Browse Tag

lifestyle - Page 11

3 things to cut out of your diet to lose weight

To lose weight, watching what you eat is definitely a must.

However, there are so many things to watch out for like cutting down on carbs, adding more fibre in the form of vegetables and getting enough protein.

While doing that most people tend to overlook the little things they put in their mouths which at the end of the day might not help them lose weight after all.

According to nutritionist Nicholas Alvin George, here are three basic things you need to reduce in your daily meals to lose weight:

1. Fat

food-3167098_1280
Avoid fried food if you want to lose weight. Credit: Pixabay.

Eating a lot of fatty and oily food will increase the risk of obesity and other problems including heart disease and strokes.

Try to steam, grill or boil your food instead of frying to reduce fat content.

Even if you have to stir-fry your dishes, use oil sparingly in your cooking.

Remember to remove all the fat from your meat or chicken while preparing them.

2. Salt

Canned food usually has high salt content. Credit: Pixabay.
Canned food usually has high salt content. Credit: Pixabay.

Salt will stall weight loss because it makes your body retain more water.

When you reduce your salt intake, you’ll lose some water retention in your body.

Remember that just because it doesn’t taste salty doesn’t mean the salt content is low.

There are plenty of foods which are high in salt content such as ketchup, processed food such as sausages, nuggets as well as canned food.

Traditional Malaysian fermented food such as budu, belacan and kasam are also high in salt content.

Opt for natural flavouring such as herbs instead of seasoning powder which also has monosodium glutamate (MSG).

We only need less than 5 grams of salt everyday which equals to only one teaspoon.

3. Sugar

Satisfy your craving for sweet stuff with fruits. Credit: Pixabay.
Satisfy your craving for sweet stuff with fruit. Credit: Pixabay.

Cutting out sugar will decrease your risk of obesity and diabetes.

The best way to reduce sugar is to avoid all sugary and bicarbonate drinks.

A can of soda has an average of 8 teaspoons of sugar. A canned isotonic drink and a small packet drink (250ml) may contain 5 teaspoons of sugar each.

Your one cup of 3 in 1 coffee mix contains about 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Malaysians love their condensed milk in their drinks. But condensed milk is not ‘milk’, it is just sugar and fat.

So the best drink out there is just the most inexpensive one, which is a glass of plain water.

If you really need to satisfy your sweet tooth, have some fruit and vegetables instead of cakes and snacks.

10 special needs cats that will warm your heart

Special needs cats are often neglected, abandoned or even worse, euthanised.

Due to their conditions, they need special people to take care of them.

Only special people with great patience, dedication and love can these cats find their forever homes.

Meet some of these special needs cats and their amazing hooman parents.

We assure you that watching their videos will brighten your day.

sunset-3008779_1280
Watching these videos of special needs cats will brighten your day. Credit: Pixabay.

1. Maya the Cat

Maya is a tabby cat born with a chromosomal abnormality. When she was found behind a Chinese food restaurant, they brought her to a shelter to be euthanised.

Just because she looks a little different than other cats.

She has some problem with her eyesight and she sneezes a lot.

The Odd Cat Sanctuary then took her in and put her up for adoption.

That was how her hooman Lauren Beader in Massachusetts found her and she called her Maya.

2. Monty

Monty from Copenhagen, Denmark was born without a nose bone also due to chromosomal abnormality.

His hoomans Mikala Fuglesang and Michael Bjorn took him home from a shelter on August, 2013.

Bjorn told The Huffington Post, “I looked into his eyes and started stroking him gently on his head. I saw his personality and I’m sure he saw mine and liked what he saw. From that moment on, both Mikala and I started creating a very strong bond with Monty. We tend to think that we did not choose him but he chose us.”

Since then, Monty has been living happily with his hoomans and two siblings Malle and Mikkel.

3. Blossom and her family

In 2015, the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, New York rescued a cat with a severe eye infection.

The rescue and adoption centre made the decision to have Blossom’s eyes removed.

Radio personality and animal advocates Howard Stern and his wife Beth fostered her for a while until she recovered.

Then Blossom found her furrever home with Susan Smith who already had other special needs cats.

Her siblings include blind Donavan, as well as Donny and Ozzy who have cerebellar hypoplasia.

4. Smush official

Smush was born with genetic abnormalities causing her to have a cleft lip and facial deformities.

She was found abandoned during the summer in 2017 and was quickly taken to University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

The veterinarian students there took care of Smush, feeding her every four hours.

Now, Smush is living happily with her hoomans Florida resident Shannon Jackson and her wife Sarah.

5. Lil Bub

This American cat celebrity was born in July 21, 2011 in Indiana, US.

She was born with an extreme form of feline dwarfism causing her limbs to be quite small.

Her tongue always hangs out because of her short lower jaw.
If you think Lil Bub looks familiar, perhaps you have seen her in the 2016 film Nine Lives.

She even has her own documentary, Lil Bub & Friendz.

6. Lil Bunny Sue Roux

This little angel was born without her front legs.

That doesn’t stop her from jumping around and being active.

She was born in New Orleans and rescued from an animal shelter by Jackie Deak Akey in 2014.

With almost 60,000 followers on Facebook, this cat/bunny/kangaroo/T-rex really know hows to draw a crowd.

7. Helix

Helix was born with cerebellar hypoplasia which affects his motor skills.

The condition causes him to wobble in his movement.

He was rescued from the streets but now is living with his family in Austin, Texas.

Putting aside his imbalanced mobility and lack of coordination, Helix is as healthy and playful like any other cats.

8. Kanga Roo the Cat

She was brought to a vet clinic in Northern California for euthanasia because she was different from other cats.

She was born with a condition called radial agencies, a defect affecting the formation of the radius born in the arm.

Cats like Kanga have problems using their front legs to hold weight.

She was rescued by Saving Grace Rescue in San Francisco and later adopted into a family.

Her siblings include two canine brothers named Brandon and Brownie and two feline siblings named Skittles and Hector.

9. Ryder

Ryder looks a little different from other cats.

That is because he is suffering from a condition called eyelid agenesis causing him to have no eyelids.

He went to surgery to make his eyes better and now he lives a normal feline life in Raleigh, North Carolina.

10. Max and Grace

These two blind rescued felines were adopted from a shelter in San Francisco.

Max was adopted first before his sister Grace came into the picture.

They both quickly bonded and now they do everything together.

Eating healthy according to Malaysia Healthy Plate

If you haven’t heard of Malaysia Healthy Plate, you could be missing out on one of the easiest guidelines for healthy eating there is.

The #SukuSukuSeparuh or ‘Quarter-Quarter-Half’  campaign was introduced by the Malaysian Ministry of Health in late 2016 to promote healthy eating habits among Malaysians. It was reported that only 6 per cent of adult Malaysians consumed sufficient fruits and vegetables in 2015 compared to 7.5 per cent in 2011.

How does Malaysia Healthy Plate work?

Imagine your plate divided into two quarters and one half, and this is how much proteins, grains, fruits and vegetables you should be having with every meal. The recommended portions for a healthy meal are a quarter for grains like rice, another quarter for proteins like chicken, meat, seafood, bean products and half for fruits and vegetables.

This guideline comes in really handy for Malaysians especially when attending parties, functions and our favourite national activity – open house!

According to nutritionist Nicholas Alvin George, while it is important to have a balanced meal, it is equally important to eat on time.

Why? “Eating on time and not skipping meals can increase your metabolism.”

He gave an example of a regulated eating time: breakfast at 7am, brunch at 10am, lunch at 1pm, tea time at 4pm and dinner at 7pm.

"<yoastmark

Stuck on what to have for your healthy meals? Here are some of Nicholas’ suggestions based on the Malaysia Healthy Plate portions:

  1. Breakfast
    Make oatmeal with 4 tablespoons of oats and 2 tablespoons of milk. Have 4 pieces of Jacob’s High Fibre Crackers.
  2. Brunch
    Take 2 pieces of Jacob’s High Fibre Crackers with a glass of milk.
  3. Lunch
    Have one small bowl of rice (the best is brown rice) with 3/4 bowl of vegetables. Add one piece of chicken drumstick or two matchbox sized chicken breast or one medium-sized mackerel.
  4. Tea time
    Take two pieces of Jacob’s High Fibre Crackers and with a glass of milk.
  5. Dinner
    Have one small bowl of rice (the best is brown rice) with 3/4 bowl of vegetables. Add one piece of chicken drumstick or two matchbox sized chicken breast or one medium-sized mackerel.

“This meal plan is just a basic suggestion. You can create your own variety and remember the ‘Quarter-Quarter-Half’ concept and don’t skip meals,” said Nicholas, who also advises to take your last meal at least four hours before bedtime.

Here is another suggestion of a meal plan according to Malaysian Ministry of Health:

 

10 South Korean movies inspired by true stories you must watch!

South Korean movies based on actual accounts started gaining attention in the beginning of the 21st century.

Of course, not all the movies have remained true to the actual story, but some of them were so thought-provoking, that they provoked public outcry, reopening criminal cases and even changing the judicial system.

Here are 10 South Korean movies based on (or inspired by) true events you have to watch:

Silenced starring Gong Yoo.
Silenced starring Gong Yoo.

1. Silenced (2011)

Also known as The Crucible, this 2011 film is based on the novel by Gong Ji Young.

It was inspired by actual events  at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired where students were sexually assaulted by the school staff over a period of five years in the early 2000s.

The teachers were let off with minimal punishment. Worse still, four out of six of them were reinstated after they escaped punishment under the statute of limitations. The other two received jail terms of less than a year.

After the film’s release, there was public outrage over the lenient court rulings, prompting police to reopen the case.

A revised bill called the Dogani (Silenced) Bill was passed in late October 2011 to abolish the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled.

In 2012, the former administrator was sentenced 12 years in prison and ordered to wear an electronic anklet for 10 years following his release.

The movie stars pre-Goblin Korean heartthrob Gong Yoo and Jung Yu Mi.

Watch the trailer here.

2. Memories of Murder (2003)

Memories of Murder is based on the true story of the first known series of murders in South Korean history which took place in Gyeonggi Province.

Between October 1986 and April 1991,  female victims ranging from 14 to 71 were each found gagged and murdered. Some have compared the murders to those of the Zodiac Killer.

While the film itself never mentions the total body count, authorities found a total of 10 similar murders. Forensic evidence indicates that the suspect was a man in his 20s, about 165cm to 170 with a B blood type.

Spoiler alert: Just like the film murderer, the real murderer has not been caught.

Watch the trailer here.

3. Han Gong Ju (2013)

The Miryang Gang rape which happened in a South Koreas middle school in 2004  saw at least 41 male high school students gang-rape a number of middle- and high school girls over the course of 11 months.

As if these incidents weren’t bad enough, the way the police managed the case sparked more controversy as they mistreated the victims and treated the offenders leniently.

In the end, the court sent only five suspects to juvenile detention centres. Additionally, none of them were convicted of criminal charges.

Loosely-based on the incident, the movie circles around Han Gong Ju (Chun Woo Hee) who loses her friend after both became victims of a terrible gang rape incident.

Watch the trailer here.

4.Hope (2013)

Hope is based on the infamous Nayoung case in 2008.

Nayoung is the alias given to a 8-year-old girl who was found nearly dead in a public toilet. Later, authorities convicted a 57-year-old man – who had a history of sexual assaults – for raping and beating Nayoung.

The court sentenced the perpetrator to only 12 years in prison which sparked an outrage in the country due to the brutality of the crime.

Nayoung sustained irreversible injuries to her genitals, anus and intestine. Initially she had to wear a colostomy bag to replace her missing organs.

As to why a movie about such a horrendous tragedy has such an uplifting title?

Hope’s director Lee Joon Ik told Korean Cinema Today that he wanted to make a happy movie that begins with a tragedy.

“I am going to present a human drama where hope blooms at the edge of happiness and desperation, after a series of ordeals and hardships.”

Watch the trailer here.

5. Children (2011)

When five boys went out to spend the national holiday catching frogs at Mount Waryong and never returned, it was bound to create a media frenzy.

The group disappeared on March 26, 1991 but their bodies were only found 11 years later.

The initial cause of death was believed to be hypothermia. Further investigation, however, revealed that three of the skulls showed blunt-force trauma and one had been shot in the head with a shotgun.

Not only does this case remain unsolved, but the statute of limitations on this case expired in 2006.

Besides Children (2011), the incident also inspired a 1992 movie called Come Back, Frog Boys.

Watch the trailer.

6.Way Back Home (2013)

In 2004, the French immigration authority arrested a Korean housewife named Jang Mi Jeong upon her arrival at Paris Orly Airport.

She claimed she was asked by a family friend, whom she had known for more than 10 years, to bring a bag of uncut diamonds to France.

That bag of precious stones turned out to be some 17kg of cocaine.

The movie follows the case which led Jang to serve two years in prison in Martinique, an island in the Carribean Sea.

The filming of this movie took place over three weeks at a women’s prison in Martinique. It features actual guards and prisoners as supporting characters.

Watch the trailer here.

7. The Case of Itaewon Homicide (2009)

When two friends are suspected of murder, it could turn into a “he said, she said” situation which is what happened in The Case of Itaewon Homicide.

In the actual murder which was called the Itaewon Burger King Murder, Arthur Patterson and Edward Lee were accused of fatally stabbing Hongik college student Jo Jung Pil in 1997.

Lee was freed a year later due to lack of evidence. As for Patterson whose father was a former US army officer, he was released on special amnesty.

After the release of this film, Jo Jong Pil’s family demanded the case to be reopened. DNA evidence discovered by authorities revealed Patterson as the killer.

Critics praised Jang Geun Suk who played Robert J. Pearson (character inspired by Patterson) for his first English-speaking role in this movie.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Jiseul (2012)

Jiseul is set during the Jeju Uprising or Jeju Massacre, an insurgency on Jeju Island following an anticommunist suppression campaign that lasted from April 3, 1948 until May 1949.

This movie, however, does not focus on the suppression but rather on the true story of a group of villagers who hid in a cave for 60 days to escape military attack.

They struggled with cold and hunger, surviving on jiseul (potato in Jeju dialect).

The movie was the first Korean film to have won the prestigious World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

9.The Chaser (2008)

The Chaser is loosely based on Yoo Young Chul, a convicted serial killer and self-confessed cannibal.

Yoo admitted to killing 21 people, mostly prostitutes or masseuses and wealthy old men although he was only convicted of 20 as one case was dismissed on technicality.

His backstory or motives seem straight out of an episode of Criminal Minds as he says he hated the rich due to his childhood raised in poverty and his former lover working as a masseuse.

Ha Jung Woo who portrayed Je Yeong Min (the character inspired by Yoo) became The Chaser’s breakout star as he garnered high praise from local and international critics.

It even gained some props from The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan who cited this as his favourite Korean movie.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Voice of a Murderer (2007)

This film is a fictionalised story based on the abduction of nine-year-old Lee Hyung Ho on Jan 29, 1991.

Although 87 calls were made to the parents demanding USD75,000 in ransom, Lee’s body was found 44 days after he went missing. What makes this even more tragic is that he was actually killed two days after being kidnapped.

Like some of the movies listed here, the killer was never caught.

In Voice of a Murderer, the boy’s name is Han Sang-woo, and it  focuses on the haunting and emotionless voice of the kidnapper as he taunts the boy’s parents, who become restless, frustrated and angry day by day.

Watch the trailer here.

Read more:

10 more South Korean movies based on real life events to watch

10 Facebook pages you must follow if you love food

Glorious Food PH

If you love food but spend most of your time on social media than in the kitchen, here are 10 Facebook pages you’ll want to follow.

Be warned! These Facebook pages might inspire you to channel your inner Nigella Lawson and whip up something to eat!

1.Tasty

When it comes to food-related Facebook pages, somebody’s sure to mention Tasty.

It is a Buzzfeed division that produces food-related content. It is widely known for posting series of videos featuring short recipes on Facebook.

What makes it interesting is how you can watch the food being prepared from a first-person point of view.

This Facebook page was launched on July 31, 2015 and by December 2016, it gathered 77 million followers!

2.Proper Tasty

Proper Tasty is the first international adaptation of Tasty focusing on British cuisine.

It describes itself as “Food that’s tasty, tempting and a bit naughty. Unique twists on beloved British recipes you’ll want to cook. Like Tasty, but in grams not cups.”

3.Tasty Japan

What makes Japanese food so interesting is none other than their food presentations!

Only the Japanese would have thought simple fried rice could be presented as a sleeping teddy bear with a thinly fried omelette for a blanket.

Tasty Japan is a must follow page if you are looking for not just feast for your tummy but feast for your eyes.

4. BuzzFeed Food

Staying true to BuzzFeed style, this Facebook page shares listicles types of stories on food.

The headlines are borderline click-bait, but if you scan through properly, BuzzFeed Food actually shares helpful cooking tips.

And again staying true to the BuzzFeed’s identity, the page also loves to share nonsensical quizzes like ‘pick some food and we tell you what is your ultimate city’.

Nonetheless, this page is a must-follow if you love food-related humour or share-worthy cooking disasters.

5. Allrecipes

If you Google or web search any recipe, one of the top results that usually comes up is from the website www.allrecipes.com.

While you can find all its latest updates and articles on its Facebook page, you’ll also find its Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr pages with the #allrecipes hashtag.

6.Food Network

Food Network is not just a food channel but it has also spread its content to a website and magazine.

Its sister channel, Food Network Asia is also a must-follow if you are into Asian Cuisine.

7. Taste of Home

This American cooking magazine shares best-loved recipes from ordinary home cooks.

You can find tonnes of cooking tips and reviews here at this page too.

They also love to do ‘We tested these so you don’t have to’ types of articles.

8. Cooking Panda

The description of this page is a little bit quirky. It goes:

“Once upon a time lived a panda who got bored with eating just bamboo. Thus he went around the world searching for ethe best recipes and cooking them his own way to get the most delicious meals he’d ever taste. Always exploring any possibilities in the kitchen, he enjoyed more and more of his own cooking and started to think of sharing the joy with others.”

It doesn’t matter if a panda is behind this page, it still shares great video recipes and more on its website.

9. Asian Food Channel

This page is the online engagement platform for the tv show Asian Food Channel (AFC).

It claims to be the region’s leading food-focused channel that “celebrates the unique Asian culinary experience with the added touch of global flavour.”

Here you can find recipes, snippets of shows featured on the channel and contests for readers to participate.

10. The New York Times Food

The New York Times Food is an official New York Times production.

This Facebook page usually shares various recipes from desserts to main courses such as Bavarian-style soft pretzels, chicken congee and roast chicken with fennel.

Most of the posts on this page lead to its website www.nytimes.com/food.

It used to post quick and easy how-to videos and cooking live shows but they were short-lived.

As expected from New York Times, the page also occasionally shares serious food-related issues and new store openings in New York.

 

1 9 10 11