Cassandra's Exam Week

It is not that a stressful exam week as I had imagined it would be.  I guess I have gotten used to going through exam week with the girls for 10 years now.  But I was a tad panicky when the Mandarin tutor Whatsapped me on Monday morning to inform that she'd fallen ill and couldn't come.  Chinese language is Cass' weakest subject and the tutor could not come on the eve of Cass' Chinese paper. And the next day, the tutor Whatsapped me again to inform that she was still sick and thus, could not come on the eve of Cass' Science paper. So I enlisted the help of the mil to guide Cass 😁

Last night, I did some Science revision with Cass and had to rely on Google Translator. I also googled for the tooth anatomy in English when I went through the tooth anatomy (in Chinese) with Cass. I solicited Drama Queen's help to test Cass on some Science questions.

Just now when Cass came back from school, she told me that the Science test paper today was easy. I asked if all her friends said it was easy too and yup, they did.  Strong competition from smart kids from the top class!

On the day after the Chinese language papers, Cass told me that she didn't know how to answer many questions. It's OK, even if Cass fails to remain in the top class next year, I am perfectly fine with it.  I want Cass to continue to look forward going to school everyday (thank God she still prefers to be in school than at home!) and I want her to be an all-rounder and be happy everyday. Let me tell you that she hates doing revision and does not quite have the discipline to revise on her own yet. She gets very crabby and cantankerous when asked to sit down continuously for an hour to study.



Cass during a break from revision and all absorbed in her Enid Blyton novel. 

Cass has been reading so many Enid Blyton novels these days that her spoken English is getting very British.  The other day I asked Cass' opinion on a pink dress that I wore and she commented "the dress is too pale a pink" 😀




My lunch today of nasi kerabu. I shared this with the mil. This is home cooked and a Malay lady in the neighborhood sells it outside her house every morning. It's one of the best nasi kerabu I have tasted. She cooks insanely delish nasi dagang (with curry tuna fish / ikan tongkol) too.  YUMMMSSS!!

Gloomy Wednesday - 26 April 2017

Today I am feeling a tad melancholy. In the car just now, whilst the hubs was driving, I took the opportunity to check all my Facebook updates from friends and fans on my mobile phone while I enjoyed being chauffeured around. Within a short span of 15 minutes browsing Facebook, I read about the demise of 3 friends from Facebook. What saddens me so deeply is that these ladies are still too young. One of them is a young mother in her early thirties with 2 little girls aged below five. Her death came so sudden that it's so surreal.  None of her friends could believe that she's gone in a flash.  The other lady is a mother in her late thirties with kids aged below 10.  And the third is a 47-year old lady. Her loved one who posted the announcement on Facebook on her passing used the word "she has migrated for good".   I didn't ask how they passed on as their loved ones must be so grieved now. They must be busy preparing for the wake and funeral.

It struck me again that our life on earth is so fleeting and we'll never guess when God wants us back to be with Him. It could be today, tomorrow, a year from now or 50 years from now. Anytime. Unexpected, unbeknownst and without warning.  I am one who gets the hung up easily over everything and I have lots of "what ifs" constantly running on my mind.  I then asked myself a question: "What if today is my last day here?"  Have I been happy on my last day? Was I angry? Did I live my life to the fullest?   Did I tell my loved ones that I love them?  Did I leave with a bag of regrets?

Next week I will be seeking a third opinion from a gynae whom my friend strongly recommended. I have exchanged messages via Whatsapp with this gynae and she has suggested a minimally invasive surgery called transcervical resection of fibroid process to remove the fibroid (either whole of partially) from my uterus. It has low risks and I could go home the next day... IF all falls into place nicely.  But a surgery is still a surgery and every surgery carries with it risks.  The gynae has to first perform an ultrasound scan to see the position of the fibroid before she could confirm that this procedure is viable as this can only be done if the fibroid is inside the uterus and not outside of it.

My ertswhile boss lost it all on the OT table during a surgical procedure. He was not even 60 yet. A minister's son recently died while having a dental procedure carried out under GA at a dental clinic.  I have a lot of reservations about going through another surgery (I have gone through 4 major surgeries in my life) but everyone who knows  my problem has advised me to get the fibroid removed.  So yeah, it looks like I will have to go through a surgery even though I am scared shit of all the "what ifs" that could go wrong during the surgery. I am totally not ready to 'migrate for good' yet but like what another friend told me recently, our life is fated. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Our Sunday - 23 April 2017

Today is Jogathon Sunday for Alycia.  I woke up at 4:45 a.m. (on a Sunday!) to get Alycia ready.  Her friend came to our place at 5:30 a.m. and the hubs uber-ed the girls to the place for flag-off at 6:30 a.m.

A banana and Izumio for the big girl to power charge her up for a 2-hour jog. 💪

We met Alycia and her friend at Mid Valley at 11:30 a.m. and had brunch with them at Purple Cane. We wanted to eat at Village Duck and Canton-I but these restaurants were full to the brim. We didn't want to queue up.

Green curry chicken with potato, tofu and sauteed pumpkin with cabbage.

This bowl of curry noodles has a tinge of Chinese tea leaves in the broth.

Braised beef with radish and tea leaves.

Sauteed 'chee cheong fun' with pine nuts, onions and tea leaves.

Deep fried 'yau tiu' with yam and fried chicken.

Fried 'lui char' rice with green tea.

After brunch, I did some shopping at Daiso with Cass while the rest of them had coffee and cakes.  

Below - Alycia with her friend.

Alycia is super proud with the medal that she received after the jogathon today. She didn't get any  medal at last year's jogathon.  She is now determined to participate in more jogathons and marathons!

Cass and I entered a contest organized by Mid Valley / The Gardens and submitted this picture to the mall's Instagram page. I wonder what's in store for the winners.  I submitted in the name of fun 😁

Back home, it is back to the grind - revision with Cass and slavery duties. Cass' first term exam is scheduled for Tuesday this week through the following Tuesday after Labour Day. Wishing her loads of luck in her exam!

Mulberry Leaves Powder

The latest health food added to my daily health regimen is organic mulberry leaves powder. Basically, I am adding more chlorophyll into my diet.  I have been drinking a teaspoon of organic lemongrass powder, half a teaspoon of organic green lemon powder together with a teaspoon of Bentong ginger powder every day for the past one month. Now, I rotate lemongrass powder with organic mulberry leaves powder.


Mulberry leaves


Chlorophyll is a pigment found in all green plants. This includes leafy greens and other veggies we commonly eat, plus certain types of algae or bacteria. Chlorophyll is packed with a range of powerful nutrients. It is a good source of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K and beta carotene. Chlorophyll is rich in antioxidants, vital minerals such as magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and essential fatty acids.

Chlorophyll aids in restoring and replenishing the red blood cells, which is excellent for me as I am anemic.

Below: my organic mulberry leaves drink.  Sometimes I drink it on its own. Most times, I mix it with Bentong ginger powder and organic green lemon powder with a small cube of ginger brown sugar.




Mulberry leaf contains 18 amino acids, minerals and vitamins such as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, and vitamin A-B1-2. The most important ingredients are ‘phytosterol’ and ‘gamma-amino acid’ which help to decrease cholesterol level in the blood and high blood pressure.

Healthy digestion -- The Chinese use this tea to regulate the digestive system, as it's loaded with both potassium and fiber. You'll find that the tea also promotes healthy gut bacteria - ensuring proper digestion.

Heart health -- The tea has antioxidants that can fight cholesterol and lower your blood pressure, so it's definitely a heart-smart beverage.

Blocks enzymes -- Mulberry leaf tea has been known to block the enzymes that break down carbs and sugar in your stomach, thereby reducing the amount of sugar absorbed into your body.

Keeps liver healthy -- The leaves are known to be effective at detoxifying the body, which can clear up a lot of the toxins that are clogging up your liver.





You can get a wide range of organic plant based powder from De Market supermarket, at the organic food section.

Mother In Law's Tongue

I had a good laugh today when Cass told me that she saw a plant with a label 'Mother In Law's Tongue' in the garden of her school.  I never knew that the Snake Plant is also called Mother In Law's Tongue! What a name to describe a plant 😆

I can see why it is aptly named Mother In Law's Tongue as the plant has long, sword like leaves that are toxic. Some people have evil mothers in law with sword like tongues that only spew out toxic and hurtful words. 😰






Did you know that if cats or dogs ingest parts of this plant it can cause them to feel unwell?  Your pet will start to vomit or have diarrhea. They are not highly toxic but still can cause uncomfortable symptoms to cats and dogs.

Do you have Mother In Law's Tongue at home? 😝

Sisters Forever

They fight like cats and dogs, they bicker over trivial issues but they are still the best of friends at the end of the day.

When I am too busy with work to steal even 15 minutes to test Drama Queen on her BM Tatabahasa, I will enlist the help of Alycia to do the testing on her sister. With my method of tutoring BM to Alycia, she had always scored 'A' in her BM Paper 1 in all her primary school exams. BM Tatabahasa (grammar in Malay language) is all about memorizing (since BM is not our first language) and purging out by way of doing lots of exercises. With less than 5 months away to the UPSR exam, I am putting pressure on Drama Queen to memorize all the different scopes that fall under the Tatabahasa every day with me testing her at the end of the day.

Picture below - Alycia testing Drama Queen in Kata Kerja, Sinonim, Antonim and Peribahasa.

Learning A Musical Instrument

Are you an adult that has a deep interest in learning a musical instrument? You're not alone. There are a lot of people that have felt the calling to play a musical instrument but never got the chance for a variety of reasons. Maybe you were too busy with sports growing up or your parents didn't see the value in it.

Many adults are turned off from learning the piano because they don't think they will ever be able to get good at it. It is a fact that children are better at learning new things because the human brain is designed for it in that stage of life. There is some truth to this, but you shouldn't let it make you shy away from attempting to learn a new hobby. Here are some tips that will help any adult learn the piano.

1. Play music you like - You probably aren't setting out to become a master piano player who can play all styles of music without fail. Start out by learning some of your favorite songs in your favorite genre of music. First, this will make you more excited to learn because it's fun for you. Second, most music is related, so learning one thing will also help you learn other styles.

2. Get a Teacher - If you have the time, hire a private teacher. These pros will get you started on developing good habits and technique right off the bat, making it much easier for you down the road as you get into more complicated and difficult styles of music. The cost of a private instructor is well worth what you get out of it.

3. Play With Others - If you have friends that play an instrument, try to set up a "jam session". Playing with other people is one of the joys of playing an instrument and will also help you pick up on things you might not have found on your own or through music workbooks.

4. Be Patient - Don't give up. Nothing worth having will come to you easily. There are going to be moments when you get so frustrated that you want to give up, but don't let these deter you because, for every one of those moments, there is a moment of self-discovery and improvement that cannot be matched in any other way. The rewards of playing a musical instrument are unmatched by another discipline.

Shrunken Teviron Singlet

Early last week, my beloved Electrolux washing machine of 8.5 years konked out with clothes and soapy water inside the machine a quarter way into the cycle.  The washing machine technician came and carted it away.  I was devastated. Life is so miserable without my most trusted and helpful electrical gadget around.

When the washing machine door was opened, the soapy water flooded the kitchen floor.  After cleaning up the mess, I quickly put the soaking wet clothes in a pail and hurried off to the laundry shop without even checking what clothes were inside the pail as I had to send food to school for Cass and Drama Queen who were staying back for CoCo activities that day.

When I collected the clothes from the laundry shop in the evening, I was in for a big rude shock when I opened the plastic bag of clothes.  Cass' Teviron negative ion singlet shrunk to half its size!!  And the material hardened too, as if it was coated by a layer of starch.

When Cass saw her singlet, she was in tears. She was very, very upset as this is the singlet that she's been wearing almost every night for the past 3.5 years.

And I was very, very upset as the Teviron singlet cost me about RM200!!  Though it is already worn for 3 years, it is still a very costly imported singlet from Japan.  Oh why didn't I check the clothes before dropping them at the laundry shop?! 😭




Fortunately Cass still has another Teviron singlet. She was really upset that day and was in tears for the longest time. I consoled her and put the shrunken singlet on her favorite soft toy, Lammie the baby lamb and said that the Teviron singlet is now Lammie's night gown 😁

Health Freak Mommy 10th Anniversary

Health Freak Mommy was created in April 2007. This year marks her 10th anniversary in the world wide web, WOW!  Can't believe that I have been blogging for 10 years already!!

Admittedly, my main purpose of setting up a blog back then was to monetize the blog to earn some side income. But after years of blogging and having  made so many good friends and loyal fans from blogging, the main purpose of retaining my three blogs now is PASSION and love.  At times, I have thoughts of giving up on blogging due to lack of time and lost of mojo to keep blogging. Sometimes, just to fill up the space, I write vapid articles.  Sometimes my mind goes blank for days and I struggle to purge out something just to update my blogs. But how can I just let my three 'babies' turn orphans and left hanging in the world wide web neglected with cob webs?  So I guess you'll still be reading crap from my blogs for some time 😁

April is also a special month for me. It is the birth month of Cass, my youngest daughter. In a few days, my baby girl will turn 9. Cass has really come a long, long way from being a sickly baby. Though she still has battles to fight now, which I will be rooting for her all the way, I am pretty sure we can overcome all of them with her positive attitude and determination of steel. 💪💪

Little Friday Jaunt

This morning while our girls were in school, I had a little jaunt in KL with the hubs and the mil in search of street food and food supplies for the hubs' catering events.

First stop was at Unifrozen @ Jalan Chan Sow Lin for the hubs to get his catering paraphernalia. Then we went to tuck into our favorite Ipoh style 'kai si hor fun' (flat rice noodles with shredded chicken) and bean sprouts at San Peng. It's one of the best 'kai si hor fun' and bean sprouts we could find in KL and comes really close to the real deal in our beloved hometown of Ipoh.

After chomping down a bowl of noodles, my foodie hubs said he wanted to eat Indian rice, which is supposedly one of the best in KL.  Oh. my. gawd!  I was SO full already. 

He brought us to the famous SS Spicy Restoran at Kg Attap to tuck into some Indian rice.  It was my first time there.

Upon entering the little stall under a tree, the smell of fried chicken and Indian curry wafted in the air. Oh. my. gawd. Though I was full to my throat, I was drowning in the aroma of Indian food, which is one of my favorite cuisines.  Hubs was beaming with excitement. He is happiest when surrounded with food.  He quickly got a plate and began to help himself to the scrumptious dishes.

SS Spicy is located beneath a huge tree in Jalan Kampung Attap and has survived for more than 20 years with no real identity, except for their tasty food that has customers coming back for more. Going by the many names their customers have concocted including “Bawah Pokok”, “SSSC food stall”, “Sivam corner” and “Suresh Corner”, this little stall has its roots firmly planted in the area. Serving the best of Indian cuisine, the stall serves customers from all walks of life, regardless of race and religion.

This dry style chicken varuval dish caught my eyes and I told the hubs to scoop out a few pieces for us to try...

After waiting for 15-20 minutes, the super crispy deep fried chicken (kampung chicken drumsticks) arrived, right out from the hot pot of oil and sizzling hot. I dared not lay my hands on the chicken, lest I get a badly inflamed throat right away.  By the time we finished the plate of rice with dishes (one plate shared by 3 of us), we could not stuff the fried chicken down our throats anymore. We doggy bagged the chicken home for dinner.

By the way, the fried kampung chicken drumstick costs RM8 each!   Total bill came out to RM41.50 for the 3 of us (only 1 plate of rice with a few small portions of dishes) and 3 pieces of fried chicken.

The plate of rice that we shared.. I had forgotten to snap a picture and only remembered half way through eating... The deep fried fish was sinfully delish too.

After tucking into 2 heavy meals, we went to Lee's Frozen where hubs bought his supply of frozen meat, et al.  

We reached home just in time to receive Drama Queen and Cass who got back from school. 

I truly enjoy little jaunts like this when the kids are in school 😁

Women And Motorbikes

With the cost of petrol rising steadily, it is no longer economical to drive a small cc engine car.  I own a Hyundai i10 with small engine. When the hubs first bought me the car for my birthday exactly 3 years ago (how time flies!), it only cost RM50 to fill up the petrol tank full to the brim.  These days, it cost almost RM80 to fill the tank up!  And the quarterly servicing does not come cheap too!

With all these added costs and stress of being caught up regularly in the infamous KL snarled up traffic, I sometimes have fleeting thoughts of switching to a motorbike!  No no, I am not talking about the regular kapcai motorbike. I am talking about those cool and low motorbikes for ladies, like a Vespa. I could have the motorbike modified and sprayed in my favorite color, PINK 💗

Would you mind riding on any one of these pink motorbikes for ladies?


I could have the motorbike fixed with cool accessories for a more practical use.











I would still use my car only when I need to Uber my children around.  Most of the time, I would drive the  motorbike around my neighborhood to get groceries and run errands.  So much time and money can be saved with a motorbike. Getting a place to park with a motorbike is easy peasy too, not to mention cheaper fuel consumption.

Owning one of those cool accessorized motorbikes for ladies is a fashion icon too. Seriously, I really wouldn't mind owning a cool pink motorbike for ladies.  It wouldn't cost a bomb too.

One great site for buy and sell motorcycles and their accessories is iMotorbike.my.  It's a one-stop site for motorbike enthusiasts. Do check them out.

Samo Is Sold

The little Samoyed pup is finally sold, after 9  months. Samo was sold 3 weeks ago at age 10 months old.  😭

After piano lesson on that Saturday, we strolled next door to the pet shop. We could not see the white fluffy Samoyed that we named Samo anywhere in the cubicles, waiting for Cass to visit her. We went inside the pet shop and asked the assistants if the white Samo was sold and to our greatest disappointment, we heard the word "YES, Xiao Pai is sold!"  For a moment, Cass almost teared, and so did I.  😢  The pet shop girls had named her Xiao Pai.

We then learned that Samo was sold to a pet cafe in Kepong at a whopping price of RM8,300! When Cass heard that Samo can still be traced, she asked if we could bring her to the pet cafe in Kepong. But it's way too far for us baby girl.   In the car on our ride home, Cass persuaded me to bring her to visit Samo on her birthday.

The next Saturdays that followed, we saw new cute little pups in the pet shop but none of them tugged at our heartstrings the way Samo did. Cass has nothing much to look forward to after piano class on Saturdays now. We now hope that the owner of the pet shop will import another Samoyed. Well, maybe this time we will buy the Samoyed... but until and unless we move to a landed property. Slim chance for now...








Good-bye Samo. May you be loved and showered with lots of hugs and love everyday at your new home.

Cobs Organic Popcorn

Cobs organic popcorn is by far the best (healthy yet tasty) ever popcorn we have ever tasted.  We still like Garrette's popcorn, but we find their range too sweet (and pricey too) and doubt that they use organic corn.  We still buy Garrette's popcorn occasionally on cheat days.

I chanced upon Cobs organic popcorn while browsing at the organic food section at Jaya Grocer. Cob's organic popcorn has this irresistible combo of organic raw cane sugar and and sea salt on sun-ripened organic corn with just the right proportions of sweetness and saltiness. The popcorn is:

Gluten free
Cholesterol free
100% organic
GM (genetically modified)-free ingredients
Kosher certified


I am definitely going back for more! It's a healthy snack that our girls and I can snack on sans the guilt.

Good Laugh

The hubs came home just now, with his sweaty shirt taken off after a run at the park. As he was walking towards the lift area from his car, he saw a teenage girl jog past him. He called out to the girl -- "wei, wei, where are you going?" thinking that she's Alycia as the girl looked just like Alycia. But the girl ignored him and ran away even faster. 🙀

Upon entering the door of our house, the hubs asked me whether Alycia had gone jogging. On hearing this, Alycia darted out from her room. The hubs then told us about his embarrassing moment calling out to the girl. We all had a good eye-tearing guffaw, especially with how he was looking - a fat shirtless man wolf calling out to a girl in the dark (it was 9pm).  We all hoped that the girl wouldn't remember the hubs' face, else she would blacklist him as the humsup pervert who lives in the condo 😆😆

Guitalele

Drama Queen has always wanted to learn the ukulele.  This year, her school engaged a teacher to teach ukulele to the students on CoCo days at a fee cheaper than that charged by music schools and freelance teachers. She jumped at the opportunity and signed up for the class.  She has been pestering me for a new guitalele but I ain't going to buy her one just yet, lest she loses interest in this musical instrument. She can use Alycia's ukulele for the time being. If her interest in ukulele is still strong by next year, I shall buy her a new guitalele. Just in case you are wondering what's a guitalele, check it out at MusiciansFriend.com

Miss Efficient

Lately, Cass has been pretty efficient at completing her homework, mainly because I have a 'reward plan' in place for her.  On her daily in-house timetable, she gets 1/2 hour - 1 hour of screen time on the phone IF she completes all her school homework, tuition homework, homework from tiger mom and practises her piano everyday. If she doesn't plan her time well, if she dawdles away her time, she gets no reward and goes straight to bed at 9:30 p.m.  Bed time on school-going days is set at 9:30 p.m.

This morning, she got up at 7 a.m. despite it being a school holiday. She must have been woken up by Drama Queen who needed to go to school for UPSR preparation classes. After downing a packet of Izumio, Cass poured out some organic passion fruit cookies into a bowl and began doing her school homework while munching on the cookies. This is a rare sight to behold. With a time-table  in place, Cass is so much clearer on what needs to be done everyday.




Cass has also been very good during Mandarin tuition class lately --  earning the 1/2 hour - 1 hour of screen time is subject to her behaving REALLY well during Mandarin tuition class.  So she has to earn her reward with no temper tantrums, no disobedience and no nonsense. Kids are just like adults. They need rewards to spur them to work hard and to behave well.

During the school holidays, Cass gets extra hours on her phone as long as she completes all that has to be done for the day. She's happy and I'm happy. Win win situation at home!  👍😊

Whilst The Kids Are In School

Whilst the kids are in school, we do naughty things together.  Just kidding 😆 Nah,  we go to makan places that we don't normally bring the kids to and eat food that we don't usually order when they are with us.

Yesterday we went to the Mamak restaurant after collecting my car from the service center.  We had spicyllicious food. The nasi lemak with sambal sotong was super duper burning but absolutely bang on! 👍


 


After breakfast, we went to the supermarket to get some groceries; then to a newly opened fish market (Sui-San Fish Market) to get some fresh fish. I was too stuffed to put in more food into my mouth but hubs and his makan buddy, Alan Yun ordered grilled salmon and sashimi from the fish market. At Sui-San Fish Market, you can pick the fishes of your choice and have them cooked to your desire. There's a wide selection of fresh and frozen fishes and the prices are reasonable too.

When the sashimi scallop arrived, my curiosity got the better of me. Not that I was hungry or love rawsome seafood, but I  was eager to get a taste of raw scallop. Not bad. It was very sweet and fresh, albeit with a tinge of fishy smell. I dipped the raw scallop with lots of wasabi to safeguard my guts from bacteria.  Did you know that wasabi is antibacterial and can safeguard your guts against H. pylori?  That's why the Japanese eat their sashimi with wasabi.

 

Ginger To Prevent Menstrual Cramps

My latest natural remedy to relieve menstrual cramps is ginger powder.  I mix 1 teaspoon of pure Bentong ginger powder with 1/2 cube of ginger brown sugar to about 300ml of warm water.  This ginger tonic is not only aromatic but very soothing.  I drink it 2-3 times a day on the first two days of my Aunt Flow when I experience cramps. On non-menstruation days, I drink this tonic once a day.




Ginger has been effective in relieving inflammation and pain, and it can help alleviate the pain associated with menstrual cramps. Ginger also is used for nausea and an upset stomach, symptoms that sometimes accompany menstruation. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends taking ginger two to three times a day while you are experiencing menstrual cramps.




I bought the pure Bentong ginger powder from a TCM clinic and the ginger brown sugar cubes from an organic shop. If you are unable to get these from your area, you can  boil ginger roots with a little brown sugar.



Warning! 
Although ginger tea is generally considered safe, it does have a few side effects. Do not drink ginger tea if you have peptic ulcers, as it might worsen them. Using too much ginger might cause mouth irritation, heartburn and diarrhea. Avoid ginger if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood-thinning drugs. Talk to your doctor before taking ginger if you have gallstones.

Peanut Root Soup For Growth

The big princess has been obsessed with gaining some inches to her height, no thanks to some insensitive people who always harp on her height. To me, I think she's perfectly fine with her height. At 13 years old going on 14 in December 2017, she is about 156cm. I am only 158cm and her dad is not a 6-footer. So blame in on the genes! Why do these people like to comment on her height and compare her with her peers? DUH!!

As a result, the girl has been skipping rope 2-3 times a day, doing sit-ups and bicycle crunches several times a day, playing tennis (once a week), running, gymming and swimming (occasional) and spot jumping every single day with the hope that these exercises will encourage a spurt in her height.

Her loving grandma is trying to help too by boiling peanut root soup, a popular old folks' remedy  for children's growth. It is the 'Grow Tall Soup' very popular amongst the Chinese community.



Cleaning the roots is a tedious and time consuming part in the the preparation of this soup. Soil clings to the roots and you will need to soak and scrub them thoroughly, else the soup will be murky and sandy. When you buy peanut roots from the market, it comes with leaves and stems which are not required. Only the roots and peanuts are used to make soup.

Ingredients:
Peanut roots
Meat (pork or chicken)
Red dates (optional)
Wolfberries or goji berries (optional)
Dried mushrooms (optional)

We only used peanut roots and lean pork.





Method
 1. Soak, scrub and rinse the roots several times to remove all dirt and grit.
 2. Blanch the meat in some boiling water to remove dirt, blood and bad smell. Discard water.
 3. Bring water to a boil, add all ingredients and bring to boil at medium heat. Once it boils, simmer for about 2-3 hours or longer.
 4. Serve warm. The peanuts can be eaten - they are soft and  yummy.

Though peanut roots are widely used by the Chinese folks to aid in the height development of children, to be frank, I am not 100% convinced that they work. I had drank loads of peanut roots soup when I was a kid but still  I am only 158cm tall  😁 Nonetheless, there is no harm trying as the soup is both delicious and nutritious. The whole family can drink it.  To grow tall and healthy, I strongly believe that genes play a crucial part. Next is a balanced diet and exercise.

Meal Replacement Shakes

Designed to have fewer calories than an average meal, meal-replacement shakes include all the vitamins and nutrients needed for the rest of the day. While taking such shakes, one needs to make sure it is followed by healthy dietary and lifestyle habits in order to drop some weight.

Generally, it is a good idea to drink the shake for breakfast in the morning. It goes without saying that  your dinner, lunch and snacks ought to be low in calories and sugar-free. Such changes make you lose weight faster and easier to sustain.

Here are a number of tips on what properties to look for:

Avoid sugar
When your liver is unable to absorb the excessive amount of sugar, it is turned into fat.

You should avoid the following foods, among others:
~ Spirits (and alcohol)
~ Sweets, pastries, cakes, biscuits
~ Jarred fruits

Fruits can be consumed in larger quantities quite safely as fructose doesn’t make you gain weight like sugar.  However, it is best to eat everything in moderation.  Fruit is an excellent choice as a healthy source of carbohydrates.

Low-caloric diet makes our body use fat as fuel
Consuming excessive calories, your liver transforms them into fat. If you alter your dietary habits and avoid sugar, your body will use fat for energy. Seek shakes that are lower than 200 calories. Also, avoid eating foods low on nutrient properties such as donuts, French fries, corn dogs, popcorn, etc. Such foods are rich in calories and low in nutrients.

Know that there are different carbohydrates
After consumption, they can either be transformed into sugar or as protein. Simple carbohydrates are easier to digest providing us with energy in a short term. Dairy products and juices are the sources of such carbs. Complex carbohydrates work vice versa – they take more time to digest, yet provide more energy in a longer term (grain products, greengrocery). Thus, aim for shakes with food fibers and low on carbs so that they fill you up and you shed weight faster.

20g of protein or less
In addition to enhancing your metabolic process, shakes also help to get rid of fat and keeps you full longer. For you to choose the right shake, choose one with 20g of protein per serving.



 

Add greengrocery in your menu
They are rich in fiber, which is paramount for you to lose weight. It goes without saying that fruits and vegetables are the key to good health due to the abundance of vitamins and minerals. What’s more is that they reduce your craving for unhealthy snacks, give you energy and are low in sugar.

Cutting Down On Salt
We should aim for less than 1500 mg of sodium per day, and definitely not more than 2300 mg. 1500 mg of sodium amounts to 0.75 teaspoons or 3.75 grams of salt per day, while 2300 mg amounts to one teaspoon or 6 grams of salt per day.  Try to avoid eating foods high in salt.





GMOs and gluten-free
Your diet should be free from GMO and gluten containing products. This includes paying close attention to the greengrocery you buy.

There are plenty of shakes available in the market to meet the preferences of vegans, lactose intolerant patients, those on a weight loss diet, etc.

With the  above tips, I am sure you now have a better idea on  how to choose a proper nutrition shake.