known to help a bit when consumed by people with breast and prostrate cancers.

3. High in dietary fibre – when it comes to flax seed, eating too much can be quite bad because it can cause diarrhea due to its high fibre content. But if you need a laxative, nothing is more natural than flax seed. However, consuming small amounts will not produce much effect except that you will find it easier to..err…flush out your system the next day. This means it is extremely great for those with constipation problem.

4. High in Magnesium

5. High in Phosphorus

6. High in Iron

7. High in Calcium

8. High in Vitamin B

Due to its high concentration of minerals, overall, flax seed is indeed a great addition to your diet for general health well-being. So, how do you eat it?

Easy. Put it in a blender and grind it into a powder, like this:

Okay, so I didn’t really grind it into a powder but it is as grounded as I could possibly do it with my blender. It is good enough. All you need to do is to add a tablespoon to your daily breakfast drink, either it’s a glass of milk, a protein shake or a fruit shake. You can even sprinkle some on top of your cereal. It doesn’t have any weird taste or smell so you actually won’t notice it at all.

Remember these health benefits of flax seeds the next time you go shopping and get yourself a packet.

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I think I’ve not chewed on raw sugar cane for years already now. Even recently when we got a few stalks of sugar cane, I forgot all about keeping some to chew. Instead, we had taken it to a sugar cane stall and had the juice extracted.

Now, after reading up about it, I realised that sugar cane do have a few nutrients that I previously didn’t know about. Although it is where sugar came from and processed white sugar aren’t healthy at all, the fresh raw sugar cane is entirely another matter. I’d have to say that we humans intervened and made it unhealthy.

Here are the:

Health benefits of sugar cane

• fresh raw sugar cane has less calories than refined sugar or syrup
• it is pretty good for digestion and can also work as a mild laxative due to its high potassium content.
• It is also high in magnesium, calcium and riboflavin (Vitamin B2).
• Traditionally, drinking sugar cane juice is good to ‘cool’ down the body especially during hot, humid weather like what we have here.
• Best of all is that the fresh sugar cane juice is sweet to drink but it is not as bad / unhealthy as drinking syrup!

Ahh…drinking a glass of sugar cane juice sure do hit the spot every time, especially during extremely hot, airless, windless days.

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Anyway, there were only five people who commented (sigh, why so few people only want to join in the contest? Doesn’t anybody else want to Pay it forward in the blogosphere? ) so, I run the random number generator and came up with the winners:

1. Colin Boyd of Get The Big Picture

2. Cory of Zestycook.com

5. Gera of Sweetsfoods.com

So, congratulations to the three lucky Pay it Forward-ers. Now, all you need to do is to send your name and mailing address to penangviews AT gmail DOT com. Of course, you don’t have to give me your full name, just the name that will ensure the handmade gift land in your hands and not someone else’s.

Also, remember the rule of the Pay it Forward contest. You will need to do the same by paying it forward and sending three handmade gifts to three other bloggers.

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Now, on to more fat burning food:

Green Leafy Vegetables

Vegetables such as kale, spinach or any other dark green vegetables are packed full of vitamins, nutrients and best of all, fiber. We all know some of them are also great cancer-fighting foods so why not add these to your diets as much as possible? Why are they fat burning foods? Well, since it is pack full of fiber, if you start a meal by eating loads of this, you will fill up pretty easily and then you tend to eat less of other foods. Green leafy vegetables are very low in fat, so no worries of eating too much of it. It is one of the foods that you can never eat too much of!

Blueberries

I’ve mentioned these sweet berries before in my heart healthy food list and how they really pack a punch as these berries contain beta-carotene and lutein (carotenoids), anthocyanin (a flavonoid), ellagic acid (a polyphenol), vitamin C, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fibre. Yes, it is the fiber (about 3.6g of fiber per cup!) that makes it a fat burning food as it fills you up and at the same time prevent fat from being absorbed into your body since fiber is known to help your body rid of fat. The best part about these berries is that you can eat it as it is without any cooking or garnishing. Just wash and pop into your mouth. Easy.

Yogurt

Now I know a lot of dieters steer clear away from dairy products but I say that yogurt should not be one of those food to be avoided simply because it is full of protein,has good bacteria to help with better digestion and it is known to keep your sugar level steady, thus keeping your hunger level at bay. Besides, it is a really great breakfast food especially when teamed with fruits like raspberries and blueberries. Of course, you will need to stick to the low-fat natural sugar-free version which is not loaded with loads of sugar for the full benefits.

Quinoa

Despite its growing popularity, quinoa (pronounced as keenwah) is still not one of those normal foods we put on our tables. Gera of Sweets Foods did an interesting post on quinoa recently and it piqued my interest. So, I did some checking of my own and found that this grain is one of the super foods you simply must have in your diet. It has protein and fibre. Best of all, it is gluten-free! It is also quite versatile and can be served as an alternative to rice, can be cooked and served with fruits for breakfast and if you can get some quinoa flakes, you can even use it for gluten-free, protein rich baked food! The great thing about this grain is that it has a rich nutty flavour to it, thus it tastes pretty amazing and also fills you up pretty easily and really cuts down your hunger pangs.

Apples

Last but not least, the saying ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ really do carry some weight. Apples also contain fibre and vitamins. If you eat an apple before a meal, you will tend to eat less as the apple will have filled you up. So, instead of chowing down and keeping fruits as the dessert, why not do it the other way around? Have fruits like apples first and then only move on to the main meal. It will definitely cut down the amount of food you will eat.

And that concludes the third part of my food that helps you lose weight series. Do keep a lookout for my recipe for quinoa which is healthy, wholesome and really good too!

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Chocolate

Surprised? I know, chocolate is the first thing to cut out whenever you are on a diet but I say it is a fat burning food because it helps you stave off cravings which will result in binges. Of course, you will need to stick to dark chocolate with 80% cocoa only. And yes, you will need to control your portion too. Wolfing down a large bar of dark chocolate will not do! Just stick to small 20g bars occasionally. Maybe once a week or twice. By having a bar of chocolate (a small one, mind you), it will satisfy whatever sweet-tooth cravings you have and stave off any unwanted binges on ice cream, cakes and other forms of desserts. Besides, dark chocolate is great for the heart and lowers blood pressure because of its flavonols.

Green Tea

For the longest time, green tea is a health drink that helps you stay young and prevents cancer but it is also a great fat burning drink! This is because green tea has a high amount of catechin polyphenols which gives your body a boost in burning up calories. So, have a cup of green tea today.

Water

I know this is not a food but water is probably one of the best fat burning drink ever. Why? Because it is like fuel for your muscles. Our body contains a lot of water and we need water to survive. By drinking the required amount of water, at least 8 full glasses, a day, you are providing enough ‘fuel’ for your body to cleanse itself, get rid of unwanted waste and helps your body function better, thus a more efficient metabolic rate.

Chili

Get your taste buds ready for some hot burning powers of chili. Chili is pack full of vitamins and that’s not all, it is known to boost your metabolic rate too. In addition to this, when you are eating spicy food, you tend to eat slower and this allows more time for your stomach to tell you that you are full so you tend to eat smaller portions. The best way to eat chili is the simple way, chop it into tiny pieces, place in soya sauce and then eat it as accompaniment to any food.

Salmon

Other than being a hearth healthy food, salmon helps you pack on the muscles which will help you burn off my fat. How does it do that? Well, salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and these nutrients helps insulin sensitivity. This in turn helps you retain your muscle mass and we all know having more muscles means we burn calories faster! The best thing about salmon is that you can eat it raw (sashimi) or simply grilled. Check out my grilled salmon recipe.

And that concludes part two of my fat burning food list. I will have more for part three!

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Really. No joke. And what makes me the expert? Err…ahhh….hmmmm…..well, this is The Food Site after all and I make food my business. So, I HAVE to know all about food from cooking to eating to whether it could end up as padding around my hips and waist…

Okay, okay, I’ll get to the food in a bit. Let me just add one more thing, although these are fat burning food and somewhat help you lose weight, it does not mean you can over-eat all of it and then lose loads of pounds.

It doesn’t work that way, okay? The reason these food can help you lose weight is because they mostly fill you up or provide your body with the right nutrition / fuel to increase your stamina, cut down cravings, metabolic rate, etc.

The food do not literally work like diet pills (which I DO NOT recommend since those are full of chemicals, the pills not the foods), they just help the body work better at starving off the extra pounds. In fact, eating the right kinds of food is the quickest way to lose weight.

Now that we got that outta the way, let’s get down to the first in the list of fat burning food:

1. Oats

See? There’s a reason why I simply love to add oats and oat bran to certain foods when cooking or baking. Not only are oats heart-healthy, it is also good for weight loss. The reason being that it fills you up and keeps you full longer so you will not be hungry all the time. Trust me, I know because I’ve been eating oats for breakfast for a long time now and it helps me stay full longer till 2pm. Even then, I tend to eat less for lunch because I’m not that hungry.

So, how could you enjoy your oats? Here’s a simple and filling breakfast recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup oats

1 cup skimmed/low fat milk / unsweetened soya milk

1 cup fruits (could be bananas, strawberries, blueberries, any fruit you like)

Instructions

1. Place all of it into a blender and blend. If you prefer a cold drink, add some ice to it and you’ll make your own healthy fruit smoothie!

Alternatively, you can also use oat bran / oatmeal as replacement for bread crumbs in a number of recipes like my oat bran fried chicken or my homemade herbed burger or the spicy chicken burger. The possibilities are endless. All you need to do is to substitute bread crumbs with oat bran/ oatmeal.

Next….

2. Eggs

If you think eating oats only for breakfast is kinda boring, why not have some eggs too? Yes, including the yolks too. Much has been said about the high cholesterol of egg yolks but studies have shown that eating egg yolks does not substantially increase your choleterol level.

So, if you are bored of oats, why not have some eggs on toast? Of course, the healthier options would be scrambled or poached. Why does it help with weight loss? Simple. Eggs are the most basic of proteins and proteins fill you up too so having it for breakfast will make you fuller with less calories. Have some eggs today.

Don’t know what to make? Try my tomatoes and mushroom omelette recipe, it is pack full of nutrients and as healthy as an omelette could get.

This post is really long enough so I will continue with part two of my fat burning food (or is it food that helps you lose weight?) series soon.

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First one is a Commenters Meme from Freya of The Cocoa Lounge.

10 blogs

And so, here’s my list of 10 blogs:

1. Nate and Annie of House of Annie

2. Xin of Sloppy Chic

3. CK Lam of What2See

4. Reeni of Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

5. Nick of Peanut Butter Boy

6. 550ml jar of faith from After Giovanni

7. Lingzie of Lingzie’s Tummy Treats

8. Megan of Megan’s Munchies

9.The guys at Penang Tua Pui

10. Kang of London Eater

15 Questions

And here are the questions (and answers):

1. What is your favourite post from number 3’s blog?

I love most of CK’s posts as she has really great pictures of the places she reviewed. However the one that I really like is the review on Dragon-i.

2. Has number 10 taken any pictures that have moved you?

Kang has the most incredible pictures ever for all of his posts and the one picture that really captured my attention is the accidental portrait from this post.

3. Does number 6 reply to comments on their blog?

Yep, all the time and even leave comments in my blog quite regularly!

4. Which part of blogland is number 2 from?

I am guessing that Xin is based in KL, Malaysia as most of her posts are about places in KL.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to number 7, what would it be?

First of all, I am not the expert in food blogging so I shall not presume that I could go around giving advices…so the only advice I’d give Lingzie is to keep up the great posts!

6. Have you tried something from number 9’s blog?

Since we eat at almost the same places all the time, I definitely have tried most of the places they reviewed.

7. Has number 1 blogged something that inspired you?

Oh definitely yes! I’ve been looking for a char siew recipe for awhile until I saw her post on braised char siew.

8. How often do you comment on number 4’s blog?

*blush* Okay, so I’ve been very bad at leaving comments. I think I’ve never commented in her blog until, er, now…heheh.

9.Do you wait for number 8 to post excitedly?

Actually, I wait for all my reading list blogs to post excitedly…heheh…but Megan sure do have great recipes to look forward to!

10. How did number 5’s blog change your life?

I’d have to say he gave me a whole new outlook on peanut butter and his recent peanut butter roundup of recipes is darn cool.

11. Do you know any of the 10 bloggers in person?

Er, nope. Only through blogging and stumbling and buzzing.

12. Do any of the 10 bloggers know each other in person?

I know CK and Penang Tua Pui know each other in person due to the Penang Floggers gathering but the others…I am not sure.

13. Out of the 10, which updates more frequently?

It’s either Penang Tua Pui or CK.

14. Which of the 10 keep you laughing?

I don’t know about laughing but I sure do a lot of drooling at ALL of the blogs listed.

15. Which of the 10 has made you cry (good or bad tears)?

Yep, all of them made me cry over my increasing weight. Because I definitely am eating more than I should thanks to their fabulous posts and pictures! heheh.

Now, the rule of this meme is simple. Those above 10 blogs will have to continue with it!

Okay, and now on to the tags. I was tagged by Lingzie and CK to write seven facts about myself…so here goes…

1. Foong is really my name and not my family/surname or pen name.

2. I initially started blogging quite awhile back but then didn’t have time to update and my very first blog is now languishing, un-updated.

3. I now have several other blogs but I only kept two of it frequently updated, this one and my personal sarcasm blog.

4. I love animals and I have a standing instruction to donate a small sum of money to WWF each month.

5. I have just picked up a new hobby, which is jewelry-making using silver, wires and Swarovski crystals. You can check out some of my jewelry pieces which is for sale here.

6. My mother passed away about 3 years ago and my jewelry site, Nani Jewels, is named in her memory because she loved jewelry.

7. I love chocolates and I think I’d die if I was told that I may never be able to eat chocolates again!

Lingzie’s tag also comes with these awards:

For the cupcake of all blogs...

For the ever resourceful foodie

For the creative ones

For those who updates their blogs every so regularly (unlike me...)

For those who have been such great blogging buddies

And I would like to pass these awards and ‘7 things about me’ tag to:

1. Tom of The Food Flunky

2. Jessie of The Hungry Mouse

3. HoneyB of Grumpy’s Honey Bunch

4. Cariso of Cariso Delicacies Corner

5. YT of My Warm Nest

So, now all of you I’ve tagged and meme’d here, it’s your turn. Phew. Glad that I got all this done.

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