a nasty gut feeling...

Stomach flu is usually described as a condition where a person complains of stomach discomfort with nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes accompanied with bloating and gas. It ranks among the commonest reasons for absence from work or school, and almost everybody would have experienced it before. Despite the name, stomach flu is not caused by flu infection of the stomach.

Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) noun, pathology.

An acute (sudden onset between 1-48 hours) inflammation (-itis) of the stomach (gastro-) and intestinal (entero-) wall.

There are different reasons for diarrhea and vomiting, although the symptoms are usually brought about by an inflammation of the stomach and intestinal wall, known as gastroenteritis. This inflammation causes the digestive system and the absorption process of your food to become deranged, resulting in soft or watery stool. Improper digestion of food also causes excessive gas production causing bloatedness, belching and discomfort from the stretching of your gastrointestinal wall. The upper digestive system will sometimes work backwards through a process called anti-peristalsis to forcefully push out the contents of the stomach causing vomiting.

In a society that prides itself with its variety and abundance, and love for food, it is not surprising to find that the commonest reason for AGE might be food poisoning. Food poisoning occurs when food or water contaminated with harmful microorganism, bacterial / fungal toxins or other harmful chemicals is eaten or drunk. 

The bad news about AGE is that it may cause dehydration through excessive water loss from diarrhea and vomiting. During the acute purging stage it disturbs daily activities and leaving one fatigued from dehydration and inability to tolerate food. However, the good news about most AGE (caused by viral infection of food contamination) is that it is self-limiting, meaning it will eventually go away within a few days even without medication. You should, however, get medical attention if the diarrhea is increasingly worsening or does not show any improvement after 5 to 7 days, if there's noticeable blood in the stool of if it's accompanied by high fever.

The main treatment for AGE both for adults and children is management of hydration. For adults, during the active vomiting and diarrhea, it is advisable to take only clear fluids or nutritional fluids such as tea or Milo. Stop eating solids especially spicy or oily foods, until the diarrhea or vomiting subsides. There is a common advice to avoid dairy products when having active diarrhea. This is true for people who has lactose intolerance (in which case the diarrhea may be caused by consuming milk in the first place), but for people who are not usually intolerant to lactose, diluted warm milk may be beneficial to provide energy and hydration. Just make sure the milk is pasteurized.

A trip to the doctor's clinic may bag you a regime of medication, other than the necessary medical leave certificate. Generally, antibiotics are not prescribed for diarrhea, unless the symptom is unusually prolonged, and there's a suspicion for nasty bacterial infection in the gut. 

1. Charcoal tablets may be prescribed at early stage of food poisoning to absorb the toxin and contaminants from ingested food. It may also reduce bloating and gassiness. 
2. Antimotility medication (antidiarrheal) such as Diphenoxylate/Atropine or Loperamide may be prescribed to passify the over-active intestinal movement and reduce diarrhea drastically, especially if you need to be mobile and there's an important meeting you cannot miss. 
3. Antiemetics (anti-vomiting) such as metoclopramide or dimenhydrinate can be given to reduce vomiting and the sensation of nausea. 
4. Hyocine tablet is a relaxant prescribed to reduce the cramps and churning sensation of your stomach and guts. 
5. Oral rehydration solution is prescribed to replace the lost salts or electrolytes from your system through excessive vomiting / diarrhea and to encourage more fluid intake.

Studies have shown that taking yogurt may help and cut down symptoms by up to 2 days. Opt for low fat yogurt if you're not lactose intolerant and make sure it's stated "live culture" on the packaging, not just "made from live culture" for it to be effective. 

greek yogurt caesar salad, fortified

A slight modification to the earlier posted Greek yogurt Caesar salad dressing. Instead of using soft boiled egg for the dressing, I've taken the yolks from 2 hard boiled eggs and whisked them into the yogurt. I've also used half a carrot, grated, rather than baby butter head lettuce. It tastes about the same, only that the boiled yolk gives a slight chalky consistency in the dressing, but I like it anyway. 

Two eggs to reward myself for doing HardCore and BodyCombat today :o) Using cooked eggs also takes away the concern for salmonella problem for those who are particular about having partial raw eggs in their food. This recipe is without the raisins and I topped up with sunflower seeds instead, for that extra crunch. The egg whites are used as topping.

Total calorie 364kcal; carbohydrate 22g, protein 23g, fat 20g.

The pie chart doesn't look that balanced, but only because the calculation is based on dry weight of the particular food group, and for carbohydrate, fibre and sugar component is added together. The high protein component comes from the eggs, and dairy products.

This could feed 2 servings as side dish, but I had all to myself for lunch, considering that's all I'm having :o)

いただきます

a cultured taste on greek yogurt

Yogurt has been an acquired taste for some, and for those who love it, the benefits of taking yogurt is really a long list.

Why should there be a tub of Greek yogurt in every fridge?

Really short answer:

1. Yummy
2. Low calorie
3. High protein
4. Probiotics

Short answer:

You can never have too much of it. A 1kg tub of these cultured goodness contains only about 590kcal, a quarter of a regular Joe's daily requirement of energy, but packed in more than 100g of protein. That is like eating about a half kilo of chicken breast meat!

But no one takes a tub a day, so it's good to keep it in the fridge and eat it for a week.

Not so short answer:

Many of us are introduced to yogurt as kids, via the sweet flavoured watery yogurt drink we all love. As we grow older, we become more vain with our weight-watching and stopped taking them anymore. But chosen wisely, we never have to for-go such delicious treats that packs in so much good nutrients.

I believe, being a reader of this blog, you are also a health-conscious consumer, who chooses foods that are nutrient rich and calori-economical (means packing more nutrients per caloric consumption).

There are 2 varieties of yogurt out in the refrigerated shelves in the supermarket. No, I don't mean plain and flavoured yogurt. If you've noticed carefully, you'll realise a recent invasion of a certain Greek yogurt in the market, so popular that every brands start to carry this version to stay competitive. Basically, Greek yogurt and regular yogurt starts off as a same thing, but Greek yogurt are further strained to remove much more fluid, that gram for gram, the Greek version contains more protein (twice or more) compared to the regular counterpart. That also gives it a thicker, pudding-like consistency.

What makes Greek yogurt so good?

1. Probiotics - Yogurt is produced by fermenting milk with the help of (good) bacterias of the Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, other lactobacilli and bifidobacteria species. Don't let the name scare you, most of us already have these good microbes in our digestive system, and ingesting more of these live cultures will provide less chance for bad bacterias to occupy our guts. Some studies have shown that consuming these microbes will also improve the duration of diarrhoea and prevent vaginal yeast infection. It is advisable to consume yogurt after a course of antibiotics to replenish these natural gut bacteria that might get killed off by your medicines.
2. Protein - nothing wags the tails of health-conscious gymrats more than food that comes with high protein and acceptably low calorie count. A cup (170g) of Greek yogurt packs in around 17g of muscle-repairing protein at the expense of about 100kcal only, making it a perfect dessert for your post-workout munch.
3. Calcium - a serving of greek yogurt provides around 18% of the daily requirement of calcium. Calcium is a mineral that is important to maintain strong bones and teeth. Calcium also plays a role in essential body function such as blood clotting and regulation of muscle contraction.
4. Vitamin B2 / riboflavin prevents cracked lips, inflammation of the lining of mouth and tongue, mouth ulcers, cracks at the corners of the mouth; dry and scaling skin, and iron-deficiency anemia.
5. Vitamin B6 / pyridoxine is needed for normal brain development and function, and helps the body make serotonin and norepinephrine (mood hormones), and melatonin, which helps regulate the body clock. 
6. Vitamin B12 / cobalamin is essential in maintaining healthy nerve cells, and in the production of the body's genetic material. It also helps to make red blood cells and to help iron work better in the body, as well as regulation of immune functions and mood.
7. Magnesium activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate calcium levels, as well as copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body.
8. Most importantly, it tastes good in my greek yogurt caesar salad. Yum!

Have you had your Greek yogurt today?

いただきます!

sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/yogurt3.htm

http://www.webmd.boots.com/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/590715/2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_complex

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/

home made greek yogurt caesar salad

Long enough have I been cheating myself to eat healthy outside, by ordering anything that has the word 'salad' in it's name. And a peek at the calorie count for a typical dinner sized Caesar salad made in a restaurant may fetch up to 800kcal depending on the ingredients used. So, choose the lesser evil? Perhaps if we don't do it that often.

However, I do try to eat clean whenever I prepare my own salad at home. My latest craze, using yogurt as dressing. You may notice the new hype on yogurt, claimed to be the healthier version - the Greek Yogurt - that almost every brand carry a variation at the moment. But for the best benefit of clean eating, try to get the plain version, which is sans the fruit jam and unnecessary sugar chucked in.

Here's my take on a yogurt based Caesar salad:

• 1 cup shred cabbage (about a quarter of a medium Beijing cabbage)
• 1 cup baby butter-head lettuce (about half a head)
• a pinch of seasoned nori

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large soft boiled egg
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
• a sprinkle of raisin
• a drizzle of honey
• a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Total calorie 235kcal; carb 15.7g, prot 15.8g, fat 8.0g.

The above portion fills up a whole salad bowl, that can easily feed up to 4 people as a side dish. I however, split them into 2 servings, or sometimes when I'm really famished, gobble up in one seating, which I admit goes against my philosophy of moderation.

Caesar salad usually comes with hard boiled eggs, and some crouton. So if you're feeling really naughty, throw in a sliced boiled egg and substitute the crouton with 3 pieces of Munchy's Oat Krunch with Chia seed, which adds up another 8g of protein at the expense of about 200kcal. Not too bad if you have friends to share this with.

いただきます