Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

The quaker guy in the oatmeal packaging can hardly be seen as sexy. But now, it seems that what’s good for your heart is good for your sex life. It seems to be the new mantra for getting your mojo going.

So what are foods that are good for the heart? According to an article in Forbes, foods rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans and chickpeas (garbanzos). These improve circulation - and is therefore good for the heart and every body part below that.

Yes, that is why oatmeal is so sexy! One time, when I was watching Dr. Oz in Oprah, he said one way to ensure your overall health is eating basically the same healthful breakfast and lunch everyday. That hardly makes anyone excited - especially, a food lava like me. Probably, the healthiest breakfast one can have is oatmeal.

At home, we only have oatmeal or Muesli at most, every other day. So, I looked up some enticing ideas on how to enjoy our oats in a different way, hopefully everyday.

Nuts and raisins

Plum, Pear and Orange juice mixed in the Muesli

Raspberries, blueberries and peaches

These bowls of oats really look yummy, but try to enjoy your oatmeal with low-fat milk, skim milk or soy milk. Saturated fat from whole milk may accumulate overtime to clogging arteries and might prevent blood flow from reaching the genital region.

On the other hand, soy binds estrogen receptors, which helps the vaginal area remain lubricated and combats symptoms of menopause — particularly hot flashes. It is also beneficial to the prostate, a crucial male sex organ. However, women who have a history of breast cancer should not eat large amounts of soy, because the binding of estrogen receptors increases the risk of relapse.

However, you still need fat to produce hormones (testosterone and estrogen) needed for your sex drive. But be sure to get “good” kinds of fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Olive oil, salmon and nuts are a great source of good fats. So until next time, enjoy and have a good one!

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. This year, it falls on July 15. I’ve done some searching and only the United States seems to pay this homage to ice cream. In fact, the US is the top ice cream consuming country in the world.

According to makeicecream.com, each American consumes a yearly average of 23.2 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices and other commercially produced frozen dairy products. Here are the other countries in the top ten: New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Ireland and Switzerland.

Ice cream has also come a long way from the usual vanilla and chocolate. According to the International Ice Cream Association, here are the top favorite flavors:

Vanilla and chocolate

Butter pecan

Strawberry

Chocolate chip

Praline

Note that there are no Asian countries in the list of top ice cream consumers. But a lot of new ice cream flavors are results of Asian cuisine influence - such as lychee and yam flavors. Here are others you might like:

Green tea

Red bean (adzuki)

Mango (bright yellow) and ginger

Hope you enjoyed these pictures and may you enjoy these treats in real life during the summer (or the winter depending on where you may be).

Last week, when Miss Korea, Honey Lee won third runner up at the Miss Universe pageant, I can’t help but remember the fruity names some parents give their children. In our country,  fruit derived first names are not that unusual. In school, I knew 2 Apples and a Peachy. We have actresses named Strawberry and Cherry Pie. It seems to be the rage these days, Gwyneth Paltrow named her first born Apple. I tried to find out what other fruity names parents are giving their kids. It seems that the most ‘common’ food baby names can be categorized into three: fruity, spicy and flowery. Today, we’ll focus on the fruity names.

• Anona \a-no-na\ - Latin origin meaning “pineapple”. Also possibly derived from the name of the Roman goddess Anonna, guardian of food and supplies.



• Linda \l(i)-nda, lin-da\ - Spanish origin, and meaning “pretty”. Originally derived from “linde”, a Germanic name referring to the lime tree.



• Linden \l(i)-nden, lin-den\ - a variant of Linda. Unlike the feminine name Linda, Linden may be for a boy or girl. It is of English origin.
• Olivia \o-li-via\ - It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is “olive tree”. And of course Olive, is a popular name too.



• Rice \r(i)-ce\ - Usually a boy’s name. It is of English origin. Anglicization of Rhys (Welsh) or a respelling of the German name Reis, possibly meaning “knight on horseback”, “gatherer of twigs”, “wood carver”, or “dweller in the brush”.



• Coco or Koko - from Coconut. In our country it’s usually a nickname for Francisco or any other long name ending with a ‘co’.
  
• Cocoa - I have found out this is a popular name for pet dogs and feline friends. Now if you are a chocoholic mom, why not names of chocolatiers? Back in high school, I had a classmate named Hershey. And for boys why not Leonidas, Lindt or even Milo?



• Rimona \r(i)-mo-na\ - Arabic origin, and its meaning is “pomegranate”.

So, does having a fruity first name make a difference to one’s well-being? Perhaps, it will serve as a constant reminder to eat fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals. For example, spinach and turnips provide folic acid, potatoes and bananas are rich in vitamin b complex, iceburg, lettuce and lentils contain choline and avocadoes and green beans have vitamin b6 in them.