Healthy "Bubble Tea"

The circuit breaker measures in Singapore has closed all bubble tea shops in Singapore.

When bubble tea was allowed, I tried to resist drinking it.
However now that it is closed, I am craving it and have to find a way to make the boba.


As always, I want to enjoy the yummy beverages, but in a healthier style.

Here's my "Bubble Milk Tea" with no tea, no cow milk and home-made bubble! 😍
I did it the style of 脏脏奶茶， where the "brown" layer coats the cup. Haha!

Why did I choose wholesome SOY milk instead cos milk? 

When a person has eczema, doctors will say stop dairy products. When a person has diarrhoea, doctors will say stop dairy products. Have you asked yourself why this is so?

For me, I am reading more and more scientific papers that animal milk increases inflammation in our body. And inflammation is the start of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, and some autoimmune disease like eczema.

To understand more, see my post on Dalgona-style beverage why I choose SOY milk instead of Cow milk.

How did I create that brown "syrup"? 

For many recipes, they use brown sugar. However, I chose to use RaisinTree to give the brown color.

RaisinTree is the nature's way to protect our liver. This is a herb from Korea, where Koreans take it prior to drinking, and it helps their liver to break down the alcohol.
Hence, when we take RaisinTree, it enhances our liver function. This helps our body detox. In other words, it helps in weight loss. 😍😍

Recipe

Anyways, enough of words.... Let's get to the recipe.

You can also watch it in my YouTube channel!

Try this version of Healthier Bubble Tea!
No caffeine, No animal milk.
Less sugar, improves detoxification, very high protein for muscles toning.


Share with me your cup of Healthier "Bubble Milk Tea" ok?


Cheers,
Ee Ting
Your Lifestyle Coach

Papaya Pork Soup

I have always known that papaya is a very nutritious fruit. 

It is a rich source of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium, copper, and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.
Not to forget. Papaya is a milk-booster! It is very good for breastfeeding mummies like me. 


However, I have always avoided papaya because I think it smells like poop... LOL. 

Recently I saw a cooking programme on TV and so decide to try cooking papaya soup.


I bought a tiny ripe papaya and some pork from the supermarket. Put these 2 ingredients together to boil for 1 hour. Then add wolfberries, little salt and pepper. 

Wolfberries moisten and nourish kidney qi. It is also a rich source of proteins and beta carotene, which can be converted to vitamin A by the body. Wolfberries come in different sizes. The larger it is, the sweeter and more nutritious it is. For this soup, the wolfberries is added towards the end, because over-boiling will cause wolfberries to turn sour.


Taadaa!! 

The pork is tender, the papaya is sweet, and the soup taste yummy! 
Cheap and good! :-)


There is no secret to good health. Just knowledge on which food to give what desired nutrients and results. And time and patience to cook the dishes.

Nutritional immunology food takes out the difficulty in mixing and matching ingredients. It provides wholesome nutrients in required proportions. As such, it provides us the convenience to achieve good health, at a reasonable cost. If you are interested to find out more about Nutritional immunology food, feel free to drop me a mail at eetingchoo@gmail.com. I'll be more than happy to chat with you about food nutrition and health. :)


I think this website provides a very good write-up on the benefits of papaya.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47 

For convenience of reading, a section from the above webpage is extracted and pasted here.

Protection Against Heart Disease

Papayas may be very helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Papayas are an excellent source of the powerful antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin A (through their concentration of pro-vitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients).
These nutrients help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Only when cholesterol becomes oxidized is it able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, forming dangerous plaques that can eventually cause heart attacks or strokes. One way in which dietary vitamin E and vitamin C may exert this effect is through their suggested association with a compound called paraoxonase, an enzyme that inhibits LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.
Papayas are also a good source of fiber, which has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels. The folic acid found in papayas is needed for the conversion of a substance called homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted, homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and, if levels get too high, is considered a significant risk factor for a heart attack or stroke.

Promotes Digestive Health

The nutrients in papaya have also been shown to be helpful in the prevention of colon cancer. Papaya's fiber is able to bind to cancer-causing toxins in the colon and keep them away from the healthy colon cells. In addition, papaya's folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E have each been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
These nutrients provide synergistic protection for colon cells from free radical damage to their DNA. Increasing your intake of these nutrients by enjoying papaya is an especially good idea for individuals at risk of colon cancer.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Papaya contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes including papain and chymopapain. These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and to improve healing from burns. In addition, the antioxidant nutrients found in papaya, including vitamin C and beta-carotene, are also very good at reducing inflammation. This may explain why people with diseases that are worsened by inflammation, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, find that the severity of their condition is reduced when they get more of these nutrients.

Immune Support

Vitamin C and vitamin A, which is made in the body from the beta-carotene in papaya, are both needed for the proper function of a healthy immune system. Papaya may therefore be a healthy fruit choice for preventing such illnesses as recurrent ear infections, colds and flu.

Protection against Macular Degeneration

Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily. In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but papaya can help you reach this goal. Add slices of fresh papaya to your morning cereal, lunch time yogurt or green salads. Cut a papaya in half and fill with cottage cheese, crab, shrimp or tuna salad. For an elegant meal, place slices of fresh papaya over any broiled fish.

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as papaya, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.
The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

Papaya and Green Tea Team Up to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich fruits, such as papaya, and drink green tea may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)
In this case-control study involving 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospital controls, men drinking the most green tea were found to have an 86% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared, to those drinking the least.
A similar inverse association was found between the men's consumption of lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, and guava. Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods.
Regular consumption of both green tea and foods rich in lycopene resulted in a synergistic protective effect, stronger than the protection afforded by either, the researchers also noted.
Practical Tips: Get in the habit of drinking green tea and eating lycopene-rich foods.

• Take a quart of iced green tea to work and sip throughout the day or take it to the gym to provide prostate protection while replenishing fluids after your workout.
• Pack a ziploc bag of apricots and almonds in your briefcase or gym bag for a handy snack.
• Start your breakfast with a half grapefruit or a glass of papaya or guava juice.
• Add papaya to any smoothie or fruit salad or use as a delectable garnish for fish.
• For a delicious summer lunch, cut a papaya in half, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle with lime juice and top with cottage cheese, a fresh mint leaf, and roasted almonds.
• Begin lunch or dinner with some spicy tomato juice on the rocks with a twist of lime. Snack on tomato crostini: in the oven, toast whole wheat bread till crusty, then top with tomato sauce, herbs, a little grated cheese, and reheat until the cheese melts.
• Top whole wheat pasta with olive oil, pine nuts, feta cheese and a rich tomato sauce for lunch or dinner.

Cheng Tng for the Haze Season

The weather has been bad recently, with haze going into the hazardous range. It is important to avoid breathing in too much "dirty" air containing particulates, especially so for my 2 month old infant. Many people rush to buy air purifier. But do not choose a good one. For really cleaning up the air indoors, a HEPA filter on the air purifier is needed.

I believe my air-conditioner, together with religious vacuuming and wiping of dust and dirt is good enough for the purpose required.

As usual, I enjoy using food nutrition to nourish the immune system so that our body is strong and can prevent falling sick in such a weather. Since I am breastfeeding now as well, I'm particularly drawn to food such as longan and red dates, which are milk boosters.

So today I cooked Cheng tng for my family. This is a tasty dessert that soothes the throat and reduces the heatiness of the body. 

The following ingredients are used.

Snow fungus

Snow fungus is an immune stimulant that may help fight infection as seen in cell studies. Laboratory studies have found that it also demonstrates antitumor activity, lowers levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol, protects the liver, and fights inflammation, and that it may slow the ageing process. Supposedly, if snow fungus is eaten regularly, facial freckles will disappear, although this has not been tested in any scientific fashion.
(extracted from http://www.herbmuseum.ca/content/medicinal-benefits-snow-fungus)

Longan

Longan fruit is rich in antioxidants and can protect against heart disease, chronic inflammation and may even help prevent some cancers. Just one half cup provides 80% of your daily vitamin C requirements. Vitamin C also plays a vital role in immunity. 

Iron absorption depends on vitamin C and combining longan fruit with meat increases your iron levels. Longan helps with blood production, most likely through the iron content needed to produce new red blood cells.
(extracted from http://www.newhealthguide.org/Longan-Fruit.html)

Red dates

Red dates are said to stimulate the production of white blood cells, which improves immunity, and decrease the levels of cholesterol in your bloodstream, which helps protect the liver.
Because of their high levels of Vitamin C, dates convert excessive cholesterol into bile acid, which helps prevent gallstones. Meanwhile, phosphorus and iron play an important role in preventing osteoporosis and anemia, both common in women.
(extracted from http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/03/red-dates-the-healthiest-fruit-on-earth/)

Lily bud

Believed to  help with insomnia and to help settle a cough.

Lotus seeds

Lotus seeds contain L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase, an enzyme with anti-ageing properties. It is known to help in repairing damaged proteins. The seeds contain kaempferol, a flavonoid known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It is known to help in repairing aging gum tissue. The astringent properties of lotus seeds make them beneficial for the kidneys. They help to regulate the energy levels of the body.
(extracted from http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/herbs/lotus-seed.html)


To sum up, eating healthily does not mean spending huge amounts of money. Understanding the benefits of each type of plant food, and use as needed, can help us to increase our immunity against diseases.

We can also remain youthful and healthy with correct choices of food.

Our health depends on what we eat. So choose wisely. 

CHEERS!! :)


Regards,
Ee Ting
eetingchoo@gmail.com