Taking Charge

I think as we get older, every McDonald's meal we upsize seems to upsize our weight by two-fold as well. The start of the year was terrible for me because I ate at least 3 McDee's meals a week out of convenience, which is not healthy.

I been fortunate to always have been able to keep myself in shape no matter how much I eat, but the concern is not about how I look, it's about how I feel. At the start of the year, I felt sick eating all the junk I was eating. I don't know if it was real, but I really did feel my heart was taking a toll on all the unhealthy food I had eaten. My family has a history of heart disease and both my grandfather and father have had heart attacks before.

Recently, I started exercising and cutting down on all my junkfood. I feel alot better about myself now. I really don't feel like I'm going to die of a heart attack at any moment. Recently, I made the decision to cut down on my instant noodle suppers with miso soup instead. For 60cents a packet, I get a warming bowl of soup that doesn't do the damage of 2 packets (always 2) of instant noodles.

For those of you who don't know, miso soup has been known to prevent cancer like stomach, liver and breast cancer. Tons of fermented miso beans were sent to Europe after the Chernobyl radiation accident to counter the side effects of radiation.

"Miso Can Control Cholesterol Level. Soybeans which are the raw ingredient of Miso contain seven components (i.e., vitamin E, linoleic acid, plant sterols, soya lecithin, soya protein, food fiber, and saponin) that exhibit a suppressive effect on high cholesterol level in blood. Linoleic acid promotes the excretion of cholesterol from the body system. Plant sterol has an inhibitory action against the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. Vitamin E is a rich component in HDL that transports unnecessary cholesterol in blood and plays a role in increasing the HDL level. In particular, these three components work synergetically to exhibit a significant suppressive effect on cholesterol. Such suppressive effect of elevated cholesterol level can be transferred to Miso and retain its original functions. "

Since 2 weeks ago, I've been taking a bowl a day before I go to bed or in the morning. I find it alot easier eating something that is delicious, and potentially beneficial for my health.

I remember cooking in Vancouver for a month. It was great to cook for myself because I could buy amazingly fresh produce from the grocers. I froze containers of tupperware filled with stirfried vegetables and chicken so I could defrost them and have them as and when I felt like a good meal. Thinking back on how healthy I ate in Vancouver, I think I should start eating healthy again.

I think as we grow older, we have to face the reality that at one point or another, we're going to face a major illness of some sort. And one way to best deal with it is by having a balanced diet. But I think the hardest part is commitment. We better start now. One miso soup at a time.