Kesan Minum Minyak Zaitun Setiap Hari

Tak ingat bila tapi rasanya dalam minggu lepas atau 2-3 minggu lepas. Tertonton satu video pendek (short) di Youtube. Rasanya... orang Korea. Ingat-ingat lupa la. Tapi, apa yang disampaikan ialah dia ikut nenek dia minum satu sudu minyak zaitun dan lemon setiap hari untuk kulit lawa.

Hikari ni kulit boleh la. Sejak kecil memang jenis tak jaga apa. Sapu krim? Makan ubat apa-apa?  Tak ada. Bersolek? Jauh sekali, tak rajin eh. Lagipun, Hikari rasa muka Hikari tak ada apa solekan pun dah lawa. Jadi buat apa bersolek? Apabila tak bersolek, maka tak ada la keperluan nak beli apa-apa pencuci muka ka apa. Selama ni pakai sabun mandi biasa ja apabila perlu.

Tapi itu lah... apabila dah makin meningkat usia, sekarang nak dekat 40-an ni, kesihatan dah tak sebaik dulu. Macam-macam masalah kulit mula dirasai. Dulu, jarang-jarang la nak jerawat. Kalau mai je jerawat, tau dah nak mai bulan. Sekarang? Aik, awat sat-sat mai jerawat, sat-sat mai jerawat? Lepas tu kulit makin kering sampai ada bahagian dah macam kena kelemumur tapi di muka, bukan kepala. Oh, dan, liang roma besar. 

Apa yang berubah?

Mungkin sebab sekarang dah kurang aktif. Mungkin sekarang dah tak pelbagai jenis makanan macam dulu. Mungkin sekarang dah tak banyak makan buah macam dulu. Entah la.

Tapi masalah kulit tetap perlu dihadapi. Maka kita cari la jawapan di Youtube, menumpang ilmu dari mereka-mereka yang rajin jaga muka dan kulit.

Jadi bertambah pula masalah. Setiap kali buka, macam-macam produk mereka pakai. Gila! Setiap kali tengok video jaga kulit dan muka, mesti lepas tu rasa macam nak putus asa. Contoh, eh.... tengok video yang ni.. (Alamat: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1dqkG4LVELA)

Untuk masalah Liang Roma Besar ("Large Pores"), pakai Asid Salisilik ("Salicylic Acid").

Untuk masalah Bintik Putih ("Closed Comedones" atau "Whiteheads"), pakai Adapalene.

Untuk masalah Tompok Kulit Gelap ("Hyperpigmentation"), pakai Asid Azelaik ("Azelaic Acid").

Untuk masalah Rambut Tumbuh Bawah Kulit ("Ingrown Hair"), pakai Asid Glikolik ("Glycolic Acid").

Untuk masalah Kulit Seperti Kulit Ayam Selepas Dicabut Bulu ("Kerotosis Pilaris" atau "Chicken Skin"), pakai Krim Urea ("Urea Cream").

Untuk masalah Kulit Kedut ("Wrinkles"), pakai Retinol.

Hikari macam... oooooiiiii! Hikari faham... lain penyakit, lain ubatnya, tapi..... aughhhh!

Sakit otak oi. Dan.... sakit dompet juga la kalau betul ikut panduan-panduan lagu tu... nasib baik, satu hari tu terjumpa satu video. 

Petua dia mudah je. Minum satu sudu minyak zaitun campur lemon. Itu je. 

Maka Hikari pun cuba la sebab mudah. Minyak zaitun memang dah ada kat rumah, beli tak pakai-pakai. 

Selama ni buat hiasan je. Dah ada tu, elok la cuba. Sekurang-kurangnya tak membazir. Lemon... hm... tak ada tapi Google kata ada je orang amalkan minum minyak zaitun je. Jadi, tak yah la membazir beli lemon tu. Lagi pun, lebih kepada untuk rasa je. Yang penting minyak zaitun tu.

Oh, ya... Minyak zaitun tu banyak yang kata mesti Minyak Zaitun Sangat Dara (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Amboi nama... Minyak zaitun ni macam-macam jenis. Yang terkenal untuk diminum untuk tujuan kesihatan ni ialah Minyak Zaitun Sangat Dara. Beza dia dengan Minyak Zaitun Dara (Virgin Olive Oil) ni cuma dari segi mutu buah zaitun tu ja. Cara buat dia macam sama ja, kalau baca secara umum la. Tak tau betul ke tak. Apa pun, selalunya Minyak Zaitun Sangat Dara ni orang ambil macam tu ja, orang tak guna untuk masak, sebab ia tak tahan suhu tinggi.

Untuk bacaan tambahan:
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/difference-between-pure-virgin-extra-virgin-light-olive-oil/
https://carapelli.com/whats-the-difference-between-virgin-vs-extra-virgin-olive-oil/)

Kadang-kadang, Hikari minum terus macam tu je. Kadang-kadang, tuang atas masakan lepas masak. Contoh, buat sambal telur. Apabila dah sejuk sikit, Hikari tuang satu sudu minyak zaitun atas dia dan gaul. Bukan apa... minyak zaitun tu, bila makan macam tu saja, tak sedap! Kadang-kadang, Hikari minum minyak zaitun tu, campur dengan cuka epal. Rasa sedap sikit daripada dimakan saja tapi... secara umumnya... masih tak sedap tapi jauh lebih sedap daripada minum minyak zaitun macam tu je. Tapi itu la, kena tambah air sikit, baru tak tajam sangat masam dia. Pendek kata, makan la minyak zaitun tu macam mana pun, asalkan satu sudu sehari.

Hasilnya?

Wah, tabik! Betul apa mereka kata. Rasa dah hampir seminggu ke atau dah lebih. Kulit Hikari memang makin halus dan kurang masalah sekarang ni. Maka, cuba la, kalau ada masalah lebih kurang sama macam Hikari.

Tapi kalau ikut, minyak zaitun ni banyak kebaikannya selain untuk kulit elok. Boleh cari sendiri lah apa kesan kalau minum sekurang-kurangnya satu sudu besar minyak zaitun setiap hari. Antara kebaikannya adalah untuk melegakan masalah sembelit, mengurangkan kemungkinan sakit jantung, dan mencegah barah usus besar.

Untuk maklumat tambahan:
https://www.hmetro.com.my/sihat/2022/01/802948/amalkan-minum-minyak-zaitun
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nKr7p-sdvgY (Kesan Minum Minyak Zaitun Setiap Hari)

Nak beli minyak zaitun, tak susah. Merata-rata ada dijual di Malaysia. Paling senang dan selamat,  beli di farmasi lah. Atau, kedai-kedai yang jual barang-barang untuk keperluan orang Islam. Tapi, kalau di Pulau Pinang, di pasar malam pun ada nampak orang jual. Di pasaraya besar Mydin pun pernah nampak.

Jadi, cubalah. Selamat mencuba!

Kenapa salahkan Syam Iz semata-mata? Restoran Al-Ehsan pun salah juga!

Baru-baru ni kecoh apabila Syam Iz kongsi maklumat berkenaan Restoran Al-Ehsan konon menggunakan babi sebagai bahan masakan. Sekarang ni Restoran Al-Ehsan dah balas balik menafikan dakwaan tersebut. Lepas tu ramai yang komen terlajak suci di Facebook mengutuk Syam Iz lebih-lebih. Nasib baik masih ada yang waras.

P/S: Kalau ada komen-komen anda di sini, tak payah terasa. Saya dah buang nama anda. Cuma jadikan pengajaran ye lain kali sebelum nak berlagak macam malaikat tapi mulut !@#$%%.

Contoh komen negatif:

1. Yang tak ada ilmu 'culinary' (masakan) tu better (lebih baik) diam.. 'bacon' tu banyak maksud.. tak semestinye 'bacon' je babi.
2. Pemahaman kepada apa itu 'BACON'. Kekeliruan inilah yang perlu dirungkaikan. 'Bacon' adalah daging yg dikisar dan disalai. Seperti juga 'Smoke Sausage'. 'Bacon' tak semestinya daging babi.... orang yang buat report (aduan) ni sebenarnya mempunyai tahap pengetahuan yang rendah. Tak pernah masuk hotel 5 bintang dan tak pernah ambil tahu perkembangan dunia....
3. Bapak bangang la 'beef bacon' pun tak boleh nak fikir logik ke ada babi ke tidak. 'Bacon' tu memang originally (asalnya) made (dibuat) from (daripada) pig (babi) tapi kalau dah letak 'beef' (daging lembu) di depan dia takkan la ada babi. 'For your information' (untuk makluman anda) 'it's bacon style' (ini daging gaya 'bacon'), hiris nipis-nipis dan dibungkus macam tu. Lagi satu, aku rasa mamak-mamak 'impossible' (mustahil) la nak kasi orang makan babi, entah-entah lagi kuat agama dari 'keyboard warriors' (wira papan kekunci) yang sebenarnya Google je lebih tapi sel otak tak berhubung.
4. Pergi la sekali sekala tengok negara orang... jangan duduk dalam tempayan sendiri.... dekat negara yang berstatus Islam ada 'turkey bacon' (hirisan ayam belanda)!!!! Pergi la viral kan (hebahkan) pula!!!!!! Inilah dia bila orang tak pernah campur dengan orang luar... asyik dengar cakap orang lepas tu ikut... dan tahu hujung pangkal.. terus je nak 'aim' (tembak)!!!!!!! Biskut la mamat tu!!!!!!
5. Itu la masa sekolah malas. 'Bacon' pun tak tahu maksud!!!

Contoh komen yang rasional:

1. 'Bacon in its original meaning' (Bacon dalam makna asal) memanglah babi. Begitu juga 'ham'. Kalau dalam menu hotel dia letak 'bacon' saja (bukan 'beef bacon') atau 'ham' (bukan 'turkey ham') jadi, itu memanglah babi jawabnya. Dalam kes 'shopping list' (senarai barang yang nak dibeli) ni pulak, pekerja yang buat 'list' (senarai) tu mestilah dah tau apa 'bacon' yang diguna di kedainya, 'so' (jadi) tak perlu nak tulis '"beef" bacon'. tapi malangnya pula yang pergi beli jenis tak faham dan tak tau... itu lah masalah nya, betul juga kut2 dia terambik/beli 'bacon original' (hirisan daging babi). orang yang 'post' (kongsi maklumat) pasal ni ambil berat sebenarnya tapi sebaik2nya lain kali siasat betul2 dulu...
2. Pekerja dia tukang beli je. Kalau dia tunjuk orang kedai "BACON" risau orang kedai bagi 'BACON'.. Bukan 'BEEF BACON'. Dah dia sendiri tulis 'BACON' sahaja. Jangan salahkan Syam Iz. Kecuaian macam ni boleh mengundang salah faham.. dan kesilapan dalam pembelian. Kalau Syam Iz tak tegur.. sampai bila-bila 'note' (catatan) tu akan tulis 'BACON' sahaja. Silap-silap boleh termakan lah kita 'BACON'.. BUKAN 'BEEF BACON'
3. Penulis tadi cuma ambil berat. Kalau pekerja India tu pergi di pasar cina. Bagi kat 'tauke' (pemilik) / pekerja Cina pasar tu 'list' (senarai) tu. Pasti dia akan ambil 'bacon' babi. Tak ada pun jual 'beef bacon' di sana. 'Beef bacon' (hirisan daging lembu) ni bukan semua kedai ada. Kalau di Giant tu ada la. Keluaran bumiputeta pun ada. Contoh Ramly. Ada yang dah dihiris nipis-nipis. Atau yang sebuku. (Bacon: daging yang disalai dengan api yang perlahan/asap. Dengan masa yang agak lama)
4. Tak perlu 'condemn' (mengutuk) orang yang 'post' (kongsi) pasal 'bacon' tu.. Bukan dia sengaja nak burukkan Restoran Al-Ehsan.. Dia prihatin.. Dia tak nak Orang Islam terperdaya jika betul guna 'bacon'.. pemilik FB buat macam tu untuk kita berhati-hati.. kalau orang lain pun baca perkataan "BACON".. mesti akan fikir oink oink.. 'that's why' (sebab itulah) kena tulis betul2.. 'BEEF BACON'..
5. Lain kali tulis le 'beef bacon' (hirisan daging lembu salai) ...al-maklumlah, kalau 'bacon' (hirisan daging babi salai) je menjurus kepada 'bacon' babi..sebab orang putih tak sebut 'pork bacon'

Dari satu segi memang betullah Syam Iz dah tersilap tuduh Restoran Al-Ehsan tu. Tapi yang komen terlajak suci tu apahal pula? Tuduh orang cetek pengetahuan la, busuk hati la, saja memfitnah la, macam-macam tapi apabila saya baca komen mereka, jelas mereka sebenarnya 2x5 je, tengok sekali lalu terus tembak. Lagi teruk berbanding Syam Iz sebab sekurang-kurangnya dia memang ada bukti untuk menyokong tuduhan dia walaupun ini kes salah faham sahaja. Tapi orang yang mengutuk lebih-lebih tu? Mengutuk je pandai, baca malas!

Kalau baca artikel asal tu, dalam catatan yang pekerja tu pegang, memang terang-terang ditulis di situ, BACON, bukan BEEF BACON ya. Syam Iz pun dah beritahu dalam artikel asal tu yang dia tahu 'bacon' ni tak semestinya babi. Tapi ada 2 isu di sini...

1. Kalau bos tu terang kepada pekerja dia 'bacon' jenis apa kena beli tak apalah juga, tapi dalam kes ni pekerja tu tak tahu 'bacon' tu apa, siap main tunjuk-tunjuk je kepada penjual. Kalau la pekerja tu tak pergi beli kat pengadu ni, beli kat kedai orang yang belum masuk Islam, agak-agak 'bacon' jenis apa yang dia dapat tambah-tambah lagi kalau kat situ ada 'bacon' yang dibuat daripada babi je?
2. Bila Syam Iz tanya balik daging apa yang digunakan di restoran tu untuk kepastian (masih bersangka baik waktu tu), pekerja tu jawab TAK TAHU O_o Mak ai... kalau orang bagi babi suruh pekerja tu masak mesti dia masak tanpa rasa bersalah sebab dia tak tahu tu daging babi dan tak minat nak ambil tahu pun. Teruk betul.

Tapi masih ada yang cuba mempertahankan pekerja tu semata-mata kerana dia ada sebut daging tu digunakan untuk 'Chicken Chop'. Beb... kalau daging ayam pun dia tak kenal, kau pasti ke dia guna daging ayam untuk masak 'Chicken Chop' tu? Kalau bagi arahan kepada orang lurus bendul macam ni, kau suruh dia jalan lurus, dia akan jalan lurus sampai nampak longkang pun dia teruskan berjalan sehingga terjatuh ke dalam longkang.

Mungkin betul bos tu sebenarnya nak suruh dia beli 'beef/chicken bacon' tapi bos tu cuai tulis 'bacon' je ingatkan pekerja tu tahu 'bacon' jenis apa yang dia maksudkan. Cuba kalau dia tersilap beli hirisan daging salai babi, sampai restoran terus masak bos tak sempat semak? Apa kau nak kata? Nak tak nak kau kena mengakui yang pekerja dan pengusaha restoran tersebut pun salah juga sebab cuai sehingga menimbulkan keraguan kepada orang ramai. TITIK.

Saya rasa ramai yang dah maklum kot yang banyak orang India buka restoran makan menipu berlakon sebagai mamak Muslim semata-mata nak kaut keuntungan. Kemudian sekarang ni dah ramai orang Islam yang semakin liberal sehingga sebelum ni pernah kecoh orang Melayu Islam dengan selambanya tanpa rasa bersalah makan bihun sup babi (kalau tak silap). Jadi bila berada dalam situasi macam Syam Iz ni, agak-agak apa yang kau akan rasa? Mesti was-was yang teramat juga, kan? Sebab tu la bab mengata orang lain ni memang senang beb, tapi cuba kalau kau sendiri mengalaminya, silap-silap 2x5 je macam Syam Iz buat kongsi di Facebook atau lebih teruk.

Tapi jangan salah faham, Hikari cuma tak setuju dengan perbuatan orang-orang yang perasan suci tu. Hikari tak kata pun yang Hikari setuju atau sokong 100% tindakan Syam Iz. Malah Hikari sebenarnya rasa serba-salah sama ada nak sokong atau tidak walaupun secara umumnya Hikari amat menghargai usaha Syam Iz. Bukan sebab apa, Hikari sendiri pun tak pasti tindakan yang sepatutnya diambil dalam situasi macam ni.

Katakan korang berada di tempat Syam Iz. Korang tanya terus dengan pemilik restoran tu dan pemilik restoran tu kata tidak, mereka tak guna daging babi dalam masakan. Agak-agak, korang percaya tak? Yelah, ada ke orang jahat yang nak mengaku dia buat salah? Yang dah bertaubat tu lain cerita la, ni yang masih jahat ni. Tambah-tambah lagi sekarang ni banyak orang bukan Islam menyamar macam orang Islam dalam industri makanan semata-mata untuk kaut keuntungan. Ikut logik memang la nak bersangka baik tapi dalam hati? Perasaan ragu-ragu yang melampau tu agak-agak boleh hilang tak?

Adakah lebih baik kalau kita buat laporan polis je? Kita tak terus tuduh cuma sebab ada keraguan, kita nak minta pihak polis tolong buatkan siasatan untuk kita. Tapi siasatan polis ambil masa yang lama, kan? Adakah kita tak rasa bersalah tunggu lama-lama sementara orang Islam yang lain termakan makanan haram? Hmm... Tapi memfitnah tu jauh lebih teruk jadi tindakan ini mungkin lebih baik untuk kita :/

Apa-apa pun Hikari dah baca jawapan balas pemilik restoran tu. Mereka kata mereka sediakan makanan yang halal sahaja tapi dalam masa yang sama mereka tak jawab langsung dakwaan Syam Iz. Syam Iz komen pasal perkataan 'bacon' tapi Restoran Al-Ehsan tu jawab pasal perkataan 'pkt' yang merupakan singkatan kepada paket nampak macam 'pig'. Lari topik sebab salah faham je ke atau memang nak mengelirukan orang Islam, Wallahualam.

Tapi apa yang pasti, kes-kes yang meloyakan macam ni menguatkan lagi semangat Hikari untuk berhenti makan luar. Sekarang pun dah jarang makan luar tapi Insyaallah lepas ni nak berhenti terus makan luar. Malas la nak pening-pening kepala risau apa yang dimakan tambah sakit hati apabila kena bayar mahal ~_~

Pertama Kali Makan Buah Jentik

Ahad lepas ternampak buah yang rupanya macam buah Mata Kucing tapi kecil. Mak saja pergi tanya penjual, penjual tu kata tu buah Jentik. Mak pun, "Oooo". Saya ingatkan mak dengan penjual tu tengah melawak. Lepas tu mak tanya saya, nak beli? Nanti kalau nak makan, kena jentik buah ni. Saya masih ingat mak sedang melawak. Sebab saya tak pernah rasa, kami beli 1 ikat. RM3 harganya.

Apabila tiba waktu makan, barulah tahu rupanya memang betul buah ni apabila dijentik memang akan terbuka. Saya tak berapa pandai menjentik jadi kebanyakan masanya saya cuma picit buah tu macam picit buah manggis tapi picit dengan perlahan la atau tarik je ke bawah perlahan-lahan. Kulitnya agak tebal tapi dengan senang akan terbuka.

Kalau sekali tengok isi buah Jentik, ingatkan macam kismis, tak ada biji. Rupanya kebanyakan buah ni ada biji besar di dalam. Apabila digigit atau dihisap dengan kuat, kulit nipis isi buah ni akan terkoyak dengan mudah dan jus di dalam akan tertumpah keluar. Rasa macam tengah minum jus limau manis-manis masam yang sedap, tak rasa macam tengah makan buah langsung. Lepas makan banyak buah Jentik, mulut rasa kesat sikit. Apa pun saya masih suka makan buah ni. Laju je saya habiskan :D

Mak tak suka buah ni. Renyah katanya. Makan pun tak kenyang. Tapi biji buah, mak ambil untuk jadikan benih sebab mak suka menanam. Harap-harap lepas ni boleh makan buah Jentik hasil tanaman mak pula. Amin :)

Chives and Garlic Chives

I didn't know they are considered as two different plants. I thought Chives is just the shorten name of Garlic Chives.

Source:
http://www.growingherbsforbeginners.com/chives-and-garlic-chives/

I know in Malay one or both of them are called Kucai. But, I couldn't tell if we have different names for Chives and Garlic Chives. According to the writer of WARNA-WARNI KEHIDUPAN blog though, we call both of them as Kucai but the one we usually use in Malaysia is Allium tuberosum (Garlic Chives).

Source:
http://warnanikehidupan.blogspot.com/2012/03/kuchai.html

Garlic Chives

Cut Garlic Chives ready to be cooked

Images source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_chives

My mom love to use Kucai in her Cucur recipes :)

A variation of simple Cucur recipes:
http://www.myresipi.com/top/detail/10221

Perangai Buruk Suka Makan Tak Habis

Saya tak suka makan luar. Salah satu sebab utamanya, susah nak kawal makan. Semua sedap-sedap belaka. Tapi kalau makan luar, kalau saya pergi dengan mak atau/dan mak cik (Acik dan Anyah), semua makanan yang kami pesan, 9.9 daripada 10 kali makan, mesti habis. Tak membazir :P (pelahap muahaha pokai korang kalau belanja kami makan hari-hari)

Kami memang daripada kecil dah dibiasakan dengan tabiat mesti habiskan apa yang diambil. Kalau tak habiskan, mesti kena marah sebab bazirkan rezeki yang dah diberi. Jadi bila dah terbiasa macam tu, bila makan luar dengan orang lain, selalunya mesti ada sikit perasaan tak seronok sebab ada je orang yang tak habiskan makanan dan minuman yang dah dibeli.

Alasan yang diberikan?

1. Tak larat la nak habiskan.

Aik, waktu pesan tu tak fikir ke mampu habiskan atau tidak? Kalau selalunya mampu habiskan 1 pinggan kecil je, jangan la tiba-tiba perasan boleh habiskan 1 pinggan besar. Air 1 liter takkan muat dalam botol air saiz 250ml. Tak kisah la kalau rasa lapar macam mana sekalipun, saiz perut takkan berubah secara tiba-tiba.

2. Tak sedap.

Ok... alasan ni boleh diterima. Kita tak tahu makanan tu sedap ke tidak selagi belum makan. Kalau paksa juga makan, lepas tu muntah, sama je macam tak makan tapi lebih teruk sebab menyakitkan.

3. Tak suka xxx (contoh: sayur).

Ek eleh, dah tahu tak suka, yang pergi ambil juga kenapa? Pandai-pandai la tapis dengan senduk supaya tak terambil apa-apa yang tak disukai. Tapi kalau beli jenis set atau pakej, memang tak boleh nak kata apa la sebab apa yang ada dalam tu bukan bawah kawalan kita 100%.

Tapi itulah... Tak kisah apa pun alasan yang diberikan, kesannya tetap rasa tak berapa seronok di hati. Kalau bungkus lebihan tu untuk dimakan kemudian, tak apa la juga. Tapi selalunya? Memang buang macam tu saja, kan? Kasihan makanan tu....

Potato

In Malay, it's called Ubi Kentang. I really like to eat boiled potato with soy sauce, chilli sauce, mayonnaise, butter, salt or just eat it like that ^_^ It tastes good either way.

Image Credit: wikipedia.org

Mmmm... now, I'm hungry.

Jicama

Photo Source: www.defeatdiabetes.org

Jicama is known as Ubi Sengkuang in Malay/Malaysia (source: Wikipedia).

But I don't think I've ever heard people call it UBI Sengkuang, just Sengkuang.

In Indonesia, it is known as Bengkuang (source: Wikipedia).

Photo Source: syeida.blogspot.com

Malaysian usually eat it raw as finger food dipped in Kuah Rojak :)

Raw Food Combining Secret

I tried the Detox Diet without having all the details. I supposed it is rather different reading a book than reading a whole website.

It's not a bad experience but I wished I had found Raw Energy Food Combining Diet by Leslie Kenton a lot sooner. For once it made sense why I should and shouldn't eat certain things or when it's just a case of bad combination.

Here's the book summary written on its back cover:
Food combining is a smart way to shed unwanted fat without counting one calorie. It is also a way of living that will prevent premature aging, illness and fatigue. Containing an outline of suggested menus to get your started, Raw Energy Food Combining Diet is packed with hundreds of mouthwatering recipes - including fabulous fruits and seeds to super salads, soups and vegetables - from which to choose your meals every day of the week. Not just a weight-loss diet, Raw Energy Food Combining Diet will make you feel more alive than ever before. It is easy:

• Don't mix foods that fight
• Eat only fruits for breakfast
• Go for the water margin
• Get into living food
• Eat all you want

The book doesn't use technical or scientific jargon and explain everything in the simplest way possible which is fine for people like me.

Still it's a little bit too much information for me to get at once. I've finished reading it (though I skipped most of the recipes) but I feel like I need to read it again and again to really get it.

You can read some of the book's extract here:
http://www.lesliekenton.com/activebar/booksvideostapes/Books/Raw%20Energy%20Food%20Combining%20.htm

Anyway for now, what I understand is:

• Fruits should be eaten alone.
• Melon fruits should not be mixed with other fruits.
• Breakfast should be fruits based only.
• After eating fruits, wait 30 minutes before eating anything else.
• Bananas, dates and dried fruits however stay longer in the body. Wait for at least 45 minutes before eating anything else.
• To lose weight, steer clear of dried fruits until all the excess weight has been shed.
• People who are not used to eating fruits might experience bloating and wind for 1-2 days. If the symptoms persist, consult a qualified nutritionist or doctor trained in nutrition.
• Living food as sprouts, fruits and vegetables have special properties in their water content that really helps body to digest food
• Protein and starch based food should never be mixed together because the enzymes needed to break them down is way too different
• Wait 4-5 hours between protein and starch meals
• Don't overeat, or under eat. Just eat until satisfied.
• Want more? Read it!

Aww, I don't wanna give this book back to the library.. Can I just keep it to myself? Tehe.... :P

PS: This book explains why my Muslim friends said milk mixed with almond / any nut is good, milk mixed with dates is good but milk mixed with carrot is not so good. I asked my friends why is that so but none of them have the answer.

How to make homemade yogurt and yogurt starter?

Yogurt belongs in those 'is it really raw or not' question. I'm sure there are a lot of ways to make yogurt but this is a very easy homemade yogurt recipe I got from my mom.

Ingredients

1. Yogurt starter - Leftover from commercial yogurt
2. Milk

Instructions

1. Add milk to the leftover yogurt.
2. Leave it overnight at room temperature.
3. And.. that's it! It's done!

Very easy, right? But I wonder how the commercial yogurt is made. It's quite frustrating really. I can't believe there are a lot of guides on how to make yogurt at home but none of them include any explanation of what yogurt starter are made of and how it is really made. It's like they don't even care and automatically label it as raw!

I tried asking my mom just now and she got annoyed at me.

You want to go to Kuala Lumpur from Pulau Pinang. The car is already there to bring you to Kuala Lumpur on the spot... If you want to go to Kuala Lumpur now, why do you have to care of how the car is made of right now? Think about it slowly later!

But mom.... how would I know if it's really raw if I don't know where it come from and how it comes to exist? Of course, I didn't voice it to her because she doesn't know how to make it anyway. So I went back prowling on the internet. The answers were.. uh, enlightening.. and weird...

1) By jilly123 on chowhound.chow.com *I like this answer! The easiest too!
i use raw organic goat milk and just leave it on my counter for a few days. granted, it's not creamy like how we are used to it in the stores, but it's yogurt.

2) By wyersmd on chowhound.chow.com *the weirdest answer
Nobody here is going to believe this, but the only way that I know of to make yogurt without a yogurt starter is with -
ants.
You are guffawing now, or at least chortling - maybe snorting perhaps in disbelief: "Yeah right buddy, you're pullin my leg. Ants, what a load of crock!"
Let me explain.
I am an American living in Turkey (as a translator), where yogurt is a daily staple. I got curious one day and started asking my Turkish friends here how the original yogurt starter was made, and was met with blank looks. Chicken and egg story, right? Yogurt comes from - well, yogurt, naturally.
So a Turkish friend and I went online one night, bent on solving this mystery: where the hell do those bacteria come from and where can I get them?
Well friends, the answer is right in your backyard.
There are two ways to get the bacteria, that we found; one, using the soil from an anthill, or using crushed ant eggs.
I cannot vouch however for American ants, I don't know if they carry the same bacteria as ants in Turkey (I am not a biologist, I am a translator and a university academic). But the situation is this:
as with regular yogurt making, where you add a pre-existing yogurt culture to milk, you have to heat the milk (a jar's worth). Then, you add the mashed up ant eggs (about 30 eggs will do), or a good pinch of soil from an ant hill. Seal and bundle up, so that the bacteria stay cozy and get to work on reproducing. After a day, open up and there will be a medley of liquid (kind of a whey) and white solids. The white solid, which looks a bit like feta cheese, is your starter.
Again heat your milk in a clean container, and this time add a tablespoon-size lump of the starter, and shake or stir a bit. Then seal, wrap and let sit for about 4 to 6 hours. Upon opening, you will find that you have yogurt. Made from ants. You can terrify your friends with this.
According to the Turkish web pages we found, the best-tasting yogurt comes from anthill soil.
I am pasting below a link to a video. It is in Turkish, so find a Turkish friend to help you work through it. But even if you can't speak Turkish, just watch along and you can pick up on what's going on:

http://www.annemmutfakta.tv/video/hulya-erol/evde-gida/arastirma-karinca-yumurtasindan-yogurt-mayalamak/index.html

I am pasting below another link, which is a text web page which details a study which arrived at the same results. It is also in Turkish, so find a translator:

http://www.ekoses.com/ekolojikyasampo...

Last night I happened to meet some Austrian biologists here in Istanbul who were baffled by this idea that the yogurt culture is actually carried by ants. Baffled isn't enough. They were flabbergasted. They refused to accept this. I was met by all-around rejection and stern looks. They told me that the yogurt-producing bacteria is actually found in the stomachs of cows. Which may also be correct. In Austria. My German is not good enough to hunt this down, but it could also be an interesting lead, for anyone with good German.

In light of the fact that NOTHING in English on the web touches on this subject successfully (that's how I found this web page, in my fruitless search to find an alternative answer), I felt compelled to post this. Cheers, and happy ant-yogurt making.

3) By jkarra on chowhound.chow.com *A great answer but then it can't be considered as raw
My mother-in-law from India taught me how to make yogurt without a starter.. use a small tamarind (u can get dried at Indian store) and a dried red chili in only a small amount of boiled milk. You let that set, then use that for the starter of the next batch. Repeat steps of boiling small amount of milk and using the new set "starter" until the yogurt smells correctly (about 4-5 times)

4) By V. L. Hamlin on eHow.com *Another great answer for non raw people

1. Pour the milk into a stainless steel pot and heat until it is 185 degrees. You can use whole milk, skim or soy. However, organic milk will produce the best flavor and nutrition to the yogurt.
2. Allow the milk to cool until it is about 110 degrees.
3. Stir the dry culture into the milk as directed by the manufacturer. Each culture manufacturer's measurements are different, so read the label before mixing it into the milk.
4. Pour the mixture into a quart-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Glass jars work best, however, plastic containers can be used in a pinch.
5. Place two jars of hot water into a cooler. Add the jar of yogurt starter to the cooler and close the lid. Allow it to sit in the closed cooler for 4 to 6 hours.
6. Place the yogurt starter into the refrigerator after the curds have formed. Enjoy the yogurt cold with honey, fruit or maple syrup.

So, that means no commercial yogurt for raw people and the alternatives aren't that great either. See how commercial yogurt is made here, here and here.

I was about to give up on yogurt but then I remembered another easy recipe for homemade yogurt my mom gave me.

Ingredients

1. 1 part of sour milk
2. 7 part of milk

Instructions

1. Add milk to sour milk.
2. Leave it overnight at room temperature.
3. And.. that's it! It's done!

:) I think it should be obvious by now what my next question is going to be... What is Sour Milk? Where Sour Milk comes from? How Sour Milk is made?

An excerpt from wikipedia
Sour milk in recipes

In recipes, soured milk created by the addition of an acid or by bacterial fermentation can often be used interchangeably. For example, 1 cup of cultured buttermilk, a soured milk produced by bacterial fermentation, can be replaced by 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup. The chemically soured milk can be used after standing for 5 minutes.

By torque63 on eHow.com

1. Place 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar in a glass measuring cup.
2. Add in milk (2% or richer) to equal 1 cup. Stir.
3. Let stand for 15 minutes until it looks like its beginning to curdle or slightly curdled.

Now, that sounds really easy and raw! :)

Food Price List 8 November 2010

Local Grocery Store
One coconut (grated) = RM1.50 - sweet, creamy, filling
RM0.20 bean sprout = 2 dish - very filling

AEON Jusco Seberang Prai City Shopping Centre
Half of a medium sized pumpkin = about RM1.50 or so
Portabella Mushroom in pack of 6 (if I'm not mistaken) = about RM11.00
500 gram Red chili = RM4.95
100 gram Almond = RM5.99 (O_O wow, this nut is expensive!)
100 gram Cashew Nuts = RM5.99
100 gram Sunflower Seeds = RM1.69
100 gram Dried Dates = RM0.99

Steve Pavlina was on Raw Diet too?

Wow, that's a great news. He's a great thinker and conduct experiments like a true scientist. So what did he eat during the experiment?

Steve on Raw Food Diet Day 1
O_o Um, okay... That was lots and lots of fruits....

I didn't know we are supposed to eat a lot of fruits and no meat or fish at all on Raw Diet. I kinda... uh, just eat anything raw when I feel hungry. Not very systematic, isn't it? Then I saw this post.

Steve's Raw Diet Plan
*Sweatdrop* Steve actually made plan before he start his experiment with Raw Diet... Um, I feel so inadequate right now... But wow, it's a good plan. It's easy to follow. I'm starting to think he comes from another planet.

Then I found out he's a human too like me XD

Early Experiments and Why Steve Wants to Try Raw Diet
Hahahaha XD Sorry, but it was funny! I guess it was more noticeable to him because he is an active person. I am not active at all, so I didn't need as much food as everyone else (and yet I still lose weight) and so I didn't notice most of the problems he mention except the 'taking too much time to prepare the food' part.

And so, we finally arrived to his conclusion about his Raw Diet attempt. Will he stick to it this time?

Steve Conclusion of His 30 Days Raw Diet Adventure
That was.. very enlightening and informative and.. did I mention interesting? Especially the 'No Salt' and 'Dry Skin'. I wonder what cause the dry skin? I thought eating all those fruits and veggies supposed to make your skin healthier and smoother. Oh, and, protein? Um, I didn't plan for that at all. I'd have to check his daily food log to see where he got his protein.

Oh, correction. Steve is now officially a permanent Raw Food Eater since 2nd April 2008. Wow.. that was a loooong time ago and I just found it now..

The Secret Raw Discoveries That Save My Soul

You know.. I find it this Detox Diet is quite hard to follow because most of the recipes I found use ingredients that are supposedly basic to others but are rarely found in my pantry, use dehydrator, or look good but is not my taste at all. So there was a lot of disgusting moments of failed experiments but also shockingly good moment of discoveries :)

For example, I never would have thought Malaysian Kerabu to be a very good alternative to those boring salads. This was the first raw dish that makes me overate!

How I Made My First Kerabu:

1. Mash 3 Fresh Red Chillies to pulp with the mortal with pestle.
2. Add a handful of Dried Anchovies and mash them again to pulp.
3. Then add half of a Big Onion and small cube of Ginger and mash them, again, to pulp.
4. Add a handful of Fresh Grated Coconut, mash them slightly until they kinda mixed nicely together.
5. Sprinkle some White Pepper Powder and mash them a little bit just to mix them up.
6. Cut a medium sized Tomato and a medium sized Green Apple into small dices.
7. Mixed them all in a bowl.
8. Tear a Big Cabbage Leaf.
9. Fill the mixture on the Cabbage Leaf.
10. Wrap the Cabbage Leaf and eat it just like that.. Yum!

Notes:

• There is no need to add Salt because the Dried Anchovies are already very salty.
• I made a mistake of washing the Cabbage Leaves just before using it as wrap so it was a little bit soggy.
• It was very delicious, I ate 3 Big Cabbage Wrap hehehe... my poor stomach cried all night after that though :D so I'm not going to repeat that again.

It's a common dish actually but it looks hard to prepare to me who had never cook anything more than simple dishes like Sandwiches, Fried Rice, Fried Noodle, and Fried Eggs before this adventure. So I pretty much ignore its existence. There are actually a very large varieties of Kerabu as it is very versatile. You can pretty much mix in just about anything to make a Kerabu just like Salad but it's more... enticing and delicious to those with Malaysian tongues.

Oh, talking about Malaysian tongue, mom said Malaysian don't drink Coconut Milk (Santan) but people from other countries do. In Malaysia, people drink Coconut Juice straight from Young Coconut, but use Coconut Milk (made from Grated Coconut and Water) as cooking ingredient. It's an interesting trivia. I wonder why Malaysian don't drink Coconut Milk. I think it would taste as delicious as Grated Coconut.

I know I've used it in my first Kerabu but I didn't think much about Grated Coconut except it makes Sambal, Kerabu or Salad taste really good. Then, a few days ago I used it in my Salad. As expected it tastes good but the Grated Coconut was quite old, I bought it one or two weeks ago so I thought 'why not finished it before it gone bad' and eat it just like that. And OH MY GOD, IT TASTES WAY BETTER THAN NUTS BUT JUST AS FILLING!!!! I LOVE IT!!

Ah, I wonder how could I miss it before? Fresh Grated Coconut are very cheap in Malaysia. I think I would buy a lot of these instead of those expensive Nuts next time. Em, yeah *day dreaming of snacking on Coconut Milk and Grated Coconut'.....

Coconut Milk

Source: Wikipedia

I wonder what nice discoveries I would stumble upon next :)

Eating Raw Potatoes and Raw Mayonnaise

I tried raw potatoes last week. I peeled it, cut it like I cut my apples and sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste. The dish was quite good actually but it has an odd starchy taste. I like how my stomach felt after eating it :)

Source: Wikipedia

I wonder how it would taste if mashed and mixed with mayonnaise.
I found out how to make a raw mayonnaise a few weeks ago. It looks easy but a very tiring process.

More day dream:
I wonder what mashed potatoes + garlic + lemon + white pepper powder would taste like?
Do I have to soak the potatoes first?


Edited 07 May 2013:
Woaa, looking back at this post makes me hungry :P mmm.. delicious!

Raw Portobello Mushroom as Meat Alternative

I was looking for mushrooms that are safe to be eaten raw and found this recipe:

It looks really good! I gotta try it but where do they sell this kind of mushroom in Penang? Tesco? Jusco? Wet market?

Planning for Raw Meal Diet

I have to admit, planning my meal is the hardest thing to do. In fact, I didn't do any planning at all. It's bad, because there are always leftover since I don't eat much at all especially when I have to prepare it myself. I only eat when I'm really hungry.

Part of the reason is cooking takes too much time. Even my favorite Sambal and Kerabu (my first Kerabu) take way longer time to prepare if I do it with Mortar and Pestle. On the other hand, I could use the blender but it wouldn't taste as good.

So usually I just munch on anything I could take and eat on the spot without any preparation like Fresh Fruits, Nuts, Dried Fruits and Grated Coconut. If I need a bigger portion then I go for Salad. Soup just doesn't cut it for me. Even though it can taste quite good, it just not very filling at all.

So the grocery bill gets way higher than normal. Mom said it because the Nuts are pricey here in Malaysia. It's true. Look at this list:

• Jusco - Apricot Kernel (150 g) RM 6.50
• Jusco - Sunflower Seed (160 g) RM 5.50

And these are the cheapest ones. The others are around RM10 - RM 20.

There are Peanut, Dal Bean,

Fruits are hard to keep especially the soft ones like Pear, Banana, and Papaya. Citrus can be stored longer but I prefer to use them for flavor in Kerabu, Soup and Salad instead of munching on them. I wonder what kind of fruits than can be stored for 1-2 weeks without going bad?

Raw Snacks

These days I often myself munching on fruits, dried fruits and nuts. I guess ever since I try this 40 days detox diet, my undisciplined, obsessive lifestyle doesn't change much. I'm constantly in front of the computer doing something either working on my business, checking raw recipes, playing games or reading whatever.

It's a bad habit but at least I am not being mean to my body anymore.

I am not very imaginative with food so I'm stuck with:

• Nuts
• Dried fruits
• Fresh fruits
• Nuts and dried fruits mix

It's not bad. In fact, nuts are very good at satisfying hunger. They taste quite bland but delicious when mixed with the sweet dried fruits. Fresh fruits are obviously yummy especially the sweet ones.

But I wonder if there are more raw food snack than these

The Most Disgusting Raw Soup Ever!

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

Okay, it's not bad because my mom thinks the soup I've made based on her raw soup guide last night is delicious! BUT I CAN'T EVEN FINISH ONE SPOON OF THIS SOUP! I almost puke and stay sick all night and this morning when I woke up.. I feel so hungry for not eating last night :( I thought I'm gonna die starving... My stomach still hasn't settle down though.

So her basic raw soup has 6 components:

1. Any watery vegetable like Cucumber, Tomato, Celery AND/OR greens
2. Water to thin up the soup
3. Some kind of citrus juice like Lemon, Lime or Orange Juice to perk up the flavor
4. Salty seasoning like Sea Salt or Miso
5. Any pungent seasonings like Spices, Fresh Herbs, Garlic, Onion, Curry Powder
6. Some kind of fat to make it creamy like Avocado or Olive Oil or Soaked Nuts and Seeds

I made a green soup last night that based on this guide:
I used Cucumber and Celery (watery vegetables), Kailan Heart (Hey, that's what it said on the label. So anyway this is the green), Lemon, Salt, Black Pepper and Olive Oil.

In her video, she processes ingredients 1 to 5 first before adding the last ingredient to mix. That's what I did. I have a taste of the soup before I added the last ingredient and it was.. okay, maybe a little bit too sour. Then I just had to add the Olive Oil! Ugh.... She used Avocado in her soup which I don't have but she said Olive Oil is okay too so I substitute it with that. IT TASTE GROSS!!!! I CAN'T GO PASS THE SMELL OF THAT OLIVE OIL NOR ITS TASTE!!

Strangely, my mom who doesn't like most of my concoctions love this soup O_o Sometimes I wonder how our taste can be so different....

It bothers me though, I think next time I'll try again without the Olive Oil, either remove the fat part altogether or replace it with Soaked Nuts and Beans.... Hmm...

Or.. I could remove the Citrus and Oil and have it just like that :) I prefer it garlicky, salty and spicy anyway.

Food I Want to Try Raw

Avocado is one of the most popular ingredients in raw eaters world to make creamy soup, and various other fulfilling dishes. It is said to be butter-like in texture, actually has fat (that's why it's fulfilling), and the taste is not overpowering at all so it can be very versatile (can be used with almost any ingredients).

Mushroom is very popular as meat replacement and it is said that even pure carnivore loves it! I don't miss meat per se but I would like to try it. It's fun to try new flavor and have a lot of varieties in your diet :) So hello, Veggie Burger!

Potato in Chicken Curry, French Fries, Cheesy Wedges (KFC), Whipped Potato (again, KFC), Potato Wedges (KFC again...), in Pies, in Curry Puff (or Karipap in Malay)... Whew, I love potatoes! I've found some recipes using raw potatoes. I'm not sure if I'd like it as much but it's worth a try. Oh yeah, some people even eat raw potato just like that or sprinkle with some salt. Hmm, I want to try to eat it that way too. Funny thing is, even though I've never try raw potato, I remember that I always feel very compelled to do that since.. forever, I think. They look delicious O_o

Note to self:
Peel it first. Don't eat the skin. Someone says the skin is poisonous.
Or, expose the potato to light. If it gets green, it will also be poisonous so peel any green part off (Source: 1,2,).
If handling raw potatoes make my hand itch, I may have allergic reaction to it. If that's so, DO NOT eat it raw!

Sweet Potato. Some people eat this raw too.

Cauliflower mashed with Macadamia/Cashew nuts is said to taste almost like mashed potato. I miss potato.. Mom forgot to buy potatoes *sob* Full recipes for this Raw 'Cauliflower' Mashed Potato available here, here and here. It seems like it has to be eaten fast once made because it doesn't store well even in fridge.

Hmm.. what else? I am pretty sure I have a lot of raw food I want to try when I started this. Oh well, I'll update it when I remember them :)

Which Mushrooms are Safe to Eat Raw?

Morel Mania
Shaggy Mane
Puffball


Is It Safe To Eat Raw Baby Button Mushrooms?
Yes (according to the testimonial in this thread)

Detox Diet - Experimenting with Raw Food Recipes Day 4 to 7

I'm not a cook, I am fairly a bad cook actually. So this raw diet experiments are quite.... disappointing. Even though there are a lot of mouth watering raw dishes recipes available online, the ingredients are often not that common in Malaysia or is quite hard for me to get in my area or require dehydrator.

So I am very dependent on fruits and sometimes raw soups.

Experimenting with raw soup can be quite irritating. Just because the person who posted the recipe online love it, doesn't mean you would like it too!

The first time I tried raw Tomato Soup, my reaction was.... to give it to my mom who think it tastes good. I just can't get through the taste of raw tomato even though I've added some Garlic to make it spicy which is by the way too spicy for my mom, she ended up adding some Yogurt in it. I was tempted to get a taste of that but I wasn't sure if Yogurt can be considered as raw or not.

Since I don't like the Soup, I thought why not try for Tomato Sauce next time? I like Tomato Sauce and it would make salad much more appetizing. And voila, it was really good! But, the texture is more like Soup. I was baffled so I rechecked the ingredients for both Raw Tomato Soup and Tomato Sauce recipes and guess what did I found? They use same ingredients and methods! Then I seriously wonder where did I go wrong with my first Soup.

And this was the only soup that I enjoy in various other raw *shudders* concoctions I've made for awhile. I don't remember what soups I've made but I do remember not liking them that much :P

The last few days left me wanting for more Tomato Soup/Sauce but there aren't any more Tomato in the fridge... *sad* So I have to move on other ingredients left unused in the fridge.

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Last night I made Broccoli Soup accordingly to the recipe (I think) even though I have no Avocado, Honey or any substitutes for these 2 ingredients. It didn't taste bad exactly (same with my first Tomato Soup) but it's too crunchy.. nutty.. something.. I don't know but I don't like it.

I don't want my mom to get angry for not finishing my Soup so I pretend I fall asleep last night before I got the chance to put it in the fridge >< (sorry, mom!). And so it ended up down the drain... Poor Broccoli. It was expensive too :(

Since there are no Tomato and I don't feel confident enough to start another disaster, I only eat 2 Green Apples for today's breakfast. Usually that would be enough but since I skipped last night dinner (the Broccoli Soup) I'm still hungry. So I went browsing for more recipes and glad to find this - Template for Raw GREEN Soups!

It's a basic guide to follow when concocting any good raw soup which I desperately need. And voila, I've just made a good Cucumber Soup for my lunch! :) I wonder what kind of raw soup I'll make next time. I hope it will be good or better than this.

Cucumber Soup Recipe (Wow, never thought I would ever write down any recipe!)
Ingredients:

1. 1 Cucumber
2. 1 Clove of Garlic
3. 2 Half Stalks of Celery (It was a leftover hehe.. I don't even know why I put it here, maybe I just want to finish it off?)
4. Salt to taste
5. Pepper to taste

Directions: (Do I really have to? I'm the only one reading this anyway)

1. Wash the veggies.
2. Cut/Chop/Smash/Whatever the veggies to smaller chunks so it'll be easier for the blender to process.
3. Process them all in the blender and you're finish :P
4. Serve for one.

PS: I'm starting to think that Detox Diet equals Raw Food Diet... Why do people have to give them different names? The only difference seems to be the length of the diet. Detox Diet is done for limited time, while Raw Food Diet is done forever...