Essentials of Cucumber Juice

Someone sent me an email on the benefits of cucumber and its juice. I got excited because it really has tons of benefits and use!

The only thing I knew that was beneficial with cucumber was it can make the skin healthier aside from taking away the puffiness of the eyes. I just happen to learn now that since it mostly contains water  and low in calories just like watermelon,people from Middle East and Central Asia drink it as a juice to help cool their bodies during summer. This vegetable also helps cure skin allergies like eczema as well as increase healing time for burns. I was really overwhelmed by the long list of benefits of the Cucumber Juice sent to me. Good thing, the link/source was attached. I 've always loved cucumbers but I loved it more the moment when this report came out. According to Juicing Book, it is still better to take it if organically grown so that we need not peel the veggie.

Now, brace yourself for the long list!

Traditionally Used For

Acne	Arthritis
Eczema	Fluid Retention
Hair Loss	High Blood Pressure
Kidneys	Psoriasis
Weight Loss

A Good Source Of

Manganese	Potassium	Silicon
Sulfur	Vitamin A	Chlorophyll

Freshness Test

Look for dark green Cucumbers. Good Cucumbers do have a bumpy surface. Choose
Cucumbers that are about 10 to 20 cm long.

Cucumbers are usually waxed and so if you can, get Cucumbers that are not
waxed.

If the cucumber is old, it will appear yellowish.

Important

Nothing to report.

General

Cucumbers contain a lot of water and the people of the Middle East and
Central Asia are known for drinking Cucumber juice. In these countries, people
drink Cucumber juice on hot days to help cool their body.

Cucumbers have a lot of Vitamin A in their peel, but if you buy waxed
Cucumbers, then you should peel the Cucumber. Once this happens though, you
loose most of the Vitamin A.

Cucumbers and apples are often waxed, unless organically grown. Once waxed,
no washing can remove the wax. You have no choice but to peel.

Chinese Herbal Information

Properties:

Energy: cool

5 Elements: earth

5 Flavors: sweet

General Information:

Nothing to report.

Cautions & Suggestions:

You can apply cucumber juice to burns to help increase the healing time and to help soothe the burn.

Benefits:

Acne	Detoxification
Inflammation	Large Intestine
Pink Eye	Soar Throat
Spleen	Stomach
Thirst Quencher

Picture of Cucumber

Photo by Stephen Ausmus.

Cucumber — Nutritional Analysis

Nutrient	Units	Value per 100 grams
Proximates
Water	g	96.01
Energy	kcal	13
Energy	kj	54
Protein	g	0.69
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.13
Ash	g	0.41
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	2.76
Fiber, total dietary	g	0.8
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	14
Iron, Fe	mg	0.26
Magnesium, Mg	mg	11
Phosphorus, P	mg	20
Potassium, K	mg	144
Sodium, Na	mg	2
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.20
Copper, Cu	mg	0.033
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.076
Selenium, Se	mcg	0.0
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	5.3
Thiamin	mg	0.024
Riboflavin	mg	0.022
Niacin	mg	0.221
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.178
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.042
Folate, total	mcg	13
Folic acid	mcg	0
Folate, food	mcg	13
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	13
Vitamin B-12	mcg	0.00
Vitamin A, IU	IU	215
Retinol	mcg	0
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	11
Vitamin E	mg_ATE	0.079
Amino Acids
Tryptophan	g	0.005
Threonine	g	0.019
Isoleucine	g	0.021
Leucine	g	0.029
Lysine	g	0.029
Methionine	g	0.006
Cystine	g	0.004
Phenylalanine	g	0.019
Tyrosine	g	0.011
Valine	g	0.022
Arginine	g	0.044
Histidine	g	0.010
Alanine	g	0.024
Aspartic acid	g	0.041
Glutamic acid	g	0.196
Glycine	g	0.024
Proline	g	0.015
Serine	g	0.020

Source: Juicing Book @ juicingbook.com

Cheers to organics and health!

Organic Seals Part 1

A lot of products these days are riding the natural and organic bandwagon but when you read the back label with all the ingredients on it..not really! So if we are truly going for a the natural way, it is better to look for the certified organic seals. The Natural and Organic Choices website has cited 13 major organic seals that makes the product certified organic. But I will be just introducing to you the first Three major seals. These seals are courtesy of Natural and Organic Choices :

The International Federation for Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) is the international association with the most weight among organic seals. With its Organic Guarantee System (OGS), it helps facilitate in developing organic standards and third party certification as well as provide international guarantee of these. Check out more of this movement.

.

This is probably the most popular and recognized among the organic seals worldwide. Almost all suppliers of organic products want to qualify for the USDA seal to be able to get a wider North America market. It is the official US government regulatory organization. The products that can carry this seal should be at least 95-100% (excluding salt and water).

 The Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) seal was formed from a small group of US farmers that have a small profit margin who could not afford the high fees and paperworks to become certified with the USDA organic labels or worse give up the recognition of their organic product. More often than not, their products are equal or exceed the organic standards and not having a choice, they created the CNG group. I don't think they are rebelling nor are they competing with the official government seal. Neither are they affiliated in any way to the USDA. Yet, this certification is still as good as the USDA.

That would be all for now. This blog will be a three or four-part series so stay tuned on your screens for the next parts!

Cheers to health! :-)

Imported yet Affordable

I was window shopping inside a department store earlier when I noticed an organic brand called Avalon Organics. Immediately, I read the ingredients on the bottles of lotion, bath gel and their hair care line. Indeed, it is certified organic because it has no harmful chemicals such as Dimethicone, Parabens and even Parfum! You can check out their website or if you're in Cebu, Philippines, you can check out their products at Metro Gaisano Department Stores. Mind you, it's not that expensive compared to others. Their products price range are just between 350-500 pesos. Not bad for a Canadian based brand. Well of course, some Philippine made organic products are still cheaper but for those who are curious on imported organic products, this is your chance!

More on organics on my next blog!

Cheers to health! :-)

Eating Healthy on a Sunday

Weekends are supposed to be my "No Holds Barred Meals" wherein I can eat anything healthy or unhealthy it may be. It usually consists of soda for my beverage and mostly pork for my dish! But today, it's different because my day just started with a butter sandwich before leaving for JP Garcia GK Village (a Gawad Kalinga site in the southern part of Cebu). During lunch, the GK home owners prepared a sumptuous meal for all the volunteers which consist of  pancit, inon-onan na bolinao (steamed anchovies mixed with vinegar and salt--I don't know if I got it right in English.lol), fried anchovies, raw tomatoes, vegetable soup and cooked mais ( corn rice?). Most of the ingredients are freshly picked from their backyard farm and another volunteer informed me that the anchovies were freshly caught by the SIGA youth (youngsters in the GK village) who went fishing last night.

My dinner consists of fish and mixed vegetable soup. I feel good and full! Hopefully, I could continue eating healthier food even on weekends.

Cheers to Health! :-)

Organic Plants in The 'Hood

I was on my way to grab something for lunch in a nearby Carenderia or Food Stall, when I looked up and noticed that trees and plants have grown over several of our neighbors' roofs. One of these is the malunngay or moringa. Lately, I am trying to look for some organically grown vegetables and fruits but it never occurred into my mind that there are some that I could just ask or maybe buy for a bargain in our neighborhood, planted in their yards! Amazing, isn't it? I could say that they are grown organically because according to our neighbors, they have not put any chemicals, pesticides or other unnatural fertilizers with the plants. Neither have I heard about neighbors complaining about pesticides or chemicals being sprayed on and/or them being affected with such.

At least for a start, I will be eating more of the nutritious malunggay with no harmful chemicals just within my reach!

Cheers to health! :-)

Natural Ingredients VS. Autism

On my way back to Cebu from Bohol, I was on board a fast craft that showed the movie "Mercury Rising", which is about an autistic child who happened to decipher a top secret government code. Even though I have not watched that movie before, I was not quite interested on it due to their technical auditory issues. Anyway, the moment I saw the autistic child, it reminded of a mom who was so conscious of what her child eats or uses because her boy was autistic. This situation made her actively advocate to go for organic products and food. She would even make food from scratch to make sure that she knows what sort of ingredients her child takes and that there are no harmful chemicals on it. She was actually one of the many inspirations for me for religiously using organic products.

So, I took time to research the relationship of autism to the environment and the products we use. According to Eco Child's Play, a website dedicated to green and healthy parenting said that parents should take a closer look on the medicines that their children take for it might do more harm than good. Moms' exposure to harmful chemicals during pre birth could most likely have a relatively high risk of getting brain development damage on their children particularly autism. A lot more parents are paying attention on their kids food intake due to these studies. So, for parents who are concerned on their kids' health, all it takes is to make the move on using only natural ingredients for our children and for us as well!

Cheers to health! :-)

The Struggle for Organic Food

I have been craving for a sweet yellow corn for almost a month now. However, it seems that God or even fate is not allowing me so. Or maybe the timing isn't right yet. But, I guess I will be changing my mind unless I know it comes from organically grown farm... Tough huh? 

I have been subscribing to Dr. Mercola's articles and sadly, corn is just one of the top 8 food crops that are genetically modified (GM) or gentically altered products which according to Mercola: "could pose serious health and environmental risks". Mercola also mentions that the best way to to avoid these GM crops is to buy food with an Organic Seal.

I admit, I am conscious on the hair, facial and body care products that I use and make sure that it is only made from natural and organic ingredients. Yet, when it comes to food, I still have to work it out. Choosing organically grown food is really hard and of course, expensive. That's why this blog is called "Opting Organics" because I am still in the process of opting solely to it. I will be writing my struggles and habits as to how to live a healthy lifestyle especially with regards to switching to organic products. 

As of the moment that I don't have the resources yet to look for a true blue organic food or crop, I just make sure to eat more vegetables and fruits as possible as well as minimize pork. Although sometimes, it is still unavoidable, I just concentrate on eating fruits and veggies for my breakfast. So far, I have succeeded for 3 days now by just eating fruits for breakfast and a piece or two bite sizes of bread. Woohoo! I call it a success!

That's all for now and within this week, I will research the different organic seals to look upon when we shop for organic food.

Cheers to health!

ORGANIC PRODUCTS I USE 2: GIGA

As promised, I am again introducing to you to another organic product that I am using. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's called GIGA. It stands for God Is Good! Always! I am specifically using their soap (Aromatherapy soap in Citrus) and balm (No Itch and No Pain). Somehow, their mission and vision are almost the same with Human Heart Nature which is to provide natural and organic products with world class quality to Philippine consumers at an affordable price.

Working with an organic store before, my bosses were really scrutinizing the products they serve to customers thus, I can say that these are one of the products that are proven to be organically made and with no harmful chemicals as well. I am also satisfied with the products that I am using now. I would love to explore more on their other products such as the Aroma Diffuser, Baby Cologne, etc. Aside from helping the environment and promoting the Philippine made products, I am pretty sure that the ingredients are not harmful to my skin.

For more information on GIGA, visit them at their website (www.giga.com.ph).

Cheers to health!

Still Cannot Get Away With Pork!

I thought I could already get away from eating pork today and onwards but since I am saving up because I am still looking for another job, I have to eat what's left on the fridge which were left overs from the Bohol Fiesta. It was given as pabaon or  "bring home food". Good thing, we are sharing it with my cousins and aunt who also lived with us and that way, the viand will easily run out. I don't also want to waste by buying extra food. Yet, I still managed to eat only fruits during breakfast. But, during lunchtime, I opened the fridge and just reheated some food from Bohol. So, I probably need to be creative tomorrow on how I could eat the pork with some veggies on it. That way, I wouldn't be eating it purely as pork itself!

Good luck for tomorrow as I invent or research recipes as pork and veggies come together!

Cheers to health!

Trying To Eat Healthy During Bohol Fiesta

It's been two days that I have not updated this blog. I was in Bohol for a quick vacation and visiting relatives just in time for the Fiesta which was yesterday May 1st. Sadly, my late Papa's brother also passed away two days before the eve of the festivities so all the more reason for us to go.

 Majority of the food served on the table were a variety of pork! Of course, lechon (roasted pig) was present. There's pork caldereta, pork stew, pork stuffed lumpia (spring roll),etc. Good thing, fish was also served but quite a few servings only. Ah, felt hungry with all those food? Me? Not! I've had enough for the past two days! I could not get away with pork and they might find me rude for looking on some food that was not even served. Yet, I made sure that I ate fruits in the morning before hitting the main dishes. I felt satisfied again when lunch  served before we left for Cebu today included veggies and watermelon! So, at least the fruits and vegetables were not left out. I did not really felt too unhealthy.

Food during the Tagbilaran festivities is just an avenue for us to kill time while catching up with my cousins and Papa's siblings and realtives. What I cherished most in the last two days was reuniting with them. :-)

Cheers to Health!