Nutrition

Nutrition

Coffee: Good or Bad?

  

Is Coffee Acidic?

Coffee is an acidic beverage.  Acidity is determined by the effect that the food has on urine pH. As coffee increases the acidity of urine after it has been drank, it is classified as an acidic food.  The pH of coffee actually hovers around 5.0 to 5.1 which is more neutral than beer and fruit juice, and similar to carbonated water.  It is interesting to note that darker roasted coffees are less acidic both in their flavour profile and in their actual acid content.

Coffee and Antioxidants

It is interesting to note that coffee is actually a major source of antioxidants in the diet.  Antioxidants are substances that prevent or slow oxidative damage to the body.  Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee appears to provide similar amounts of antioxidants.  Coffee contains chlorogenic acids and melanoids, which trap free radicals and are powerful antioxidants.  It also contains phenols, volatile aroma compounds, and ox azoles, which are efficiently absorbed by the body.

It is not that coffee has a higher concentration of antioxidants; it’s that coffee drinkers consume more coffee than any other source of antioxidants.  In fact, in the American diet, coffee is the number one source of antioxidants.  Coffee is actually more efficient than fruit and vegetables in preventing the oxidation of DNA, the source of a number of serious illnesses, including cancers.

Benefits of Coffee

Recent research has shown that coffee can be a highly beneficial drink.  As well as its value for antioxidants, there is evidence that coffee can reduce the risk of several serious ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. 

Coffee & Diabetes

Recent research has showed that habitual coffee consumption may lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes. A recent Harvard University study, which monitored 100,000 people over 18 months, found that men who drink more than six cups of coffee a day reduced their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than 50%, compared to non-drinkers. The exact reason for this reduction is not known but the antioxidants in coffee can help to control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.  The chlorogenic acid in coffee has also been shown to reduce glucose concentrations.  The caffeine appears to play no part as decaffeinated coffee also appears to do the same thing.

Coffee & Cardiovascular Disease

Some studies have shown that drinking coffee also has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.  In fact, one study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that drinking one to three cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent compared to those that do not drink coffee at all.  However, as the quantity of coffee consumed increases, the benefit decreases. 

A study by the American Heart Association found that regular coffee drinking among women reduces their risk of stroke. Interestingly, there was a 20% reduced risk in women drinking four or more cups of coffee a day. However, the study also found that the regular coffee drinkers tended to smoke more than the women who drank less coffee.

It is suggested that people that have high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease drink no more than three cups of coffee per day.

Coffee & Parkinson's Disease

Coffee can also protect you against liver and colon cancer and Parkinson’s disease, according to some studies. Researchers from the University of Porto in Portugal found that drinking two to three cups of coffee each day can lessen the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease by around 25%.

Side Effects of Coffee

The side effects of coffee are well known and include causing stomach pains, and making you feel jittery.  Some studies have also linked coffee with higher blood pressure and heart rates.  Coffee may also contain some potentially carcinogenic substances.

As with all foods, the key is to consume coffee in moderation.

Edited by Vaneshya Thanabalan

Woman

Why self defense is important for woman?

Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, the euphemism for murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. That's approximately 1,400 women a year, according to the police. The number of women who have been murdered by their intimate partners is greater than the number of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.  

Although only 572,000 reports of assault by intimates are officially reported to federal officials each year, the most conservative estimates indicate two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year. At least 170,000 of those violent incidents are serious enough to require hospitalization, emergency room care or a doctor's attention.

Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and more than half of them knew their attackers. It's estimated that two to six times that many women are raped, but do not report it. Every year 1.2 million women are forcibly raped by their current or former male partners, some more than once.

Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate. Young women, women who are separated, divorced or single, low- income women and African-American women are disproportionately victims of assault and rape. Domestic violence rates are five times higher among families below poverty levels, and severe spouse abuse is twice as likely to be committed by unemployed men as by those working full time. Violent attacks on lesbians and gay men have become two to three times more common than they were prior to 1988.

Learning self defense can actually stimulate braveness and also gain courage more than we think, Knowing self defense like martial arts is definitely helpful to some extent but can not guarantee 100% safety. Also all women may not have time and patience to master a martial art to safeguard themselves. There is alternative protection for such women. There are non-lethal self defense products like pepper sprays and stun guns which can offer you great protection. So woman’s beware of each and every steps you take and be concern about our safety.

Edited by Vaneshya Thanabalan

Topic Relationship & love

Topic Relationship & love

Relationship Counselling: Where is the Love?

If you are going through a difficult time with your partner, it may seem like the love that brought you together has disappeared. This happens even in the most committed relationships, and it usually means your relationship is facing some sort of challenge. How you respond to these challenges will depend to a large extent on how skilled you are at negotiating differences.  This is something that many of us never learned to do when we were growing up. If you grew in a family where gender lines were clearly demarcated, for example, then your parents simply did what was expected of them, or they got divorced. There was very little room to negotiate. Learning to resolve differences and negotiate them in a way that helps a relationship to flourish are skills that can be acquired and practiced in counseling.

Love is always there, but perhaps it has gotten lost in the day-to-day stresses and strains of modern life. Or perhaps it is time to move on. Regardless of whether you decide to leave a relationship or stay, the skills you learn with a relationship counselor will be with you for life. Counselling can also help by providing a safe space to air sensitive issues in a way that could lead to resolution either individually or as a couple. This is important because even if you decide to go your separate ways, the more amicable the parting, the less emotional baggage you are going to carry with you into the next relationship. A relationship counselor will also help you define the problem and see more clearly why the relationship isn’t working. This can help you avoid the same problem in the future. The issue might be an inability to communicate or articulate deep feelings or unmet needs. If this is the case counseling can help you and your partner develop the skills you both need to move forward with greater understanding and aware. The most important issue to begin with is finding a counselor that you can both feel comfortable talking to. Trust is important because if you or your partner can’t be open and honest in a counseling session, the process won’t get you anywhere. However if you allow yourself to take the risk to say how you really feel, even if it is uncomfortable, important issues may come to the surface that can be worked through. This can take time so don’t try to hurry the process.

 

     If one of you feels that the counselor is taking sides this can be something to explore. An experienced relationship counselor will help you get in touch with your beliefs and feelings around this judgment. This discussion might throw some light on feelings or expectations that may not have been previously acknowledged. Suffice to say that if you are the one suggesting counseling to your partner, it may be wise to let them make the decision about who to see. This way they are more likely to commit to the process. Counselling can help couples become closer because the process involves becoming more aware of the way you communicate as a couple, as well as the strategies they use when they run into problems. It is important to remember that when things go wrong in a relationship, it is never about who is right or wrong, it is about exploring whether the relationship is making you both happy and if not, why not. If something is not working in the relationship, it is usually because there is a lack of understanding, respect or awareness about what is going on. Either than that Sexual issues can make or break a relationship so this aspect of your relationship is worth exploring in counseling. Just learning to talk openly and honestly about sex can be deeply healing and bring you closer to your partner.     
    Relationship counselors are skilled at talking about sexual issues so they can help you explore this aspect of your relationship in a non-judgmental and supportive way. Don’t worry if you feel initially uncomfortable about this. Many people have grown up in families where sex wasn’t talked about so they may find it difficult to broach this sensitive subject with their partner or anyone else. Issues that may have been embarrassing when you were younger can be discussed in a healthy and mature way in the presence of a supportive and sensitive person. Just talking about something that has been festering away can be deeply healing, and again, even if you both agree the relationship has ended, the skills learned in counselling can be drawn on to help your future relationships flourish.

Edited by Vaneshya Thanabalan

How Envy Blocks Success

How Envy Blocks Success

     Wouldn't it be great if everyone accepted the universal principle that abundance is unlimited and the more success you create the more you are given?

      Unfortunately, a large portion of our world operates under the premise that there is only so much to go around, and everything someone else gets, takes his or her share away.

      The "lack" mentality is prevalent in our society. Look at the joy the press gets out of building someone up into a celebrity only to then find something else to report that will bring them down a notch or two.

Envious people say that Bill Gates stole the program that was the beginning of Microsoft. Successful people give him credit for recognizing its potential, buying it at a great price, and then building it into an empire. If envious people gave credit where credit is due, what excuse would they have for not having accomplished more in their life?

       As a successful person, you most likely aren’t a victim of envy towards someone else’s’ success. But you may know people who are, and they could use your help. They may be family members, friends or co-workers who don’t understand why they aren’t getting ahead. They might even be directing their envy toward you.

      Envy comes from low self-esteem: If you feel good about yourself and your talents, you have no reason to be envious of what someone else achieves. Low self-esteem keeps people from being happy for the success of others. They see every success of someone else as an indictment of their own inadequacy and are usually so busy beating themselves up that they don’t care to congratulate anyone else.

How Can You Help?

    The best way to turn around envious people and help them to see the light is to be generous with them. Even if they’re left shaking their heads, thinking you’re crazy, is friendly and supportive. Congratulate them when something good happens. Encourage them to go for their dreams and applaud their successes along the way.

    Show them you aren’t one of those glass half empty people. Be the example that shows them success isn’t a pie with only a few pieces, but a never-ending buffet. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s only a matter of time before they start feeling better about themselves. Their hearts will start to open and you can help make that happen.

Edited by : Jennifer Jude Ann

List of newspaper in Malaysia

List of newspaper in Malaysia 

English language

• The Borneo Post { Sarawak and Sabah}

• Business Time 

   

• Daily Express { Sabah }

   

• Malay mail 

 

• The Star 

  

• The Sun

  

•  New Stairs Time

  

Done by : Sereena a/p Sangkar Bahadur

Mount Everest

    

MOUNT EVEREST 

• Everest is part of the Himalaya mountain range along the border of Nepal and Tibet. It is located 27° 59' North latitude, 86° 55' East longitude. 

• The official altitude of the world's highest peak is 29,029 feet (8,848m). However, the National Geographic Society has determined the height to be 6 feet taller, 29,035 feet, but the Nepali government has not yet been made this new altitude official.

• In 1841, Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843, first recorded the location of Everest. It was subsequently named "Peak XV". In 1865, it was renamed Mt. Everest to honour Sir George.

• Everest is also called  Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal.

• At the summit, the temperature can be 100°F below zero. But on a good summit day, a climber can expect around -15°F

• On May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal & Edmund Percival Hillary of New Zealand climbed to the summit of Everest via the South-east Ridge Route

• The first woman to climb Everest was Junko Tabei of Japan. She climbed via the Southeast Ridge on 16 May, 1975.

• Ravichandran  reached the peak of the world's tallest mountain (8,848.15 meters) at 2.15pm { Malaysian time 4.15pm} through Tibet. he is the first Malaysian to climb Mount Everest solo and also the first climber from Asean country to scale it from the side which faces Tibet.   

    

Done by : Sereena Sangkar Bahadur