Curry Remedy

I came down with colds a few days ago, and so of course, I had a stuffy nose. To get some relief, I wanted to make soup. There were not a lot of ingredients I could choose from in the fridge, so I decided to try my luck on a Japanese curry mixture. 

I've always made my curry quite saucy and thick, but since I didn't have much left of the mixture, I made it light that time. I couldn't find any fresh vegetables in our fridge, so I sliced a piece of onion and put it in I didn't expect much from my curry soup, but lo and behold--it did the trick! It was quite delicious and cleared my stuffy nose almost immediately.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quick relief so I did some reading on the web. Curry is indeed a wonderful cure for a stuffed nose! It's because spicy food contain capsaicin, a chemical that causes inflammation in the nerves and increases the production of mucus in the nasal membranes. Spicy food will  basically make your nose run... which means you won't have a clogged nose!

I know they say that chicken soup is all you need when you've got colds or the flu, and in all fairness to the well-celebrated chicken, I did try making chicken soup the next day after my curry mixture ran out. But you know what? The curry soup did the job better. So I braved traffic and rain yesterday afternoon and went to the supermarket to buy more of my trusty curry mixture. Since my nose was especially stuffy tonight, I made this:

To make the soup, I used S&B Golden Curry Sauce (a Japanese curry mixture I discovered while I was in Japan and have been using ever since; this should be available at a local supermarket), put in some onions, tomatoes, and included a bell pepper because of its Vitamin C content (it has more Vitamin C that citrus fruits). To amp the heat factor, I sliced two cayenne peppers and added them in. And just because I love experimenting in the kitchen, I threw in a handful of whole wheat fusilli pasta and some Chinese cabbage as well.

I have to admit that the pasta did not quite fit (LOL), but the rest of the ingredients worked perfectly! I am now quite happy that I have finally found a remedy for annoying stuffed noses. This concoction does need a bit of courage if you are afraid of hot and spicy food, but do try it the next time you get a cold. It works wonders!

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I Want My Brown Rice

Asians love rice! As you can probably imagine, China consumes the most rice per year. But lo, and behold! The Philippines is not far behind. Even being a teeny-weeny country, it was number 8 in the world from statistics I found for 2003-2004, after China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma. Everyone I know here eats and loves rice--white rice that is. Now, white rice is long and white and pretty and yummy, but did you know that it is much, much inferior to brown rice?

Brown rice is unmilled or partly milled rice, and can be considered as somewhat whole grain. This is a type of rice where only the outer covering of the grain--the husk--is removed. Rice becomes "white" when layers of the rice kernel, not only the husk, but also the bran and endosperm, are removed. During this process, a number of vitamins and minerals are lost. It has been found out that the milling process that turns brown rice into white destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Isn't that a lot you are missing out? Brown rice is also rich in fiber and selenium. We already know how good fiber is for us. It helps us maintain a healthy digestive system, is  supposed to help keep weight in check, and can help prevent colon cancer by reducing the amount of time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells. Based on what I have read, selenium is a very important mineral that helps in various body functions, and aids in the prevention of not only certain types cancer, but also of heart disease, and for decreasing the symptoms of asthma and the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. And if you have a problem with cholesterol, the rice bran oil found in brown rice has also been proven to help lower that.

Now, why am I suddenly becoming an advocate of brown rice, you might ask. Well, I've only been eating brown rice for a couple of months. I've known long ago that it's very good for you, but my family and I never switched, until I started reading healthful articles on SparkPeople and all over web earlier this year. I want to make people realize how good it is! And really, when you read something like what I just mentioned in this post, why stay with white rice? I am going to admit that it's a little bit difficult to switch, because when you eat brown rice for the first time, it tastes like cloth. But don't worry, once you get used to it, there's no turning back. Honestly for me now, it's white rice that tastes like cloth. Plus, brown rice makes you feel full faster, and for a longer period of time!

The problem I have right now is that: There. Is. No. Brown. Rice. For. Sale. In. The. Supermarket. There are only two supermarkets where I live (owned by the same company), and they have had no stock of brown rice for over a week. Because not a lot of people eat brown rice, there's very little supply. So uh, that's the ulterior motive for writing this post. I'm going to advertise brown rice so more people will eat, and more people will sell. And I'll be happy! Because I really do want my brown rice!

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Under the Weather

I'm still sick. It's been 4 days already. It's technically just colds, but I have a hard time coping up with it. I feel tired, I can't smell anything, and my nose is clogged up all the time. At night I even feel chills. I'm not sure if this is what everyone feels if they have colds, or if it's just me because of my allergies aggravating everything.

I'm trying to drink lots of water, but what  I'm really finding helpful is taking in a lot of hot, spicy soup. You know how they say chicken soup is good for you when you're sick--it's really true! I'm not taking synthetic medicines, but my mom told me to take a couple of herbal supplements from Forever Living. My mom swears by their products, but they are a little bit expensive. I don't know if they are more or less effective than synthetic cold medicines, but at least I know they are good for me. I'm tempted to take antibiotics, but maybe that's unnecessary.

I tried to look for a fast cure of colds on the world wide web, but that doesn't seem to exist. I did find good advice on one forum, though:

Some of the problems when having colds are the package that it brings. Running Nose is one. Let it drip. In the first two days, its a clear liquid dripping anyway.

Second is headache. This may sometimes due to inflammed sinuses.

Third is malaise or in layman's term, body pains. This thing would really ruin your performance especially at work.

When your immune system is really fighting a tough colds virus, your body has sometimes the tendency to raise its temperature. One of our body's defense procedure against virus and bacterial attacks. When this happen, we end up having some fever.

Sometimes, if not often, colds end up as cough. The later is a different story and more threatening than colds itself. So don't let your colds turn you into much like of your neighbor's dog that barks all night long.

Water therapy. That helps a lot. I usually go for 1 liter every hour. Rest. Sometimes, we acquire colds virus because our immune system is low or weak. Cause of this? Many. But one major catalyst is stress.

Best medicine to relieve you of these... consult your doctor. Over the counter medicine is just fine but better if that would really come from a person who really knows about your health.

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It Pays To Check The Label

Nestle Philippines is obsessed with a line right now: "Make it a habit, it pays to check the label!" They have it on most of their commercials and keep on repeating it at the end of each. And boy, is it rubbing off on me! (See plurk, haha.) But you know what, they are absolutely right.

Very few Filipinos check labels. (And by labels here we--Nestle and I--mean the nutritional information on the package of different types of food and drinks.) I can see that every time I go grocery shopping. Heck, I'm the only person I know who takes too long staring at the back of cans, bottles, and boxes, sometimes even comparing various products side by side. Most people here only look at the front, and that can be very misleading!

I have not been looking at labels for a long time. I only started doing that at the beginning of this year, after I signed up on SparkPeople.com and got encouraged to start living a healthy lifestyle. And does it help! After reading labels, I don't get inclined to buy cookies and junk food anymore. Reading also helps you make the right choices between brands. I once found this enriched cereal that met daily requirements by 100% for different types of vitamins and minerals. Had I not read the label, I would have bought a product of lesser quality!

I'm happy that Nestle is taking the responsibility to nudge Filipinos in the right direction. We do need to be more aware of what we eat. We are a nation with one of the unhealthiest cuisines in the world! Just think--lechon, humba, dinuguan, chorizo, sisig, isaw, et cetera, et cetera! Isn't that scary? Yummy, I know, but way scary!

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