::lets learn about gastric reflux::

so.. doctor said i have gastric & acid reflux, or also called gastric reflux.. and after researching about this, i can now manage my food better so as not to trigger the gastric/acid.. basically, i cannot eat spicy, oily and acidic food.. also a few beverages like coffee (uwaaaa!!!!), soda and other acidic drinks.. gosh m so gonna miss tom yam.. and ribena.. and definitely nescafe!

*got this from gastricsymptoms.info*

Symptoms:

Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of a gastric ulcer. This pain can be burning, gnawing or aching, and it might feel similar to hunger pains. The pain occurs anywhere between the navel and the breastbone, and occasionally spreads to the back. The most common location for gastric ulcer pain is just beneath the rib cage on the left side of the body. Gastric ulcer pain frequently attacks within two to three hours of eating a meal but can also occur at night when the stomach is empty.

Indigestion

Another common gastric ulcer symptom is indigestion, which typically involves a burning sensation in the middle of the chest. This indigestion can make a gastric ulcer sufferer burp, belch or hiccup quite frequently. Some gastric ulcer patients feel a slight choking sensation during a bout of indigestion. The indigestion usually disappears after taking an acid reducer or an antacid. This symptom is frequently mistaken for simple heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Other Symptoms

Gastric ulcer patients can suffer from a host of other symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, weakness and pale skin. Gastric ulcers occasionally produce scar tissue that obstructs the passage of food through an individual’s digestive tract. This can cause the patient to vomit frequently or feel quite full after eating very little. Some individuals report feeling bloated after eating, while others complain of significantly decreased appetite levels. All of these factors can cause unintentional weight loss.

Bleeding Gastric Ulcers

Bleeding gastric ulcer can trigger less common but potentially more serious symptoms. A bleeding ulcer can cause a patient to throw up bright red blood or to vomit digested blood that looks similar to brown coffee grounds. A bleeding ulcer might also cause a patient to pass stools that contain dark red blood or to pass black stools that look like tar. All of these are signs of a severe gastric ulcer. Any individual suffering from these symptoms should schedule an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Gastric Reflux occurs when the tube used to intake food is not strong enough to handle the acid. The food you eat is digested by the stomach with the help of an acid produced and stored by it.  The stomach walls are built strong enough to store that acid without causing damage. A general rule is to avoid large meals, fatty or spicy food and avoid eating before you sleep.

We will start with a checklist of common foods to avoid. The following foods will exacerbate your gastric reflux.

Meat: in particular beef. Since meat contains a lot of protein, more acid is needed to digest it.

Processed Food: these foods contain additives. Additives contain concentrated acid that help maintain and prolong the shelf life of food.

Soda/ Carbonated Beverages: these beverages can contain the following ingredients; acetic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and phosphoric acid.

Now lets go over some foods that will help your gastric reflux

Fruits: Pineapple and papaya are good because they help neutralize the acid in your stomach

Vegetables: try the following green beans, peas, carrots, and broccoli

Grains: most all grains are safe to eat

Mineral water: best beverage, will never upset your gastric reflux

In summary the following foods are safe:

-apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken breast, fish, fat free or low fat cheese, whole grain bread, brown bread.

While the following foods are unsafe:

-citrus fruits, cranberry juice, tomatoes and tomato based food, peppers, onions, spicy food, most of the dairy products, caffeine, high fat foods, cheese, fatty cuts of meat, alcohol and chocolate.

on a bright side, hope this will help me lose more weight!! hihihi.. ^_^

::blood test result::

yesterday i had to do a blood test.. please read this entry for clearer understanding of this entry.. :)

alhamdulillah.. my blood test result is NEGATIVE.. means i dont have h.pylori.. alhamdulillah.. but.. wat do i have then.. the answer to this question can only be answered on thursday, as i just found out the doc i saw yesterday is only on duty on monday n thursday..

::adoi sakitnya peruttttttt::

i have been having stomach problems for a few days already.. i mean it has been recurring for 3 days now.. usually it will be on and off, on and off.. this will not be my 1st time experiencing this kinda discomfort and illness.. i had it first time during my degree years, but it wasnt serious.. then when i started working for a particular boss at my previous employer in 2007, my tummy started being ill again.. docs said i got gastric.. years and years after that, this doesnt go away and everytime i go to clinic, the diagnose will be either gastric or wind. 

last night after researching through the internet, with all the symptoms i have, i thought i have acid reflux.. i became more confident that i have acid reflux when i read the list of food i should avoid for prevention.. 

today, my tummy became worse.. so after lunch i went to the doc.. he asked me a lot of questions:-

1) how long have i been having this stomach pain

2) when m having the pain, and when i eat, do i feel painful immediately or after i finished eating

3) do i vomit after food intake

and mcm2 lg la.. tak igt da..

i asked if i have acid reflux and he said no.. then i had to give my blood sample, fearing tat i may have h.pylori.. i will have my result in 2 days, m hoping it is just a simple gastric problem, and not h.pylori.. :(

what is h.pylori? putting it in laymen terms, it means my stomach may be infected by a bacteria..

the signs and symptoms are:- 

Although over 80% of individuals infected with the bacterium are asymptomatic,^[1] symptoms associated with H. pylori can be vague or vary over time. They may be nonspecific, or caused by other conditions. Inflammation of, or damage to the stomach lining (gastritis) by H. pylorimay cause mild or serious reactions to the stomach's contents—stomach ache or abdominal pain, acid reflux, regurgitation, vomiting,belching, flatulence, and nausea.

If untreated for a long time, H. pylori infections may be related to several serious illnesses: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers (duodenal or gastric ulcers), and cancers of the esophagus and stomach.

the signs n symptoms i can say i have 80% of them.. aiyoh so scary.. i agreed to a blood test when the doc mentioned that this thing if untreated for a long time, can cause cancer.. esp when i've been having this for 4 years already.. even if i have h.pylori, i hope it is still in its early stage where it is still treatable via medicines.. on top of everything, i was also diagnosed with low blood pressure.. haihhh.. 

i was advised by the doc to rest a lot, jgn stress2 sgt, and eat regularly, dont skip any meal, dont eat oily & acidic food.. 

hope i get well soon, and hope i dont have h.pylori.. ^_^

::another meal plan ideas::

salam all, hope this helps to those who wants to lose weight.. 

most of the items mmg i tgh buat skrg, so this looks ok to me hehe.. to those yg tak leh tinggal nasi dont fret, coz this meal plan ada nasi!! ^_^

Upon wake up	A glass of water
Breakfast	Toasted wholemeal bread (2 pcs) + fruit jam (avoid peanut butter)
7am – 930am	OR
	Fiber biscuits (4 pcs)
	OR
	Cereal/Nestum
	OR
	Toast + 2 hard boiled eggs
Tea Break	Fruits/Yogurt (avoid durian, mango, banana)
10am – 12pm
Lunch	Nasi campur (1/2 rice + 2 x vegetables + 1 x protein (fish/tofu/chicken)
12pm – 2pm	OR
	Soupy noodles (soup/tom yam) – avoid mee, kueytiaw
	OR
	Spaghetti
	OR
	Grilled salmon/chicken + 1 bowl salad
Tea break	Fiber biscuits (4 pcs)
Before 4pm	OR
	Fruits + Yogurt (avoid durian, mango, banana)
Dinner	Soup + unlimited vegetables + protein
Before 8pm	OR
	Protein ONLY (steam chicken/fish/egg/tofu)
	OR
	Vegetables ONLY

::breakfast ideas::

got this info from 'the malaysian women's weekly'.. for now, i share their breakfast ideas, as for lunch n dinner, later2 la k.. 

2 boiled/poached eggs on a single wholemeal bread with 1 tbsp of low-fat spread 

oats porridge with dried raisin 

2 fat-free chapattis with kuah dal

 fish congee/porridge 

beehoon soup with fish balls

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so if u noticed, they propose beehoon and porridge which i dont eat kan.. because my breakfast are mostly kat kedai, so my options are quite limited.. i usually opt for roti bakar, sometimes with half boiled eggs.. if i can get fruits, i will eat banana before everything else.. usually 1 banana pun da kenyang giler.. and since i dont eat oats porridge, i opt for muesli cereal with fresh fruits if possible.. :)

::back to diet journey::

as some of you may know, m back on the dieting track, hopefully this time lama sikit la.. m just like most of u yg selalu hangat2 tahi ayam hahahaha..

*pic from google. tats not my weight tau! hihihihi.. ^_^

so after reading the article about rice, ajoy and i have decided to slash rice, kuey tiaw, meehoon, laksa and semua la yg rice based food.. alhamdulillah after a week, we managed to shed about 2kg.. 

we're also trying to avoid processed sauces such as chilli sauce, tomato sauce, oyster sauce, etc. kalau nk amik pun sikit2 je la, just for taste.. why? because these products contains a lot of sodium, tat results in water retention in our body. or in layman term ~ gemok air. and of course, do not take mayonnaise, thousand island, tartar sauce or apa2 yg mayo base.. 99% fat tau!! unless amik yg 0% fat ok la kan.. ada ke? hehehe.. so now i eat lots of vege n fruits, more than before.. 

i used to exercise a lot before keje, but now mmg takde masa.. i believe tat is one of the reason my body makin naik n makin naik.. haihhh... so now m determined to start my own exercise regimen at home.. tp kalau at home mmg malas yg amatttt.. esp lepas balik keje tu.. but come to think about it, this lack of energy is also due to lack of exercise kan..

well lets see how long this will last, and how much weight shed.. hihihi.. wish me luck!

Eat Less Rice? Why???

got this from my mum.. hope u can benefit from this too.. ^_^

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Eat Less Rice?? WHY?????

The human body was never meant to consume rice! You see, our genes have hardly changed in more than 30,000 years. However, our food choices and lifestyle have changed dramatically. The caveman would hardly recognise our food or way of life. Caveman food was never cooked as fire was not yet tamed. Thus, he ate only those foods that you can eat without treatment with or by fire. He ate fruits, vegetables, fish (sushi anyone?), eggs, nuts and meat. Yes, even meat! You can even eat meat raw if you were starving in the forest. You have the necessary enzymes to digest meat. 

However, rice, like wheat and corn, cannot be eaten raw. It must be cooked. Even if you were starving in the desert, you cannot eat rice in the raw form. This is because we do not have the system of enzymes to break rice down. You were never meant to eat rice. To make matters worse, you not only eat rice, but also make it the bulk of your food.

In some parts of Asia, rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Even if you take rice, keep it to a minimum. Remember, it is only for your tongue - not your body. Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are actually worse than sugar.

There are many reasons: 

Rice becomes sugar - lots of it!

This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no different from sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or herbal rice. Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. To get the same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong-10 bowls of it. 

 Rice is digested to become sugar. 
Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy. Rice is very low in the 'rainbow of anti-oxidants. '

This complete anti-oxidant rainbow is necessary for the effective and safe utilisation of sugar. Fruits come with a sugar called fructose. However, they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation and digestion.

Rice has no fibre. 
The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before your blood sugar spikes. This is because the fibre bulks and fills up your stomach. Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of 'calorie dense' food before you get filled up. Brown rice has more fibre but still the same amount of sugar.

Rice is tasteless-sugar is sweet. 

There is only so much that you can eat at one sitting. How many teaspoons of sugar can you eat before you feel like throwing up? Could you imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar in one seating?

Rice is always the main part of the meal.

While sugar may fill your dessert or sweeten your coffee, it will never be the main part of any meal. You could eat maybe two to three teaspoons of sugar at one meal. However, you could easily eat the equal value of two to three bowls (20-30 teaspoons) of sugar in one meal. I am always amused when I see someone eat sometimes five bowls of rice (equals 50 teaspoons of sugar) and then asks for tea tarik kurang manis! 

There is no real 'built in' mechanism for us to prevent overeating of rice: 
How much kangkong can you eat? 
How much fried chicken can you eat? 
How much steamed fish can you eat? 
Think about that! 

In one seating, you cannot take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of rice. Eating rice causes you to eat more salt. As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt-another villain when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and soy sauce which are also rich in salt. 

Eating rice causes you to drink less water. 
The more rice you eat, the less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the overeating of rice. Rice, wheat and corn come hidden in our daily food. As rice is tasteless, it tends to end up in other foods that substitute rice like rice flour, noodles and bread. We tend to eat the hidden forms which still get digested into sugar. 

 Rice, even when cooked, is difficult to digest. 
Can't eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is 'heavy stuff'. If you have problems with digestion, try skipping 
rice for a few days. You will be amazed at how the problem will just go away. 

Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals. 
Rice when taken in bulk will reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc, iron and the B vitamins. 

Are you a rice addict? Going rice-less may not be easy but you can go rice-less. Eating less rice could be lot easier than you think. Here are some strategies that you can pursue in your quest to eat less rice: 

Eat less rice-cut your rice by half. 

Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises 'eating rice like spice'. Instead, increase your fruits and vegetables. Take more lean meats and fish. You can even take more eggs and nuts. 

Have 'riceless' meals. 
Take no rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for eggs instead. 

Go on 'riceless' days. 
Go 'western' once a week. 

Take no rice and breads for one day every week. 
That can't be too difficult. Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colours and smells. Make eating a culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the original flavours. 

Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup or chili sauce. 
You will automatically eat less rice. 

Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals. 
The fibre rich fruits will 'bulk up' in your stomach. Thus, you will eat less rice and more fruits.

 


It's your life. Decide what you want to eat! But eat less rice!

::acceptance::

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(enlarge for better view)

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another lazy entry.. just got back from penang.. day trip pulak tu.. penat giler!

~11 foods for faster, easier weight loss~

got this from yahoo.. hope i can benefit from this too hehehe..

-----------------------------------

Hold this thought: To lose weight effectively and permanently, you need to eat. And eat smart. Happily,  nature designed a lot of delicious edibles to turn up your fat-burning furnace, flatten your belly, and take a big bite out of your appetite. Here are 11 of the get-slim food gems we're talking about.

1) yogurt

Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine.

2) eggs

Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day

3) Pistachios

Nuts may be high in fat, but it's the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight

4) Grapefruit

Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer

5) Avocado

This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating.

6) Mushrooms

If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat

7) Olive Oil

This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating

8) Whole Grains

Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta.

9) Red Pepper

Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day.

10) Fava Beans

Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat

11) Rice With Veggies!!!

Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch.

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p/s: entry malas.. hehe.. sorry.. agak bz lately.. ni pun break otak kejap..