People nowadays are more health-conscious. They do not just give importance to looking fit and younger looking, they also give importance to the food that they eat.

In fact, growing organic food is not just a fad anymore, it is considered the “in” thing in cooking and eating. It is a lifestyle in itself.

The fast growth of health-related products being sold focusing on herbs as food supplement like the ampalaya (bitter gourd), grape seed, ginseng,  Orovo products, and a host of other herbal ingredients are flooding the market.

Beverages are not to be outdone because there are so many different kinds of tea that are being sold. We have succumbed to this tea-drinking by making our own fresh lemon grass tea. Yes, we have started to grow the herbs we use for this tea. In fact, my son just had half a cup a while ago.

Food preparation too has changed. We try eating as much raw food like fruits and vegetables. My children have fruits for their afternoon snacks on an almost daily basis. We have avoided processed food as much as we can though we can not escape yet the clutches of fast food whenever food that we brought ran out when we are out of the house.

The children are having honey again.

Healthy eating is not just a fad, it is a way of life, even if the path to achieving such is more difficult than it is easy. I believe that by starting early, my husband and I are teaching our children to be able to live  healthier lives.

Here in the Philippines, the concept of being healthy is when a child is fat. I disagree with this belief that children who are heavier (ok, fatter) are healthier than those who are not.

There have been so interesting efforts to replay information about childhood obesity, its causes, its effects and its lifelong implications.

The causes can include diet that almost always include high-fat and high calorie food. Inactivity which stems from being sedentary in front of the television or computer also contributes to the gaining weight. Some are genetically predisposed to these issues while some children have psychological, socioeconomic and family factors.

So what are the implications when children have obesity? They tend to have diabetes, liver disorders, asthma, skin problems, early puberty and even high blood pressure.

What about the social and emotional implications? Being bullied, low self-esteem, which can lead to behavioral and learning problems or even depression.

So how should these weight issues be treated?

Treatment would depend on the child’s age. For younger children, weight maintenance should be given emphasis rather than weight loss.

For older children, changes in the diet and increase in physical activities are implemented. The use of medications or weight loss products and even weight-loss surgery can be done in some circumstances.

Children with developmental problems are no exception to this childhood obesity. In fact, several of the students I have taught are bigger, heavier and taller than other children their age.

The Interactive Autism Network had a study about this and its preliminary findings showed children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are taller and heavier than their peers.

So how should healthy eating and living be encouraged?

continue reading this entry »

I went with the FilipinoMomBlog bloggers (of which I am a member) to the 2nd Philippine Blog Awards 2008.

We sat with Rachel who was a nominee in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. And to you Rach, even if you didn’t get the trophy, you have won our hearts a long time ago.

To the winners, congratulations to all of you

To Senor Enrique who won the Best Single Post Division in Family and Living (which surprisingly included a post about study habits that I have written among its finalists), congratulations to you, sir

Two years ago, our high school batch had its batch reunion. Late last year, we our alma mater had its grand alumni homecoming.

I attended both affairs for I knew these are wonderful opportunities for me to connect with classmates who were like family to me. Our school has a very small population compared to the other schools in our town. Majority of our classmates have been in our batch since we were Kindergartners. We grew up together, yes, we almost did.

In both affairs, it is of course inevitable to talk about how we were when we were younger. I was called the “langgam” or ant then. Why? Because there was a black ant up my arm and when a classmate called my attention, the ant went inside the sleeve of my blouse/uniform.

I remember some classmates from way back, how they stood, how they talked, how they were with our other classmates.

There are a lot of our classmates who came from the United States and transferred to our school. There were even who went to the USA while we were still studying, including my close friend Gail who went to Virginia with her mom. Most of these classmates were children of naval officers. Some of them also joined the navy life themselves later on.

My close friends in high school used to go to our house during lunch time. Most of them were from different towns who chose to study on our school. Bringing with them their packed lunch, we would go to our house to have lunch and help each other with our homework. Sometimes, they would even take a shower especially when the weather is humid. Yes, we can go home for lunch since we just live two blocks from school.

Life was simpler back then. Simple pleasures, pure joy. I fondly recall these times and I amthankful for the experiences I have had with these classmates.

Wherever some of you are, anywhere in the world, rest assured that you are remembered in this little corner.

We love going on road trips. We love taking photos when we have these road trips. I have lots and lots of photos of roads where we have been so it was hard to choose the best ones even if I put several in all my blogs Oh, I even have a category here in my blog called “On the Road”

We love taking road trips whenever we have the chance to do so. By the way please see my other entry here which got me singing Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” song in my mind.

What am I talking about? This week’s theme for Photo Hunters is ROAD.

I thought about something different for this theme so I  copied used parts of poems and quotes and looked for photos that would match the lines:

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The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

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Still round the corner there may wait, A new road or a secret gate.
J. R. R. Tolkien

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The Road Less Traveled by Kit McCallum

How often must we bear the challenges of life; The endless roller coaster between happiness and sorrow; The constant ups and downs of daily strife. And Always the question remains….why?

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So now I ask you, “What kind of road are you traveling on right now?” I hope the travel is smooth sailing

Have a great weekend everyone!

photohunt

A cup of warm lemon grass tea can do wonders. Julian had a bad attack of asthma last weekend and had cough and wheezes last Friday night till Saturday night. Sunday morning he was a bit better so we went to Tagaytay to bring something to friends living there.

Tita C gave Julian a cup of warm fresh lemon grass tea with honey after we had our lunch. Julian drank it slowly. After lunch he and Tania explored the different nooks and crannies of their home. Even if the weather was a bit cold, Julian was sweating profusely.

But what surprised us was he did not need the nebulizer.

In fact the machine has been untouched till now since the last time he used it, on our way to Tagaytay around 11am last Sunday.

Tania is running a fever now and I have given her half a cup to drink because it has been proven to reduce fever/body temperature. And now we wait for the fever to subside.

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UPDATE:

Tania’s fever was gone last night.

To those who want to know to make the fresh lemon grass tea, click this post I have written. Thank you.