Healthy food, healthy lifestyle, healthy me :)

Healthy food quotes - Rimareyka.writes

I did not know when it started. Perhaps after being diagnosed with SLE almost 15 years ago, with regular visits to the hospital for blood/urine tests, consultations with doctor, accompanied my parents for their regular body check up, made me realized how important good health was, especially when we grew older.

We all knew that wealth was not something that we should take for granted. Chronic diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and by having high cholesterol level, obesity, smoking habits, over consumption of alcohol, and so on, could lead to cardiovascular or heart disease and stroke. 

It was uncommon to hear many people in their late 30s or early 40s were getting stroke, cancer and heart disease. Many were even died because of that. It was not like before, that those diseases were only attacking people in their 50s and above. High stress level, pressures, expectations, competitions, lack of exercises added into it. 

"We are what we eat." - Rimareyka.writes

I was sure you must have heard of the above quote as well. It was not just important, but very very very and very important!!! 

I loved food, super loved food. I was born in Indonesia, so we were pampered with so many kind of delicious food. I studied in few different countries for few years and now lived in Singapore for more than half of my life now. Travelling too had exposed me to taste and love so many kind of food. However, since few years ago, my food intake had gradually changed, especially after started working.

In the morning, after waking up, I made a big cup of fruit and sometimes, mixed with vegetable juice. Apple and tomatoes, banana and blueberries, celeries and tomatoes, apple and carrots, apple and celeries, kiwi and cucumber, pineapple and orange, and lately, added in kale, the superfood, with my apple, cucumber and lemon juice. (Fruits chosen would depend on the season, but most common one would be apple since the quote "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away" must be there for a reason. 

Kale article (Source: The Sunday Times July 20, 2014)

I was very lucky being able to find fresh 'kale' in the supermarket nearby my house and sometimes nearby my working place, as it was not a common vegetable to be found in Singapore. The one that I usually bought - fresh bunch of green curly kale - was grown and imported from Australia.

I found the above article at the shopfront nearby where I took my language course. The article was from ten years ago. Even since before, it had become famous due to its healthy contents.

"Kale is a nutritious food rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. It also contains nutrients that can support eye health, weight management, heart health, and more." - healthline.com

It did not taste good when eaten raw. That was why I always added it into my fruit juice mixture. Much better to consume that way.

How to make Kale Salad (Source: Love and Lemons.com)

In case you wanted to eat as salad, the above information would be very useful for first-timer. 

How would you pick out the best bunch of kale? The leaves and stalks should be dark green with small- to medium-sized leaves free of any yellowing or browning. Kale leaves should be firm and dry, not wilted and mushy.

I recommended this highly to everyone and hoped that you too could benefit from it.

I had quick breakfast after reaching office. A piece of avocado and a cup of black coffee. Sometimes, I added in banana, peach, nectarine, plum, kiwi, or any other fruits to increase my immune level - to prevent flu or cough, and so on. (Fyi, I used to eat supplements such as Vitamin C, lutein, bilberry eye support, but stopped it and replaced them with fresh fruit/vegetables as eating them too much might not good for kidney).

I brought my own lunch most days (at least 4 days per week). Expensive lunch costs at the area where I worked was only one of the reasons. Too heavy meals - too much carbohydrates, too salty, too oily, too much coconut milk, were the main reasons. 

My lunch content was the organic raw oatmeal, chia seeds soaked overnight with soybean milk with no sugar (used to added with fresh milk but after learning about the content, I changed it to soybean milk), added with a piece of dried prune, some nuts (used to add pecan but now changed to walnut and almond), and sometimes fruits (blueberries or banana).

After work, I would eat at home, my mother-in-law home-cooked meals, usually without rice or very less rice. Stir-fried vegetables, fish (steamed or deep fried), sometimes chicken or pork, sometimes prawns or sotong (cuttlefish), and soup. The only thing I could not stop yet was nibbling snacks and sipping beer or any other type of alcohol drinks while watching TV. But I did my best to lessen the portion (and many times failed), hahaha....

Blue sky - perfect weather for some exercise!!!

And with the free exercise programs given by the government, read here, I signed up two Zumba classes held nearby my house each week and one Nirvana Fitness or Pilate session nearby my office. I wanted to have both but could not as it clashed with each other and with my language class. So for now, just be active with these activities first.

It did not help me with losing weight because it was not enough and I still loved eating and ate anyhow during weekend and holiday time, but.... with the eating habits that I mentioned above, it had helped me decreasing my cholesterol level, from the recent health screening that I took freely organized by Get Fit 2024. Perhaps I would blog about it next time.

Yes, it lowered my cholesterol level. In the past, my cholesterol levels were always in borderline high. That was why I was happy and surprised when I received my blood test result. It had been 5 years since the last time I checked (before Covid). The blood pressure, glucose level, and cholesterol level were all normal. The only thing that I had to change was the BMI. It was borderline high. I had to lose at least 5 kg of body weight. Blamed it to the aging and slow metabolism (plus unhealthy snack, tidbits, beer, liquor, etc. etc. etc.) hahahaha....

I was not as hardcore as others to really train their fitness and build muscles. For now, let me maintain the healthy eating habit and have regular exercises, not forgetting to be mindful of what is going on in my mind - to be peaceful and at ease, maintain positivity in every aspect of life, live, love and laugh more, and have good relationship with everyone. 

I hope with this post, you would pick a thing or two to implement into your daily life (only the good ones, of course, hehehe...) and more conscious, care, and love about yourself (your body, mind and soul), and most importantly be grateful and happy with your life. I wish you all the very best in everything that you do. Cheers..... :)