Lactose Intolerance

Image by chotda via Flickr

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


       This is what Aida Cerdenola-Alarcon, a dietician shared about lactose intolerance in her Food for the Family page from Health and Home which I would like to share with you.

       Lactose intolerance is a condition which arises from a genetic inability of the intestine to digest lactose, the predominant sugar in all dairy products. The National Dairy Council reports that as much as 90 percent of Asians suffer from lactose intolerance.
       The intestinal enzyme called lactase breaks down lactose into simple sugar that the body can easily digest. Lactose-intolerant people, however, have an inadequate amount of such enzyme. In  about 30 minutes to two hours after eating lactose-containing foods, symptoms appear in varying degrees of severity, depending on the amount of lactose ingested and how much lactase is present in the individual.
       Here's a self-test to determine your lactose intolerance.
       Avoid milk and other lactose-containing food for several days. On an activity-free morning, drink approximately 14-16 oz. (about two large glasses) of skim or lowfat milk. Within four hours of ingesting the milk, developing nausea, abdominal cramps and rumbling, diarrhea, bloating, rectal gas, and flatulence means you are lactose intolerant.
      Lactose intolerance is variable. Some lactose-intolerant people are able to stomach certain dairy products in small amounts; others need to avoid them completely.
      Milk, however, is still the major source of calcium. If you are lactose tolerant, try to include milk products in your diet by following these tips.

• Take you milk with a meal or a snack.
• Drink small portions of milk throughout the day. Most lactose-intolerant people can manage up to one cup of milk a day.
• Use cheese with fruits and crackers for snacks.
• Eat ice cream. Small portions stay longer in the stomach compared to pure milk.
• Choose lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk.
• Instead of sour cream, substitute yogurt in your recipes.
• Eat yogurt if you cannot tolerate milk. It has lower lactose content. 
• If milk is totally unacceptable to you, you may opt for a low-lactose diet.

     The dietary regimen relies heavily on intake of other calcium-rich food, such as small fishes like anchovies, canned fish, salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, tokwa, taho, soyamilk, and all green leafy vegetables like malunggay, saluyot, ampalaya, alugbati, mustasa, pechay, and broccoli.

     Sufficient lactose can be obtained by including any of the following in the daily diet: monggo with ampalaya leaves, alugbati salad, mustasa with egg, pechay guisado, stir-fry broccoli, bamboo shoots with saluyot, tokwa and soymilk.

BAMBOO SHOOTS WITH SALUYOT

You will need:

2        cups bamboo shoots, precooked

3        cups thick coconut  milk

3        cups saluyot leaves

2        thumb size gingers, crushed

1        onion, sliced

1        cup shredded young corn

          Salt to taste

Here's how:

1. Boil thick coconut milk, ginger, and onions for 10 minutes.

2. Add bamboo shoots and cook until shoots become tender.

3. Add corn and continue cooking until corn becomes edible.

4. Add salt and saluyot. Boil for 1 minute.

5. Serve hot.

Related articles

• What Is Lactose Intolerance? (brainz.org)
• Few Reasons to Drink Soy Milk (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)
• Oatmeal in the Diet (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)

The Right Way to Lose Weight

Image via Wikipedia

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


     You have to read what Aileen Ludington and Hans Diehl has to say about Statistics and Waistlines.

     By switching to the optimal diet plus some walking, you can lose one to two pounds a week. That might not get you slim in time for summer, but it is a sensible health-conscious approach to long-term weight management.

     How Fiber Helps
     One of the many virtues of fiber is that it acts as a safety mechanism to keep you from overeating. It helps you feel full before you can eat too many calories.
     Fiberless foods lack this automatic shutoff. By the time you feel full, you've eaten enough calories for  a family of five. willpower is the only thing that stands between you and obesity - and we all know how effective that is!

     Low Fiber Foods
     All animal products lack fiber. They include meat, milk, eggs, and cheese.
     In addition, modern food-processing mills take the fiber out of many foods that used to have it. Sugar, white flour, oils and most packaged foods fall into this category.
     Corn oil is a good example of this process. It takes 14 ears of corn to make one tablespoon of oil. Imagine trying to eat 14 ears of corn at one sitting. Impossible! Yet it's easy to sit down and eat several tablespoons of oil in the form of salad dressings and fried foods.

     Your Challenge
     Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are high in fiber. Eat them in abundance. Start with this lowfat, high-fiber soup. Serve it with hearty whole-wheat bread and a salad. Eat all you want. You'll fill up long before you'll flatten up.
     Eat whole fruits, with all their fiber, instead of drinking the juice.




BLACK-EYED PEAS SOUP


You will need:


1/2      cup black-eyed peas, cooked
1/2      cup oatmeal
1/2      cup carrots, diced
1/2      cup Baguio beans, chopped
1/4      cup celery (optional)
1/4      cup red and green bellpeppers (optional)
1/4      cup onions, chopped
6         cups water
           Salt to taste

Here's how:


1. Add black-eyed peas and onions to boiling water and cook until "almost tender."
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook until "very, very tender," stirring occasionally.
3. Season with salt.

Related articles

• Kangkong (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)
• Vitamin C and the Immune System (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)
• For Your Energy Needs (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)

Vitamin C and the Immune System

Image via Wikipedia

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


       "Food for the Family" page written by Aida Cerdenola-Alarcon impresses me much and I would also like you to be impressed with me. She talks about not just good food but good health as well.

       The immune system is the body's best defense against foreign invaders including viruses, bacteria and fungi. In general, good health depends on a strong immune system because everything-from speed and deterioration of aging to the recovery from any disease-relies upon the efficiency of this system.

       The Good Acid
       Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is water soluble. It functions as an antioxidant that lessens the harsh effects of harmful chemicals in the body.
        Here are some other benefits of Vitamin C.

        1. It synthesizes collagen. A weak collagen allows bacteria and toxins to infiltrate the body.
        2. It enhances the body's physical and immune system defenses against infections.
        3. It increases the body's production of glutathione, an antioxidant that stimulates the immune system and
            and detoxifies bacterial waste products.
        4. It increases interferon levels and antiviral substances produced in the body, increasing antibody levels
            in the bloodstream and boosting the activity of the thymus gland. Mega Vitamin C therapy is used in
            treatment of AIDS, cancer and other diseases in which boosting the immune system function is of
            primary importance.
        5. It increases the immunity and T cell activities in elderly people.
        6. It is vital to white blood cells in destroying invading viruses and bacteria.
            If infection is present, infusion of vitamin C shortens the duration and severity of an infection.
        7. Regular intake of Vitamin C contributes to the development of healthy bones to prevent
            periodontal diseases.
        8. Eating Vitamin C-rich fruits and fresh vegetables substantiates the depleted vitamin C caused by
            stress or infection.


CARROT-MANGO-LIME JUICE


You will need:


2      pieces carrots
1      piece ripe mango
1/2   cup lime juice
4      cups water
        Sugar as needed

Here's how:


1. Peel carrots, then chop and puree.
2. Add the mango flesh and lime juice.
3. Blend.
4. Add water.
5. Add sugar according to taste.
6. Serve cold.

Related articles

• Eat Nutrient-packed Foods for Added Brain Power (familydailymenu.blogspot.com)
• Boost Your Immune System, Naturally (webndbitesoflife.wordpress.com)
• 15 Best Foods for Cold & Flu Season (bestcollegesonline.net)

Filipino Cooking

Image via Wikipedia

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


            Here is what Miriam Razon-Estrada, the chair of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department of the Adventist University of the Philippines has to say with Lutong Pinoy or the so-called Filipino way of cooking.

            Surely, there is no place like home. And one of the things we miss whenever we leave home is the home-cooked food. Filipinos who now reside in other countries surely miss Filipino cooking.
            Filipino foods have numerous indigenous and foreign influences. They can be characterized as a fascinating blend of Spanish, Malay, Arab and Chinese cuisine. Spanish-inspired dishes are paella, caldereta, and morcon. Chinese influence is evident in such dishes as pancit canton, lumpiang Shanghai and hopia.
            The regions in our country have their culinary specialties. But the indigenous coconut cookery is the most common and popular.
            Coconuts are used generously in Filipino cuisine. Coconut dishes originated from the Malay culture. Filipinos are fortunate because fresh coconut milk come cheap, the Philippines being the world's second largest producer of coconut products.
            All food groups can be cooked in coconut milk - meat, fish, poultry, root crops, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Coconut milk is also great for mouth-watery desserts like biko, suman, and bibingka. With the demand of coconut-based dishes, manufacturers have made them available in cans like the "Bicol express," sardines gata, and tuna in coconut milk.
            Coconut is rich in fat. Fat is concentrated source of energy, giving 9 kilocalories per gram. Of all the nutrients, fats may have the worst reputation, but like carbohydrates and proteins, they are indispensable in the diet. It is generally recommended that 20-30 percent of the total energy allowance should come from fats.


ENSALADANG LANGKA


You will need:


1/4     kilo  young langka meat, cubed
1        medium onion, chopped
3        medium tomatoes, diced
1        tablespoon calamansi juice
1/3     cup coconut cream
          Green onions, chopped
          Salt to taste

Here's how:


1. Boil langka until tender.
2. Drain water and slice langka meat thinly.
3. Add onion, tomatoes, calamansi juice, salt and coconut cream.
4. Toss.
5. Garnish with green onions.

Related articles

• Haupia (Coconut Pudding) (iguanaisle.wordpress.com)
• Recipe: Ginger and Coconut Chicken (christiescorner.com)
• Fish and Coconut Milk Soup (theshallowkitchen.wordpress.com)