Healthy Vegetarian

Changing times leads to changing stresses. A survey done last year on over 1,000 executives from Singapore, US, Hong Kong, Britain and Australia revealed that a high percentage of Singaporean managers, are more prone to information overload stress. They remain pessimistic that such situation will only worsen over the next two years.

And this is not only happening to executives, in fact all humans at any age, will face stress, the only difference is in the level of stress which can be very individualistic.

Technology is not helping as it should. Remember those days when handphones/internet are not so common. Once we are out of office, we can choose to be sheltered from events by virtue that we are isolated because we cannot communicate.

Now with handphones, internet and so on, we remain contactable and unless we make it a point not to touch those gadgets, it becomes an invisible pressure to continue responding to those information/people, while we are away.

What happens within our bodies when we encounter a stressor ? Read on...

STRESSORS excites the HYPOTHALAMUS which is part of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, thirst.

The HYPOTHALAMUS simulates the PITUITARY GLANDS to release a hormone chemical ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) into the bloodstream which further stimulates the ADRENAL GLAND to secrete more chemicals (eg CORTISOL) that affect various part of our body.

Result : our body becomes charged up on full alert for a fight or flight response. That is why we will feel tense and highly strung when under lots of stress.

Good killer cells in our body call MACROPHAGES literally eat invading bacteria. They operate in all parts of our body; we depend on them for survival. However, they can be weakened by asteroidd call CORTISOL, released by the ADRENAL GLAND when we experience stress.

THYMUS GLAND plays a key role in the body's immune system. It pumps out millions of LYMPHOCYTES each day which also kill invading bacteria. Prolonged stress badly affects the functionality of THYMUS GLAND

Implication : A weakened immune system makes us vulnerable to infection.

Too much stress leads to burnout, which is characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion. What follows would be all kinds of illness, emotional and physical as well.

In more serious cases, some choose to end their lives...it's sad and frightening, isn' t it?

Who are under more stress ? Men or Women ? Studies have shown that sex hormones somehow modulate the stress response, causing stressed females to secrete more of the trigger chemicals than do males.

Men may protest but more often, women have so much more to cope with than men - parents, children, other family members, their jobs and their health. The stress associated with the interpersonal relationships for women tend to be ongoing for long periods of time. So they become worn out from it all more visibly and sooner.

A healthy individual knows when to cut off, and what to prioritize. Going for relaxation, meditation, exercise and prayer do help.

Learn to Be good to yourself, starting TODAY.

Check out these stress release sites : they are fun and cute !

www.boneland.com/fish/fish-v3/......WARNING! those who find abusing cartoon fish just not-plain funny, this site only adds to your stress level !

www.grand-illusions.com/........ be amazed by The Einstein Hollow Face Illusion and Dr Angry and Mr Calm Illusion..you wouldn't believe what you see!

Coconut cream is widely used in curries, desserts and cakes. That's because it enhances the aroma and tastes of the dishes and can be obtained easily and cheaply. It has a thick, paste-like consistency and when diluted, it is called coconut milk.

However, people avoid coconut cream because of its high fat content. Especially those who want to lose weight. But do you know that it is good saturated fat which can be easily metabolised or turn into energy fast? In other words, it does not transform into bad cholesterol which clogs up arteries.

I'm not suggesting you to indulge in coconut cream, but rather than avoid it altogether, it is alright to eat in moderation. The principle fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk and is known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones.

It also has important anti-carcinogenic and anti-pathogenic properties and is less likely to cause weight gain than polyunsaturated oils. Never know coconut milk can be so good right?

Canned or packaged coconut cream is available in supermarkets. It must be refrigerated once opened and do not last more than a week. Also, do not freeze coconut milk as this causes it to curdle when you next use it in cooking.

Try different brands of canned coconut milk to find the one to your liking. Good brands which have not been artificially homogenised, will have thick cream floating on top of the can while the milk at the bottom is much more watery.

Happy cooking! :-)

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