My blogging experience this semester has been pleasant. I have had great responses from my fellow classmates as well as enjoying their blogs. By having to write blogs I have discovered what kind of things interested me and what I wanted to share with everyone else. I find many health topics interesting and practical and loved sharing them with the class. I also liked sharing my family life and how hectic it is. Knowing that some of my fellow classmate’s lives are not too different from mines, I found closure in them. I really like one of my classmate’s blogs because what she puts in her blogs I feel relates to me like the lazy husband, and the one naughty child that you just can’t get to listen. This has been a great experience for me and although I found it difficult to write sometimes, I enjoyed it very much. I also liked the diversity in the blogs that my classmates posted up. Frankly, although I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’ll be blogging after this class. Therefore, farewell to all of you and have a great life.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Benefits of green tea
Are you a big tea drinker? How about green tea? Not only does is replenish the soul it has health benefiting factors as well. Most of the teas benefits are from the high content of flavonoids( anitoxidants). Green tea contains a lot of catechins which can ward off disease because it is more potent than vitamin C and E. More overly, by drinking green tea can reduce risk of heart disease. The antioxidant agents in the tea can filter the LDL( the bad ones) cholesterol out and retain more of the HDL ( the good ones) cholesterol by which will improve artery malfunction. Green tea has been consumed all over Asia and is used as medicine as a stimulant, diuretic, control bleeding and help heal wounds, improve heart health, treating gas, regulating body temperature and blood sugar, promoting digestion , and improving mental processes.
Through extensive studies, researchers suggest that green tea can help treat atherosclerosis because of the antioxidant properties of it. After following a large group of people in the study with a diverse dietary they have found that by consuming 3 cups of green tea a day, they concluded that the rate of heart attacks decreased by 11% although the FDA rejected tea companies to put on their labels that it reduces risks of heart disease because they didn’t have scientific reasoning to support the claims. Another great thing about green tea is that it aids in weight loss. In clinical studies, the green tea extract can boost the metabolism to burn fat. Some researchers claims that it’s because of the polyphenols in the extract that is responsible for the fat burning effects.
My experience at Missouri Southern
Fall of 2009 was my first semester here at Mssu. I was so nervous because as a non-traditional student I didn’t know what to expect for my first semester. This made me so nervous; I remember I was taking the mids 100 class , anatomy and physiology 1, lifetime wellness, and college algebra. I just told myself to study hard and what grade I got I would be satisfied with it. This was the semester that I met a couple of great gals that I still keep in contact with and had completed all my science classes with. I couldn’t have done it without them ( well I could’ve but it wouldn’t be fun). I anticipated the level of difficulties of these classes before I even experience it for myself. I was just so frustrated because I didn’t want to disappoint my husband who is supporting me through this whole back to school experience with unacceptable grades. I remember studying and memorizing all my a&p notes for my first exam. I was having anxiety attacks as I was walking to the class. I don’t know why because I knew everything in my notes, my attacks must have signified my excitement for the exam? I don’t know I’m weird ok. I remember my professor telling us that if we wanted to pass his class we would have to find someone smart to sit next to. Oh boy I thought to myself then the girl next to me asked me if I were smart. I modest person as I am replied “I don’t know”. Of course I’m not going to say I am because what if she relied on me too much but she ended up dropping the class half way into the semester anyway. My other classes I didn’t put much effort into it but I still did well. One thing I thought was that the campus is pretty friendly. I like it here and plan to finish my degree here. I’m not very active with school activities but I do feel the lion pride. I can’t believe it’s been that long since I started and now I’m ready to hand in my nursing application( super nervous!) and hopefully before I know it, I’ll be graduating and saying that I am a proud alumni of Missouri Southern State University.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
WTH? Brace yourselves guys.
Ok, I stumbled on this as I was surfing the net. There, I read multiple stories of each survivor’s story and suddenly I felt sadness for those people who had went through it. It’s about kids being sold as slaves in poor countries. I stumble on one, she said her parents always fought, she never felt loved. She was sold and served as a slave. Often she was beaten. She tried running away only to get capture again and then beaten even worse but she managed to eloped with a boy. Soon they were married but both were involved in a car accident. She injured her legs and came to realized that her husband had abandoned her, left her to fend for herself. She later found herself at a homeless shelter and there she still resides not fully recovered from the accident. She thinks she is priceless. It’s so heartbroken that someone can sell their own child just for a couple hundred dollars ($500 in her case). There are many similar stories like this one and there really isn’t anything that can be done about this. I just hate to think that these parents would sell their child just for a few bucks. I can’t fathom these thoughts. I know it happens everywhere. Why is the world so corrupted? There is another story of a disabled boy who got sold at the age of five by his mother and brother. The reason he was sold was because of his disability. He remembers that day as he saw the strange people handing his mother money and then found himself leaving with them. He was forced to beg for money on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand along with other kids that has been sold. He recalls being so hungry and weak that he couldn’t even crawl when he was out begging. Soon he got sick and used a stick to support him when walking as this disease affected his legs. He was retrieved by Thai polices and stayed in confinement for weeks. There he was beaten by older inmates because of his disability. Finally he was transferred to a shelter and there he shares his story. I only read a few because it got emotional for me. I only hope that these problems in the world don’t progress and decreases but I know it won’t. Poverty is too high everywhere, even in America. I only hope.
What’s the difference between fats?
Ever heard the concept of fighting bad fat with good fat? I didn't either until I stumbled on a health website. Well with further research, I found out why we need to fight our bad fats with foreign good fats. First you’re probably wondering what the difference is. The “bad” fat can increase our cholesterol levels, in which could cause us to have a heart attack one day. Saturated fat or fats from animals whether it’s on the meat or in dairy is also a no no. Eating these kinds of fat will MAKE you fat; although, they have so much palatability! The “good” fats can actually lower cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Good fats can be found in safflower oil, olive oil, avocado, egg yolks, fish, and peanuts. Fats are chemically triglycerides in our bodies. Triglycerides main job is to provide us with energy, insulation, and protect our organs from injuries (to certain extents). Our bodies loves loves loves to store fat because it’s thinking it’s doing us a favor in case we get stuck on a deserted island one day ( the only time you wish you were fat) . Well if there are too much triglycerides, the body cannot metabolize it fast enough therefore it gets backed up in the blood stream and thus causes the most leading health predicaments. A subcategorized group is the saturated fats. Its chemical structure has clusters of hydrogen atoms which will bond to so many other things like amino acids and stuffs; thus generating FAT! The good fats are unsaturated fats meaning less hydrogen atoms, less chemical bond hence less fat! Another good fat is omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in fish. What this fat does is to help regulate blood pressure, blood clot formation, and the immune system. People that take in the daily recommended dosage are less likely to have any kind of cardiovascular diseases as oppose to people that don’t (like me). People who are looking to lose weight would usually ingest good fats to aid them during their weight lost journey. So, next time if someone asks you if you ever heard of fighting bad fat with good fat you can say YES I HAVE!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Kids huh....
What is with kids these days? They think they are entitled to anything and everything. Well at least mines do. I remember when I was younger, I’d be happy if I got a shopping pass from Wal-Mart and now, my kids won’t even wear clothes from there. I guess it’s somewhat my fault because I’m the one who chose to expose them to the world of fashion and labels. But that is not the point, how they develop this selfish, ungrateful, self-entitled attitude is what I’m trying to figure out. Their father and I have always taught them to say thank you and only want what they have but lately, oh man, they have been asking for ridiculous things and when I say no they get mad and yells “I hate you mommy! You’re mean!” what is the deal? My first is a bit better; he knows when to ask and when not to ask. All he wants for Christmas is a piano, so a piano it is. My second, he’s the bad one. He’s always yelling and not listening to me. I get so frustrated with him. I give him more than what he deserves and he still lashes out. His dad told me to start taking things away and not include him in fun events when he doesn’t listen but seriously like I’m going to do that, heck no because I believe in equality for my kids. I know this sounds weird and maybe I’m setting myself up but I’m a mom and can’t help it. My daughter, she is still two; the age where she is starting to understand but not fully so I have to be patient with her. But oh boy, she sure knows how to push my buttons! I guess it’s the universal phase known as the “terrible twos”? She is the only one that thanks me though. Every time I feed them or buy something for them she’s always yelling in the background “thank you mommy!’’ and doesn’t stop saying thanks until I say you’re welcome princess. The boys, they forget but once she says it they follow. These kids are not awful kids but they just need learn how to be more appreciative. I’m trying to slowly by using psychology on them; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, hopefully it does though. I’m hoping to mold these munchkins into grateful and responsible adults one day, so they won’t be the ones racking up huge credit card bills. I hope.
Crazy for coconuts!
Who wants a coconut? Last night, I finally decided to crack open my Thai younge coconut that has been sitting in my fridge and drink the juice. As I was drinking the juice, I started wondering what the benefits of drinking coconut juice are as well as eating the coconut meat. So here I am today writing a post about it.
What I found out is that coconut juice is low in carbohydrates, almost 100% fat free, and low in sugars. The benefits of coconuts are because of its isotonic properties with the same levels of electrolytes in our blood, it has the ability to re-hydrate and cool the body. This is ideal after an intense workout. Also the properties in coconut water can aid in weight loss by increasing the metabolism. Not only does it increase the metabolism, it also detoxifies and fights against unknown antigens that can get the body sick. What I really liked was that is also balances the pH in the body in which reduces possible effects of cancer. It is also used to treat kidney stones and urethral stones.
Wow, also supposedly coconut water was used in wars to save lives and 3rd world countries through coconut IV because it has the same properties as human blood. It is healthier than orange juice with less calories and even better than processed baby milk!
When compared to most sports and energy drinks, coconuts contains about 294mg if potassium; which is more than any sports or energy drinks out there, less sodium (about 25mg) while sports drinks have 41mg and energy has 200mg. Also it has natural sugars of only 5mg as oppose to artificial sugars that are 10 to 25 mg. Coconut water is also high in chloride containing 118 mg rather than sports which contains 39mg. Best of all is that coconut water is natural and sterile right from the nut.
I prefer the young coconuts because they are fresher and the coconut meat is edible unlike the brown ones seen at local grocery shops. The younger coconuts can be found in most oriental markets but they are costly ranging from $3 -$4 for one. Opening them can be a challenge too but I have included a link on YouTube showing how opening one is done. That’s how I learned. But a sturdy knife will be needed. Oh, and don’t bother cutting the top off I think it’s a waste of time. I just chop my top off and peel the coconut meat off. I hope you’ll enjoy your coconuts if you ‘ll decide to try one today.
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