Magical Onions?

Photo courtesy of the2mortgageguys.com

It's the flu season again, and H1N1 is back! I remembered I read an article on how onion could ward off flu, which I've tucked safely into my "ToKeep" folder. So when both my kids and hubby were down with flu, cough and sore-throat, I quickly ran a hunt for it.

"In 1919. When the flu killed 40million people, there was this doctor that visited the farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.
The doctor came upon this one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy.
When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then).
The doctor couldn't believe it, and asked if he could have one of the onions, and place it under the microscope.
She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion.
It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore keeping the family healthy."

Here's another version from a hairdresser in Arizona...
" She said that several years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers. The next year, she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work . ."

Well, I don't know how true this is, but when I ran a quick google search, there are many supporting facts on the use of onions (and also garlics) to ward off flu. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

So, what have I to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!

 

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better.

If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.

 

If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office, or under your desk, or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens.

Hmm... maybe I could try asking my girl's school to try this? Would they think I'm insane?

And after reading this testimonial from someone who contributes material on health issues:  

"I don't know about the farmer's story, but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill.

I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion, put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar, placing the jar next to the sick patient at night.

It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs.

Sure enough, it happened just like that.

The onion was a mess, and I began to feel better."

Last night, I placed onions cut into two in two bowls, and placed them in the rooms. In the morning, I took a look at it, curious if they would turn black. They didn't. Maybe our germs are not that serious? Anyway, I did noticed that one of the onions place in hubby's room (he's more sick than the kids, so he's quarantined there) is slightly greyish than the one placed in the kids' room. I'm not sure if I'm bias, but I'll ask hubby for 2nd opinion tonight (since he's not aware that I placed onions in the rooms!). Or, can somebody lend me a miscroscope?

Anyway, the good news is, everyone is much better, though not completely cured yet, and I think I'm going to try this again tonight!

p/s: But then again, Hubby's already on antibiotics and he attributed his recovery is due to that...so I don't have concrete proof on this... I guess only time will tell, once they're fully recoverd and if I still practise this. Will see!

Chia, the Ancient-turned-New Superfood

I came to know about this superfood when my little SJ refused milk of any kind while I'm at work. Thanks to a breastfeeding mom who shared this with me, I could now get my hands on it and try it myself. The results are good, and I've been taking it since.

Chia seeds, which are also called the food of endurance (because messengers could run all day with these tiny seeds), were claimed to have:

- 2 times the protein of any other seed or grain,

- 5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones,

- 2 times the amount of potassium as bananas,

- 3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries

- 3 times more iron than spinach, which is needed to carry oxygen from the lungs into the muscle and organs

- copious amounts of omega-3 and omega-6, which are essential fatty acids

No wonder some even said we could live off it almost entirely! It's hard to imagine something so small, would have so much to offer. Due to its high amount of good fat, it manages to survive and thrive without any chemical interference. The bugs never touch it and so it needs absolutely no pesticides. Therefore, it's very safe for consumption.

Initially, I was looking for 'milk replacement', but then I found out that it's also rich in iron, which SJ is lacking too. She's just too pale! Wait, that's not all, chia seeds also has the highest content of omega-3, just above kiwi seeds, perilla and flax. Previously I turned to flax seed as an alternative source of omega-3, but now I realised that chia seed would be a better one instead. Why? Read here. 

What I like best is that it's so easy to prepare. Previously I need to blend the flax seed, store them in a dark container in the refrigerator so that it could last for about 2 weeks, and finished it in that timeframe. That's because flax seed need to be ground up to be digested properly. The shells of the chia seeds, on the the hand, are easily broken down, even when swallowed whole. Therefore, all I need to do is soak them in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes, so that it would expand and then we can eat it just like that. No refrigeration needed, and the seeds stay stable for much longer period without deterioration in flavour, odour or nutritional value, whereas flax, for example may turn rancid.

If I'm busy, I could just put a tablespoon of the chia seeds in my water bottle, shake it, and then bring it to work. I can drink it anytime, and the gel-like texture (which look like tiny dinasours' eggs) were so nice to chew on. Even my kids love them, as there's no additional smell. Basically it won't change the taste of the food, so they wouldn't even know if I didn't mention it to them. Unlike flax, when I sprinkle them on their porridge or rice, they could detect it's 'fishy' smell and push it away. The only way they could detect its presence is when I add them into their water bottle, because of its jelly-like texture.

Wanna know more about it? Read on in here and here.  

Oh yes, a word of caution though. This is not mentioned in the internet so far (or I haven't read about them yet) but it's better not to take it in hot condition. If you sprinkle them on the porridge, or your cereal, please do so when the food is not so hot or you wouldn't get 100% of its nutritional value.

And, one more thing. Due to the exceptional water-absorption quality of chia, it can help you prolong hydration and retain electrolytes, especially during exertion. However, I still think that we need to drink lots of water after taking them, because the seeds are so hydrophilic that if they do not find enough to absorb in the stomach, they will draw from the tissues instead. My personal experience? I do feel rather thirsty after taking it, so I'll naturally drink lots of water.

Well, you might think, this superfood would surely cost a hand and a leg, since it's so powerful. Surprisingly, it's not as expensive as I would have thought. Why? I just cost me ~RM60 for 300gm, which could last very long.

So Far and Yet So Close

The recent bombing incident in Russia on March 29 has jolted me back to reality. It happened on an early morning rush, out of expectation, by the least suspected people. It's yet another suicidal bombing, which took lots of lives, and injured many.

I would not have felt such a strong impact if my sister is not there. And I later learnt that there were rumours (because I did not know how true) that it was supposed to happen on the metro line that she normally rode. How another line got blasted instead was a pure coincidence. I shuddered at the mere thought of that. And I couldn't stop thanking God for protecting my sister and the Malaysian students studying there. It's a miracle how gut feelings could save lives, they were really very lucky.

Nonetheless, I was very sad to learn that things were not as mild as reported. Some things never got reported because not everyone was interviewed. And the actual situation was actually much worse than reported. Minor injury could mean with perforated ear drums. To me, that's not considered minor at all! But of course, I do understand that they were supposed to remain calm, so unnecessary alarm would make situation worse.

Are we approaching 2012 soon? Is it true that it would be the end of the world as prophesized by many? With so many natural disaster taking place (tsunami, flood, earth quake, etc), and man-made violence (snatch thief that no longer snatch and run, but snatch and kill, gang rape, terrorism, suicidal attack, etc) could that be signs that we should not ignore? A friend shared with me on a new age book that he read, which states that for human to survive past 2012 (assuming there is a disaster), is for everyone to be in harmony with nature, with the people. Only when everyone has the benefit of everyone in mind, not just their own, then only human can ascend to a more intelligent life form. That reminds me so much of Avatar. Everything is interconnected to each other, even the trees could connect with the people to create an equilibrium state.

If that is true, life would be much more beautiful and peaceful to live in. Don't you agree so? But till then, we would always live in fear and worry. Just as how I've spent sleepless nights worrying about my sister, whether there would be another bombing incident, or whether we should cancel our plans to attend her convocation, is it wise to bring the whole family along, etc. But then again, I guess I'll leave that to God, wouldn't life be much simpler so?

How Fairy Tales Really End

I've always wondered, do they really end with "...and they lived happily ever after." ?

What happened after the full stop? Then I got a forwarded mail from a friend, and I couldn't agree more! I think many mothers felt so much like a Snow White here.

What's her prince charming doing there? Watching soccer! Why are none of the kids tagging along with him, even though she has got both her hands full? Hmmm.....

I guess, that's life. Reality bites, don't you agree so? Our typical society expects the modern mom to assume full responsibility in caring for the family and managing the house chores, regardless of whether she's a full time housewife, or a full time working mom. Whether she wants to source it out (get a maid), or do it herself, that's up to her. The man of the house's role? A breadwinner. Full stop.

Of course I wouldn't deny that they are still many father out there who actually shared out the workload. If you are part of that family, I salute you. Congratulate yourself for being a lucky Snow White who married the right prince charming. For those of you who're still working towards that, don't give up. You're in the right direction!

Going Organic

When the word organic was mentioned, what springs to your mind? For me, it’s none other than food. Yes, foodstuffs grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones, eg organic rice, organic vegetables, organic chicken, etc. And this term slowly expands to other categories, such as organic skin care and organic clothing. Well, to sum it up, we’re more concerned about leading an organic lifestyle, which means, simple and healthful, yet close to nature.

Do you know that I've been organic crazy at one point of time? No, it's not to the extent of having everything organic, but I've been adding more organic content into my kids' food directory gradually. I've also tried ordering organic vegetables directly from the farm (oh yes, they deliver right to our doorstep!).

Before the unpacking

After

Surprisingly, they didn't look as fresh as I expected, but you know what? They tasted good! More juicy, and the trick is you would only notice this after you soak the roots in cold icy water.

Have you ever wondered, how could we ensure a continuous supply of organic end product? Just like the egg and chicken cycle, the process would start and stop with non other than organic-friendly products itself. Imagine, we need organic fertilizer to grow organic vegetables. And the residue from this end product (or called organic waste) could be turned into compost, and used to grow more organic vegetables. And the cycle continues.

I was surprised when I found out that we could actually make our own compost. Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic material such as leaves, grass clippings, twigs, fruit and vegetable trimmings into a dark, crumbly, sweet smelling soil conditioner. If you have a garden, you might probably be interested. Why? Because you not only save money by not having to buy soil conditioners and fertilizer, but you could help keep kitchen wastes out of the landfill, besides improving the fertility and health of your soil and able to grow more healthy and beautiful plants.

Well, even though anyone can compost, and it can be practiced by any homes, it still requires a delicate balance between all feedstock’s needing a trained expert and constant monitoring to maintain that balance. Is there an easier alternative? Yes, that’s when N-Viro comes into the picture. It’s amazing how this N-Viro process could efficiently transform organic waste products into beneficial reuse products. And the best of all does not end just there. Besides organic waste, it could also generate alternative energy through their patented processes by converting waste to energy. Isn't that incredicle?

I'm sure many people are still not aware of this good idea, where renewable energy could be generated by none other than our daily bio-organic wastes, or even the waste water sludge! By just using lime and/or mineral-rich,combustion byproducts, we could get opportunity fuels. An opportunity fuel is any type of fuel that is not widely used, but has the potential to be an economically viable source of power generation. Typically, it's unconventional, and usually derived from some sort of waste or byproduct. Which is exactly how the N-Viro Fuel work.

N-Viro Fuel is manufactured from a variety of organic wastes by blending the waste material with one or more mineral by-products and drying the mixture. The resulting product, N-Viro Fuel, is blended with coal or petroleum coke and burned as a coal substitute in coal-fired power plants. The end-result? A similar, yet clean coal equivalent.

Well, with its technology venture into the soil and fuel area, N-Viro does not stop just there. Want to know more? Check it out!

I’m sure with this new technology, not only organic farming could be done in a larger scale where we could all continue to enjoy the longed-for organic lifestyle without much worries, our world would also be a better place to live in.



Go Organic!