Best Food for Digestion

1. Bananas Bananas help restore normal bowel function, especially if you have diarrhea (say, from too much alcohol). And they restore electrolytes and potassium that may be lost due to runny stool. This fruit also has lots of fiber to aid digestion. 2. Yogurt You have trillions of bacteria in your gut that help you digest food, and yogurt contains some types of these healthy bacteria. (Although not all yogurts have them—check for "live and active cultures" on the label.) 3. Kimchi Kimchi is a Korean favorite usually made with cabbage, radish, or onion, along with lots of spices. The main ingredient is usually cabbage, which promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon. And cabbage is a type of fiber that's not digested, so it helps eliminate waste, keeping bowel movements regular, Anderson says. Sauerkraut is good for the same reasons. This dish can be spicy, however, so it might not be a good option if you’ve found that spicy foods trigger digestive problems for you. 4. Lean meat and fish If you're going to eat meat, go for chicken, fish, and other lean meats—they'll go down a lot easier than a juicy steak. And lean meats and fish have not been associated with an increased risk of colon cancer like high-fat red meats have. 5. Whole grains Whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, oats, and brown rice, are a good source of fiber, which helps digestion. Fiber also can help you feel full and lower cholesterol, but it can cause bloating, gas, and other problems in people who quickly ramp up their intake—it's better to take it slow when consuming more. And wheat grains are a no-no for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. 6. Ginger This spice has been used for thousands of years as a safe way to relieve nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, morning sickness, gas, loss of appetite, and colic. But it's best to consume it in moderation. High doses of ginger can backfire; more than 2 to 4 grams per day can cause heartburn.

The 3-Step Strategy to a Flat Stomach

If you're like most women, you've been struggling to flatten your stomach for about two decades now. Why? Because you think achieving enviable abs is complicated. Don't be fooled! If you're smart with your strategy, scoring a flat belly is actually incredibly simple. Follow these three steps and you'll have a flat belly in no time. Step 1: Exercise But not so fast with the crunches! It takes 250,000 crunches to burn one pound of fat. And working those muscles underneath won't matter if you still have a layer of fat covering them. Plus, crunches are one of the main culprits of back injuries, according to recent research. You won't look so good on the beach if you're bent over with an achy back. Instead, try these core-stabilization exercises to build the strong, sleek, sexy stomach `you're after: Pushup: Get down on all fours and place your hands on the floor so that they're slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Pause at the bottom, and then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as possible. If your hips sag at any point during the exercise, your form has broken down. Consider that your last repetition and end the set. Plank: Start to get into a pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of on your hands. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Brace your core by contracting your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut. Hold this position while breathing deeply. Hip Raises: Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for up to 5 seconds in the up position, then lower your body back to the starting position. Also use combo exercises, which target more than one muscle group, to get your heart pumping and ramp up your metabolism for up to 48 hours after your workout. Step 2: De-Stress When stress is high, a hormone called cortisol shoots up. And high cortisol levels equal high belly fat. Take at least 10 to 15 minutes a day to decompress and reduce your cortisol levels, and a flat stomach will be one less thing to worry about. Some ideas for de-stressing: Slip into a hot bubble bath with lavender Stretch or do yoga poses in silence Write each day in a dedicated journal Laugh (even if you don't feel like laughing!) Step 3: Eat Right Fuel your body with belly-fat burning foods that stabilize your blood sugar. These includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and good fats. Some rules to follow: Eat one to two servings of vegetables at every meal. If you eat four to five low-cal meals a day like you should, you'll rack up four to 10 servings of vegetables a day! Drink lots of water. Good'ol' H2O curbs dehydration, which is easily confused with hunger. Aim for at least 64 ounces (that's eight 8-ounce glasses) of water a day. Consume high-quality protein at each meal. High-protein foods take more work to digest, metabolize, and use, which means you burn more calories processing them. They also take longer to leave your stomach, so you feel full sooner--and longer. Don't be afraid of fats. Eat lots of omega-3-rich foods such as olive oil, avocado, fish and nuts, which increase fat oxidation to help keep you slim (fat oxidation is the body's way of breaking down large fat molecules into smaller ones that can be used for energy).

Beware the Meat Myths!

When it comes to cooking meat I have my own personal set of "rules." I prefer to grind my own meat, buy fresh and local whenever possible, and never, ever, buy meat on sale (think about it…) But there are quite a few rules that are based in fiction -- myths that have survived decades and continue to offer bad advice to the home cook. Let's bust them, shall we?
Myth #1: Searing meat seals in juices. Forget this one. It's not true -- never has been, and never will be. Most likely the idea came from the crusted exterior that meat develops as it's seared; surely that crust will seal in the juices, right? But in the test kitchen we tested this old maxim by weighing steaks before and after they were cooked. Some were seared first, others weren't. There was no difference in the amount of juices that were lost between the various steaks. None, nada, bupkis. The main purpose of searing is to add flavor by converting natural sugars and amino acids into flavor compounds via browning. If you want juicy meat, you can slow roast it (which prevents meat juices from being squeezed out.) And always let meat rest after cooking so that it can reabsorb any of those precious juices.
Myth #2: Marinating meat makes it juicy or tender. No, it doesn't. Marinades are usually made with some kind of oil, citrus, and herb combo that can only penetrate the very exterior of meat. In the test kitchen we found that after 18 hours, a red wine marinade made its way ONE MILLIMETER into beef. Hey, that's perfect for tenderizing those two-millimeter thick steaks! Now if that marinade contains an acidic ingredient -- like the above-mentioned citrus, or vinegar -- you can actually do more damage to the meat. Acids will begin to break down the exterior fibers of the meat. Left too long in an acidic soak, that exterior will go from meaty, to mushy, and eventually, chalky and dry. So the takeaway here is that if you want to flavor thin cuts of meat -- cut for a stir fry or paper-thin paillards for example -- go ahead and give them a quick 10-minute-or-so marination for flavor.
Myth #3: Eating pink pork will make you sick. Once upon a time this may have been true as there was a fear of ingesting an ugly parasite named trichinosis. Cooking pork to a safe, but gray interior temperature of 160 degrees would kill off trichinosis -- but who would want to eat that dried up chop? Today, government standards have all but eliminated the risk of trichinosis contamination from pork. According to the Center for Disease Control, between the years of 1997 through 2001, the average reported cases of trichinosis was twelve. So go ahead and go for a slightly rosy hue. The test kitchen highly recommends cooking that pork chop or loin roast until it registers an internal temperature of 140 to 145. And be sure to let the pork rest for 10 minutes or so-the internal temperature will continue to rise 5 to 10 degrees, but the meat will still be beautifully moist.
Myth #4: Always rinse off poultry that comes from the supermarket. Back away from the sink my friend. I know that it's been pounded into your brain that you should unwrap that poultry and give it a good rinse in the sink. But beware that what you're most likely doing is splashing all of those yummy surface pathogens over your sink, faucet, and surrounding area. Now, if you're willing to give the sink a super-thorough scrub down it will be fine, but you're better off simply cooking the poultry to a safe internal temperature (165 degrees for the breast meat and 175 for the thigh meat.)
So those are a few of the myths out there. I hope that busting through these gives you more confidence when preparing meat.

Making A Good Espresso

Drinking espresso has become a way of life for most people, particularly those who have heavy schedules and who take time out to relax with a cup of freshly brewed espresso or coffee. Coffee is so popular it is believed that it comes next to water as a popular drink. The whole world loves a good cup of coffee that annual consumption can reach to as high as 400 billion coffee cups all over the world. Most avid coffee or espresso drinkers can have a cup of espresso a day or even more, without knowing where this rousing beverage came from. That heavenly brew comes from coffee beans that are sourced from evergreen trees that are grown all over the world. The evergreen tree is widely grown in Latin America, Indonesia, Hawaii, Southeast Asia and in Africa. While the word espresso may have come from an Italian word meaning express or fast, it really is a misnomer since espresso or brewed coffee have to undergo a process before one can enjoy its freshly brewed taste. To make a good espresso, one has to start with a good coffee variety that must have undergone proper grinding. A good espresso maker handled by a capable barista can yield an espresso that can taste heavenly. The goodness of an espresso can be determined even from its aroma alone. Coffee drinkers who are serious about making good espresso should invest in a good espresso machine. Good espresso machines come in a variety of brands, sizes and prices. You need not spend more to get a good espresso machine because there are good espresso makers that are reason ably priced. When making the espresso, always remember to turn on the espresso machine and allow it to heat properly. Establishments that have fast espresso orders do not really put off their machines to make sure it is properly heated for every espresso order. When buying coffee beans, it is better to grind them as you use them because keeping them even in a tight container after grinding can result to a loss of aroma. Attention should also be placed on the type of grinder being used, with conical burr grinders preferred than flat burr grinders. The grinder with a conical burr is preferred because it can grind the beans without heating them and lessening their aroma in the process. While the kind of coffee beans used for the espresso must be chosen well, baristas should also make sure that only filtered water is used for the espresso as the water's mineral content can affect the taste of the espresso. When one finds a good coffee blend, the tendency is to buy more for storage. When you do this, do not commit the mistake of keeping coffee in the freezer or refrigerator. It is best to store them in a container that is foolproof and clean and place them in a dark and cool area.

Kurt Cobain

Commemorating 45 Years of Birth Music fans in the world, especially grunge, certainly no one does not know Kurt Cobain, Nirvana frontman who was born on February 20, 1967. Sadly, Cobain's music career has to end simultaneously with the decision to end life on 5 April 1994. At a rising name, apparently a musician who is not yet ready for a big success. Cobain decided to end his life. The most influential musicians of his day was leaving his wife, Courtney Love, and a daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. And on the occasion of the birth of Cobain remembered 45 years who fell on Monday (20/2) is, KapanLagi.com ® summarizes some interesting facts about the songwriter and guitarist of Nirvana is. Let's look together! A. Cobain already know the music from an early age. The first musical instrument he can get is a plastic drum set picture of Mickey Mouse. 2. After his parents divorce, Cobain went to live with her father in a trailer. In those years, he also received a prize of a mini bike, Yamaha Enduro 80. Every day to play bike around his residence, and to the attention of the people there. 3. Cobain never molested on a school friend of mental retardation. but he escaped the charges for lack of evidence. The woman can not show people (Cobain) who abuse through photographs in the yearbook because Cobain was not in the picture in the yearbook. 4. Cobain never wanted to mention his musical homage to grunge. He himself hates the term "grunge". He prefers to call his music as a stream of punk rock or alternative rock. 5. In 1982, Cobain made a movie called Bloody KURT commits suicide. which tells the darker side of Cobain from his parents' divorce. There is a scene where he cut his own wrist with a piece beverage cans. 6. Cobain claimed descent have the talent to commit suicide. One of his grandfather, Burle Cobain (Kurt's eldest brother of my grandfather, Leland Cobain) to end his life by firing the .38-caliber pistol in the stomach and head. 7. Based on the Kurt Cobain a discography book, HEAVIER THEN HEAVEN, Cobain's sister said that when Cobain was a kid, he never says it wants to join the 27 Club, the club of musicians who died at the age of 27 years. And he make it happen! 8. Before the suicide, Cobain wrote a letter to Boddah, imaginary friend from childhood, in a dark room. He then smoked Camel Light cigarettes, drank beer, Barq's, and inject black tar heroin types of Mexican-style into his body. 9. Kurt Cobain's shotgun used to kill himself-M11 is a Remington type commonly used hunter shooting ducks and birds. Shotgun will not make your body type game broke out. This also causes the head Cobain was not destroyed when the bullet penetrated his chin. 10. Spectacular! About seven thousand people gathered in the park Seattle Center to attend the funeral of Kurt Cobain on the 10th of April. With deep sorrow, they all accompanied the departure of a rock star who changed the world of music in the 90s. And the world lost a Cobain figure who was revered in that era. Too bad, he should end his life at the top of the world's success as a musician. Well, happy birthday, Cobain! Name and your work becomes a legend that will never be forgotten.

Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills

Studying process involves a lot of written assignments that are usually the deciding points of any course grade. They may be difficult and time-taking but the results you get afterwards are essential both in your academic life and in your future profession regardless the field. Looking over your essay, tutors evaluate your writing skills, your ability to analyze, to assess, to compare and contrast, to express an opinion and to sound persuasive and affirmative. As you can see, there are a lot of important factors that influence the grade the tutor gives to you for your written assignment. There are a lot of types of written assignments and as a good student you are supposed to know how to write them all.

One of the hardest essays to complete is a compare and contrast essay. From the first sight it may seem that it is very easy to compare and contrast things but this really depends on what things are you comparing and contrasting. It takes time to compare material objects like buildings or monuments; imagine how time-taking the process of comparison of philosophical currents is. It is very important to choose objects or events that can be put under the same category at least in one feature out of the others. It is impossible to compare orange juice and rocky mountain, isn't it? But these are simple material matters that can be easily defined. What to do if you are given a number of matters that seem irrelevant in all the characteristics known to you? That means that you have to do a little research and evaluation. It will be a good thing to make a chart putting the things you want to compare and contrast on the top and the characteristic features aside. This way you have a possibility to see in which way they are similar and how they are different. After the evaluation process you may start actual essay writing. At the beginning you may also do a little research on possible essay formats, styles and structures, unless the requirements are set by the tutor. This really matters, for you have to show that you are intelligent, educated, well acknowledged in the subject, literate, creative, have ability to evaluate and to analyze and what is the most important, you are a unique individual with own point of view.<

What sin also very important about essay writing is proofreading and editing. You may of course be exhausted by writing process and miss some mistakes, so it is better to postpone the proofreading process to times when you feel good and can attentively and step by step go over your creation and make some necessary corrections. After you are satisfied with what you have written you may submit your project and you may be sure that the result is quite possible.

Cegah Penuaan Dengan Ketan Hitam

 Bila dikonsumsi teratur, ketan hitam kaya manfaat. Sst katanya,  bisa membuat awet muda lho.

Ketan hitam membantu pembentukkan sel darah merah sekaligus meningkatkan daya tahan tubuh terhadap beberapa penyakit. Apa sebabnya? Karena ternyata ketan hitam memiliki kandungan zat besi hingga 15,52 ppm. Kandungan itu berkhasiat untuk tubuh.

Khasiatnya memperbaiki kerusakan sel hati (hepatitis dan chirosis), mencegah gangguan fungsi ginjal, mencegah kanker dan tumor, memperlambat penuaan, berfungsi sebagai antioksidan, membersihkan kolesterol dalam darah, dan mencegah anemia.

Nah, mengetahui khasiat itu, Tim Pastry Chef Aston Primera Pasteur Bandung pun mengolah ketan hitam menjadi penganan yang terbilang unik. Sus ketan hitam salah satu kreasinya.

Bahan dasar tepung ketan hitam yang digunakan membuat black profiterole memiliki warna dominan hitam. Tentu saja berbeda dengan kue sus yang kebanyakan berwarna putih kecokelatan.

Di balik kelezatan black profiterole yang ditawarkan hotel bintang empat di Jalan Dr Djunjunan, Kota Bandung ini, memang sekaligus menawarkan beragam manfaat. Kalau soal rasa jangan ditanya. Yuk nikmati dan rasakan manfaatnya.

Stres Melemahkan Daya Tahan Tubuh

Di dalam dunia yang kompetitif ini, kita cenderung lebih mementingkan hal-hal yang dapat diukur dengan prestasi dan penghasilan. Tak heran jika hampir setiap hari kita bergelut dengan stres, meski faktanya stres akan merugikan tubuh.

Berbagai studi menunjukkan stres terkait dengan berbagai penyakit orang modern, seperti jantung, tekanan darah tinggi, stroke, kanker, dan penyakit lain, termasuk impotensi.

Dalam riset terbaru ditunjukkan saat stres sistem saraf simpatetik akan mengeluarkan gelombang norepinephrine, yang merupakan respon melawan atau menghindar (flight or fight). Sementara itu bagian otak pituitari akan melepaskan hormon kortisol yang membanjiri aliran darah.

Pada dasarnya respon stres ini bertujuan untuk membuat kita siaga. Saat merasakan ada bahaya akan datang, misalnya ada mobil akan menabrak, tubuh akan melepaskan hormon stres sehingga kita lebih siaga, lebih gesit dan memiliki reaksi cepat sehingga kita bisa menghindar dari bahaya.

Tetapi tubuh tidak bisa membedakan ancaman fisik dan mental. Respon tubuh pada stres itu tidak banyak berguna saat kita mengalami tekanan mental. Sehingga saat kita panik dikejar deadline, reaksi tubuh akan sama seperti saat kita akan tertabrak mobil itu. Bila terjadi terus menerus, hal ini akan mulai menimbulkan masalah.

"Pada semua makhluk di planet ini, stres adalah krisis jangka pendek dengan respon menghadapi atau menghindarinya. Namun sebagai manusia saat kita duduk kita juga sedang didera oleh berbagai hal yang menimbulkan stres dan ini berlangsung hampir setiap hari," kata Robert Sapolsky, ahli neurologi dan penulis buku Why Zebras Dont Get Ulcers ini.

Ketika sistem tubuh terus menerus menghadapi reaksi stres yang timbul-hilang berulang kali, terkadang sistem kontrol menjadi tak terkendali.

"Sistem regulasi tubuh menjadi rusak. Pada awalnya hal ini akan membuat orang menjadi super reaktif pada insiden stres, tetapi terkadang setelah sekian lama sistem saraf menjadi kelelahan dan tidak mampu memberi respon dengan baik lagi," kata Nim Tottenham, psikolog.

Itu sebabnya "tentara" penjaga sistem imun menjadi lemah, sehingga virus atau bakteri dapat menyerang tubuh tanpa perlawanan.

Minum Kopi Cegah Alzheimer

Selain mampu mengusir rasa kantuk, sejumlah penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kopi bermanfaat untuk mencegah seseorang terkena penyakit demensia Alzheimer.

"Ya sudah ada penelitian yang mengatakan bahwa kopi mencegah Alzheimer. Ini karena di kopi ada stimulan, kafein, dan antioksidan yang merangsang kerja dari sel-sel otak," kata Samuel Oetoro, MS, SpGK, spesialis gizi klinis dari Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Indonesia (FKUI) dalam media workshop, Jumat (27/5/2011).

Alzheimer merupakan jenis kepikunan yang membahayakan karena dapat melumpuhkan pikiran dan kecerdasan seseorang. Keadaan ini ditunjukkan dengan kemunduran fungsi intelektual dan emosional secara progresif dan perlahan sehingga mengganggu kegiatan sosial sehari-hari.

Menurut Samuel, salah satu faktor penyebab Alzheimer adalah adanya pelepasan radikal bebas di otak yang berlebihan. Dalam hal ini, kafein mampu menangkalnya.

Meski ada penelitian yang membuktikan manfaat tersebut, Samuel tetap tidak menganjurkan kita untuk mengonsumsi kopi secara berlebihan. Pasalnya, terlalu banyak minum kopi juga bisa berpengaruh buruk terhadap kesehatan dan tubuh. "Maksimal minum kopi dua cangkir sehari," imbuhnya.

Disinggung soal seberapa besar kebenaran akan manfaat kopi untuk mencegah Alzheimer, Samuel mengatakan hal itu sangat tergantung dari seberapa banyak penelitian yang membuktikannya. "Meta-analisisnya belum ada. Meta-analisis itu, dari banyaknya penelitian yang dikumpulkan, dilihat mana yang positif, mana negatif lalu dibandingkan. Itu belum ada," pungkasnya.

Sementara itu, dr Raul Sibarani, SpS, dari MRCCC Siloam juga mengungkapkan hal senada terkait khasiat kopi dalam mencegah gangguan kepikunan. "Kafein itu memang ternyata betul bukan hanya untuk yang Alzheimer, melainkan juga untuk yang parkinson," ungkapnya.

Raul mengungkapkan, berdasarkan hasil riset pada tikus yang diberi kafein dan kemudian dilakukan otopsi, ternyata ditemukan bahwa sel otak tikus tersebut terlihat jauh lebih bagus.

Lebih lanjut, Raul menambahkan, manfaat lain yang terdapat dalam kopi antara lain sebagai stimulator otak. "Jadi, itu untuk meningkatkan daya konsentrasi kita. Makanya, orang minum bisa lebih banyak bekerja, waktu untuk konsentrasi lebih panjang," tandasnya.

source : TRIBUNNEWS.COM