Embroidery of Thoughts

Health Blabber

I found an interesting read about gray hair. And according to this article, having gray hair isn't that bad after all. Here is an excerpt from the article.

When your biological age reaches a certain threshold, your hair starts turning gray. This actually serves a social purpose, because gray hair signifies a degree of not just age, but wisdom and experience.

This is because the other members of the group tend to look upon someone with gray hair with a greater degree of respect. Gray hair signifies that you probably know what you're doing, that you're wiser, and that you have much more experience about the way the world works.

I was all smiles when someone where I used to work noticed my hair, obviously because he is taller he can see the top of my head, saw my white hair. He said " You are too young to have gray hair." I just looked at him and shrug and went on with what I was doing. Later on another co-worker was asking what my age was and I said "I'm old." Then he went on saying "But you are just 18 according to blah blah". I was laughing and I said "Really he thought I was just 18." Of course I was thinking to myself "Wow, do I really look that young?" That was a great compliment. But I know one reason why some people think I am younger than my age is my pettite size. One of the teenage girls I used to work often says "You're too short." I would look at her and say "I'm not short, I am regular. You are just big!" There are people some people that sometimes make fun of my size. Calling me "shortie". I am not that mean, but to myself I was thinking, "Atleast I am not XXXL", you know what I mean. I really do think it's better to be pettite than to be extra extra extra large. Now I never make fun of anybody's size, I think it's mean and discriminatory. And I know some people can be very sensitive about their size. You know when people say I am short I almost want to tell them "Are you saying I am less of a person just because I am a few inches shorter?" I can also do things that tall people can do. There are instances that "Bigger is better" doesn't apply. And besides I am Asian. Asians by nature are generally smaller or shorter in size. Not all, of course, there are lots os Asians that are tall. Like the Chinese basketball player Yau Ming. I am glad that hubby likes my size. He often says "I like your pettite size, I wouldn't want you otherwise." I think that's a very sweet statement. I used to be very sensitive about my height way back when I was in school. I even tried looking for ways to gain a few inches taller. But oh well, I just have to be happy with my height. My dad isn't that tall. My mom though is a bit taller. Among my siblings I could be the shortest, but we all are short atleast all the girls in the family. The two boys are tall. Which isn't so bad. The girls are pettite and the boys are tall. So far so good. (So, are you fond of "BIG"? In Tagalog, mahilig ka ba sa malaki? I know lots of people that are fond of "malaki". Malaking ano? Malaking kwan....bahala na kayong mag-isip)I'll leave it to your imagination and see where you imagination goes.

Going back to graying hair, a lot of my aunts and uncles including my dad and my mom has gray hair. But they are all in their 50's 60's. I guess it's inevitable that I will have gray hair too. I just wish it will wait a few years. I am not yet in my 30's for goodness sake. I mean soon to be but, oh well. Atleast my face will remain baby face, hopefully.Insert a giggle here. Now, on having a younger looking face. I was surprised when people pointed out that I look younger than my two younger sisters when I was on vacation back home. I don'tknow it as a fact, but some people pointed it out. I didn't want to make my younger sisters feel bad, so I told them, I am older.

I have been trying to live a better lifestyle with exercises and a better diet containing more fruits and vegetables. I avoid soda. I do drink some soda from time to time since hubby drinks. I don't buy any soda when I go grocery shopping. Sodas are packed with sugars and I remain skeptical about diet sodas either. Even the frozen foods that are labeled "low carbs" "low fat" I am skeptical. I try to go with foods that are fresh as much as possible. Sometimes, it's unavoidable though.

Some may not consider their kind of drinks contributing to body fat. But according to what I read, even fructose-sweetend water can cause increase in body fat. Regular filtered water is still the best way to go.

Some of the foods that I recently read that have health benefits:

1. Olives and olive oil. Contains healthy oils,monosaturated fats and vitamin E and antioxidants.
2. Ginger-rich in disease fighting oxidants, aids in digestion,e ases nausea (pregnant women can use ginger to ease morning sickness) possessesanti-inflamatory activity.
3. Soy and soy products- low in saturated fat
4. Salmon- has Omega 3 fatty acids
5. Nuts- peanuts, walnuts,almond, flax seeds even pumpkins seeds and sunflower seed. Possesses good fats when taken in moderate amounts.
6. Green Tea- antioxidant. activates enzymes that aid in detoxification.
7. Substitute sugar with molasses, maple syrup and honey.

So far I had already been using some of these healthy foods. I have been buying coconut oil and olive oil. I also was able to find a blend of olive, Canola and Soy oil. Olives, I love olives in cans and in jars. I can much on them black or green olives. I sometimes use them for pizza toppings. I am a seafood lover. Seafoods are less fatty compared to other meats. I sometimes buy soybeans, still in their pods. Boil them and eat them like peanut snacks. Green tea, I always make iced tea drinks with green tea. And they are available in groceries as well as Asian stores. And instead of granulated sugar I use honey for my tea and splenda for my coffee. And do you know that coffee may contain antioxidants too even chocolates?

I think if one wants to stay young one should start early in life. I hate to hear people saying "Im on a diet." What does that even mean? I don't mean to pooh pooh anybody's technique. It's just that when somebody says I am on a diet, it sounds temporary to me. It sounds like "I'm doing this for the moment, but later I will get back to my usual diet." I was drinking a drinkable yogart at work and somebody asked me "Are you on a diet?" I simply said "no." It's just a drink. But see a lot of us think that to be on diet we need to be doing it for the time being. I think to have a successful dieting one has to incorporate that diet as a long term activity even as long as lifetime. It's not doing it for a week or a month and then after that back to usual eating habits. That's just how I see it. I am not saying I don't eat same crap people eat. I mean I sometimes do, I just try to train myself to eating the healthier stuff as much as possible.

Just blabbering my mouth out loud.

posted by Unknown @ 12:37 PM