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Lions and Tigers and Dragonfruits, Oh My? – Metta Murdaya

My Dragon Fruit Juice at ION mall in Singapore

Oh, my new favorite scary-looking, but oh so tasty fruit of Asia: The Dragon Fruit (aka Pitaya or Pitahaya fruit.) Unlike its bold namesake, it won’t spit out fire if you try to eat it (though wouldn’t that be a neat party trick?) But it will give you a chockful of Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants instead. Not bad. This red skinned, fleshy fruit with fantastical green, almost tentacle-like ‘fingers’ has a mild sweet taste and edible seeds. Slice one open and you will see one kind is exciting red, (ok, more like vibrant, gawk-worthy Miami Vice fuscia,) and the other is a creamy, ivory white, both interspersed with black seeds that are barely noticeable when eaten. If dragon fruit is eaten dried, it has 10x the amount of Vitamin C per gram than when fresh.

Diabetes Bonus: Dragon Fruit is known to be good for people with type 2 diabetes, as it helps control and reduce blood glucose levels. It’s recommended that you enjoy some dragon fruit (fresh, or dry if that’s what’s available,) with your meal if you can to help control blood sugar increase. That’s pretty neat.

How do I eat it? In Indonesia and Singapore, I eat it fresh, either sliced – without the skin – or blendered with ice to make a juice. I used the red kind (see picture), and when juiced, it’s so bright and fun colored that it makes beet juice look tame.

But in the US, where can you easily get Dragon Fruit? In New York at least, (and probably other cities,) I find it in Chinatown. However, Trader Joe’s has it in dried form in their dried fruit sectionfor a pretty reasonable price, so if you’re curious, I say check it out, and happy dragon tasting!

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28
Dec 09

And For a Non-Snowy Interlude…- Metta Murdaya

My photo at the Tugu Hotel in Lombok - lovely weather all year round.

So far, we’re just passed Christmas, the first large NY snowstorm, and a soppy raining weekend. Though the weather outside could be more frightful, I don’t think the worst is here yet. Nine years in New York, and I feel like no 2 winters have been the same. I’ve been through superlatives, with the news touting one year it was the “Biggest snowstorm.” The next year, “The Coldest Winter.” The next, “The Longest Winter.” Last year, it was “The most schizophrenic-almost-non-existent-god-help-us-global warming winter.” Each winter was followed by strangely short or late summers bracketed by rainy springs and pleasant, split-second falls. So tomorrow, will it be sweater-pleasant or puffy-coat-hat ungodly? In New York, the weather is still deciding whether to be 48 or 20 degrees, which makes for a surprise outfit du jour. But such is the adventure we face living in a state with real seasons. For a cheeky moment, let me just tout the benefits of being in a solo-season country (hot) like Indonesia, with one variation only: Wet or Dry. I have my reasons to think that living in a hot and humid tropical country is quite convenient, and here are just a few reasons why. If you’ve spent time in a tropical country, I hope you can relate… And for those of you who haven’t, I hope you are amused.

1. You don’t need a watch. The weather is like clock. In case your watch breaks, just wait for the torrential rain to pour out of the blue. Then you’ll know it’s 3pm. When it stops, it’s 4pm.

2. Free sauna/cold pool all year round. Exit big building, walk a block. Sweat. Enter big building. Instant freeze from over air-conditioning. Repeat with vigor. Fashion benefit: If you work in an office, you can also wear that stylish warm sweater all year round thanks to perpetual building over-air-conditioning.

3. Delicious tropical fruit all year round. Fresh coconut juice straight off the tree available everyday. Can’t beat that. Not to mention, it’s beautiful weather for that trip to Bali almost all the time… mmmm….

4. Save money on shopping. Summer weather means summer fashion all year round, no need to shop for a winter wardrobe, (except for maybe point 2 above.) Packing for trips are awesome – shorts and t-shirts are so much less bulky than sweaters and jackets…

5. No need to rake the leaves. Fall? What fall?

Anyone have preferences on single-season or multi-season living locations? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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23
Dec 09

JUARA Girls Holiday Video! – Metta, Jill, Yoshiko & Tami

Happy Holidays from the JUARA Girls!!!! Thanks for reading our blog, for your comments, and here’s to seeing you more in 2010!

Visit us here for more JUARA fun!

Best,

Metta, Jill, Yoshiko, Tami

Health & Fitness / Uncategorized — 2 Comments
20
Dec 09

Are you really drinking enough water?

Water We all know how important it is to drink enough water and to stay hydrated. It’s important for your metabolism, your skin, your brain, your heart, eyes, etc. etc. During pregnancy it’s even more important because you’re creating another human being. Generally it’s recommended that we drink at least 6-8 full glasses of water per day, 8 full glasses during pregnancy. With my generally pretty healthy lifestyle, I’ve been kind of assuming that I was in fact drinking enough water every day. So it came as a complete shock the other day when I had checked into the hospital because of contractions and nausea – I’m 8 months pregnant at this point – and was told that I was dehydrated and needed to be hooked on an IV for rehydration. Dehydrated? Me? This incidence prompted me to consciously take a closer look at how much water I was really drinking in a day. The discovery was sobering…

While I usually started off my day pretty well with a tall glass of warm water with lemon and finished my day with a big mug of herbal tea before bed, it turns out I actually didn’t do so well during the work day, especially when I had a meeting-filled or generally hectic day. On average I drank about 3-4 glasses of water or mugs of herbal tea during the day, not including my before-bed tea. That means I am consuming a total of 5-6 glasses of water on a normal day, and on most days, I am short 2-3 full glasses! Coffee does not count since it’s a diuretic. Well, first of all, when I’m really busy, I’m probably not consciously thinking about whether I could be dehydrated because I’m too amped up getting stuff done. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who forgets drinking enough during a busy day. It’s also very annoying to have to run to the bathroom so often, especially when you’re pregnant. But an even sneakier problem is that most people, including myself, wait to feel somewhat thirsty before they rehydrate. It’s a common misconception that you associate dehydration with thirst. Thirst, however, signals that in fact you have gone past that point already. So I was told after my dehydration incidence that it’s important to not feel thirsty in the first place by drinking water continuously throughout the day, which takes conscious effort and discipline. My doctor at the hospital advised me to keep track of how many glasses I drink throughout the day, either by always having a bottle of water or mug of tea, or by downing a full glass at set times of the day. I combine both approaches and keep track of how many glasses or mugs I finish. The bigger lesson for me though: I can’ take for granted that I am actually following certain healthy habits just because I know what they are and because they seem pretty easy to follow. To me, drinking enough through the day had seemed like the easiest of all healthy habits to follow until I learned the hard way that I wasn’t actually doing it. Same applies to other little things like good posture, proper breathing, minimum exercise, etc. etc. My advice: Take a step back once in a while and take an honest look at the basics your lifestyle.

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13
Dec 09

Healthy Holiday Sweets…Yum! – Jill Sung

carrot mini cupcake

Not into holiday weight gain, but love the holiday sweets? I don’t actually love eating sweets, but I love baking… And it’s fun to bake for holiday parties or as gifts to friends. My current favorite, carrot cake. It’s pretty healthy as cakes go, and I’ve melded together a few recipes to create a healthier version that tastes great and is really moist without making me or the gift recipient feel guilty about indulging. Makes about 20 servings. Per serving: Calories with frosting: 219.4; without the frosting: 152.8. (You can check nutritional info for almost anything you make with this recipe calculator: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
3 egg, large
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots(fine grating disc of food processor works well)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

Frosting

6 ounces, neufchatel cheese (lowfat cream cheese)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple.
Pour into 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool.
Frosting: Cream the butter and neufchatel/low fat cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until creamy.Mix in orange peel.

You’ll notice I replaced the vegetable oil with apple sauce and cut the sugar in more than half. Sometimes, people will partially replace the sugar with natural replacements like agave syrup (from the agave plant, doesn’t increase blood glucose levels) or xylitol (from birch tree – kills cavities)…but I haven’t tried these yet.

I love making this in mini-loaves, cupcakes, and mini-cupcakes (the smaller the size, the fewer the calories and sugars per serving – you’d be surprised, but people will eat less when things are served in smaller sizes). For Yoshiko’s baby shower, we combined a plate of mini-cupcakes, and decorated the icing with a crying baby (that’s Metta’s artwork above!). Hope you love the recipe. I’ve gotten rave reviews, over and over again. Let me know your secrets for healthy baking or just your favorite recipes!

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9
Dec 09

Cold Feet? – Metta Murdaya

This is how my feet feel like.

Some people get cold feet when they have to walk down the aisle or try something different, but I get cold feet in the most literal way possible. My feet are constantly in a state of freezing. I must admit despite heaters, I have fallen asleep with thick socks on AND my hands wrapped around my feet – and ended up with cold hands. How sad. Some tips on how I beat cold feet:

- Get many wool socks for the price of 1. Invest in a great pair of cold-weather wool socks which holds in heat wonderfully. To avoid buying several (as they are pricey, about $29+ each) and overwashing them, wear them over a thin pair of socks (so it doesn’t add bulk) that are inexpensive. You change the thin pair everyday to get fresh socks, while the thick one remains clean. Here’s a place with a great selection. The ones I specifically have and LOVE are here. I know it says “Men’s” but I just get a small.

- Get snowboarding socks. If you want a thinner sock that is warm, snowboarding socks work wonders too. They go over the calf to and have a good elastic grip (no sliding down,) and also keep you super warm without the bulkiness of hiking socks – a must-have for someone going up and down a mountain all day with equipment. They’re priced in the $teens to $twenties.

- Exercise regularly. When you exercise, your body builds new blood vessels to increase the rate at which it can circulate oxygen. And increased circulation also means increased heat.

- Wear a hat. Despite the myth that you lose up to 40% of your heat to your head, (the real number is actually closer to 10%) – it’s a 10% that counts. Because your head has less fat to insulate it and more blood vessels around the surface, as soon as it starts losing heat, more blood moves towards the head to protect the brain and keep it warm. Increased circulation at your noggin may come at the cost of leaving your feet out in the cold.

If you feel your feet are constantly cold or abnormally so, however, it’s best to check with your doctor to make sure there are no serious underlying conditions that may have to be treated, or any peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) that may be related to circulation problems. If you are diabetic, definitely check with the doctor. Otherwise, I’m also on the lookout for easy foot warming tips, so any comments/suggestions are welcome!

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7
Dec 09

Simple tricks to boost energy during pregnancy – Yoshiko Roth-Hidalgo

Pregnant and cold shower Pregnancy can do a number on your energy level, especially during the 3^rd Trimester. At 7.5 months, it’s getting harder and harder for me to sleep through the night and it’s getting harder to move around. Result: I feel sleep-deprived, exhausted and sluggish. Meanwhile, work at JUARA during the holiday season is demanding as ever. Due to pregnancy, I limit coffee or tea to a max of 1 cup per day and Red Bull is not an option. Exercise or a walk around the block are great energizers, but here are some additional quick & easy tricks to stay energized and awake throughout the day. Here are my top 5 tricks:

1) Make eye drops your constant companion: In my case, the slightest tiredness immediately shows in my eyes. My eyes look and feel irritated and dry, which makes it hard to focus on anything visually or mentally. Single-dose eye drops (available at drugstores) have become my constant companion. They sit in my purse next to my metro card. A couple of cool drops mid-day serve as an instant pick-me-up.

2) Hard-core airing out of home or office, even during freezing weather: Bundle up and then open up every single window and door in your apartment or office, even with arctic temperatures outside. Let the space be completely aired out, so that every corner will fill with fresh, oxygen-rich air. Close windows after 5-10 minutes.

3) Spray energizing Aromatherapy Mist throughout room. For best results, do this after airing out the space. My favorite aromatherapy spray for increasing energy is Essence of Vali’s Uplift Mood Mist, which smells amazing and literally gives your energy and mood a lift with its essential oils of bergamot, spruce, llitsea cubebe and lavender.

4) Alternating hot/ cold shower in the AM. I know, this is really hard, especially in this weather, but trust me, it has an amazingly long-lasting effect. My friend swears that ever since he started taking hot-cold showers, he hasn’t been sick as much. Plus, it is supposed to also strengthen the elasticity of your skin and help reduce cellulite. Just remember 2 important rules: First, always start cold showers on your feet and work yourself up your body. You don’t have to shower your head with cold water though. Second, finish with a cold shower. If it’s too hard to shower your entire body in cold water, just do your feet and lower legs. The energizing effect is still amazing.

5) Power-nap with the “key” trick. A little power nap during the day does not mean you’re a slacker. It can be therapeutic and increase your productivity significantly. Here is a trick for the most time-efficient power nap. Sit in a comfortable chair, put on a sleep mask and use ear plugs if you get easily distracted by light and noise. Put your house keys in your hand or dangle them from a finger. As you drift off into slumber, you will relax and eventually drop your keys which should wake you up. That’s it! That’s your power nap. You can repeat this 2-3 times if you are really tired, but usually that should be enough to give your energy a boost.

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1
Dec 09

2-for-1 Special, Weird but Good – Metta Murdaya

kombucha-coconut It sounds kinda weird. It’s hard to imagine the flavor. If I saw it in a store, I would NOT jump to buy it. But in a blazingly impulsive ‘why not, life is short?’ moment, I tried it – and it was delicious! Of what do I speak of? A mix of Kombucha and Coconut Water.

To all my friends, it’ s no secret that I make Kombucha, a fermented sweet black tea, at home to drink daily. (I love it so much we even put it in our JUARA face care, especially the Sweet Black Tea & Rice Facial Moisturizer.) Despite the bazillion benefits you can find online for Kombucha, the 2 most prominent (and widespread, better known) benefits I love include:
1. The refreshingly tangy sweet taste and the energy I get (not the caffeine jolt kind of energy but the generally upping-the-level-of-my-baseline energy level.) It’s supposed to improve digestion as well, which is related to increased energy levels.
2. How it also normalizes my appetite. Perfect for curbing any chance of my power eating through a big bag of chips! Do I feel snacky? Drink kombucha – a few sips usually nips any unhealthy urges. Amazing, it just works.

It’s also no secret I’m a huge fan of coconut water. Not just buying into the hype of it being the ‘new gatorade’ alternative, given a fairly active workout schedule, I have noticed a difference. The million benefits of coconut water are also easy enough to search online, but the top 2 reasons I like it are that it are that:
1. It quickly replenishes body fluids thanks to the natural balance of potassium, calcium, sodium magnesium, making it the perfect electrolyte drink.
2. It is (oh yay!) low in fat and calories, unlike coconut milk – which is like heaven in curries and asian dishes, and probably wreaks havoc on any diet.

So how do you mix it? I just do 1 part of Kombucha, 1 part coconut water, but I suppose it’s to taste. How do the 2 taste together? It has the tangy sweet/sour fizzy flavor of Kombucha, but also a slightly (I know this sounds weird,) but buttery, rounder flavor of coconut water to cut the tang and a gentle sweetness that makes the drink almost gulpable. Both beverages are available at almost every health food store and Whole Foods at this point so they’re easily accessible. Sound crazy? Try it… I dare you. And the awesome part, it’s like 2 low calorie power drinks combined into one, how much better does it get?

(To read my older post on how to make Kombucha at home, scroll down to see my March 31, 2009 post here.)

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23
Nov 09

Healthy (and fun) Japanese snacks – Yoshiko Roth-Hidalgo

I’ve always been a snacker (Japan is THE snack paradise on earth!), but with pregnancy, healthy snacking has developed into a passion for me. When you’re in it for 9 months, day in day out, it’s not just about how much nutrition a snack packs, but how fun, tasty, and yet easy it is. The good old healthy stand-byes of fruits, nuts and wholegrain crackers are always great, but here are some very cool (Japanese) alternatives that combine the healthful side of Japanese cuisine with fun and convenience:

1) Fried Hajiki Mame, a.k.a. Fava Beans or Broad Beans: Fried and packed for snacking, Hajiki Mame are super hearty and with a satisfying crunch. Packed with protein, iron and fiber, they are also a good source of Vitamin A and potassium. In addition, they are rich in L-dopa, a precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in the brain for activities including memory and energy – crucial when you’re going through pregnancy-induced energy highs and lows.

2) Almond plus dried fish, conveniently packaged into tiny little servings. Three little packs make up one full serving that has only 130 calories but packs 18% of your calcium need, 6 grams of sugar and a whopping 13g of protein. Even better: Get the ones without added salt (water retention is a problem during pregnancy, so avoiding too much sodium is key!)

3) My absolute favorite: “Pucchi Pori Natto”! If you’re familiar with Japanese food, you’ve probably heard of Natto, the fermented stinky soy beans served over hot rice that produce sticky strings and that most non-Japanese are a bit afraid of. It’s an acquired taste, but it is ultra-ultra healthy (and actually very tasty). Natto contains nattokinase, an enzyme which has been shown to promote healthy blood flow and helps prevent heart disease, amongst other wonders. Because of its smell and texture, it’s not really suitable as a quick snack on–the-go, so there is dried Natto, which combines the pungent taste but has a reduced smelliness factor and none of the messiness. In “Pucchi Pori Natto”, dried Natto is combined with dried fish and almonds and comes either in soy sauce flavor or ume flavor. A healthy snack doesn’t get better than this! A whole 19 g package contains only 110 calories, yet packs 6 grams of protein and only 5 grams of sugar.

Look for these snacks at your Japanese or Asian grocery store!

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12
Nov 09

Snack Food that Keeps Me Going – Metta Murdaya

I was attending an acroyoga workshop in Tucson, AZ when I was turned onto this healthy, tasty treat – filling enough to cut hunger and give me energy to practice for hours, but light enough to not weigh me down. Gives me plenty of energy and brainpower to focus on running a skincare company too! An unconventional combo, it was a seaweed wrap with avocado, leafy salad veggies and sprinkled with a seasoning blend of nutritional yeast, black sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sea salt. Absolutely delicious, it has a lovely savory flavor from the blend of sea salt and nutritional yeast (which contains a chock full of Vitamin B), rich, buttery avocado (containing good fats,) and leafy greens for a filling, but light, vitamin packed crunch. (I use spinach or a spring mix, but you can mix it up with anything.) It’s so easy to make too – just pre-mix the seasonings in a jar, keep it at home or take to work – which I do. If you are what you eat, I’ll take the benefits of this ingredient combo!

Seasoning mix (This is totally to taste, so adjust according to yours):
* Nutritional Yeast – 1 cup
* Sea Salt – Add so a taste of the yeast/salt combo tastes almost but not as salty as a bouillon cube. Remember you’re sprinkling this on mild flavored foods.
* Pumpkin Seeds – ¼ cup (I like lots of seeds, so per small teaspoon, I get about 3-seeds in my mix.)
* Black Sesame Seeds – 3 tablespoons

Mix it all up, and store in an airtight container, like a used jam jar.
To make the roll, lay out a sheet of seaweed, put on some avocado slices, leafy greens, and sprinkle about 1 full teaspoon of the seasoning on it, roll and eat away! I love it cuz I can customize it to what I have. If I need something a little more hearty, I’ll add some Monterey Jack cheese to it, or an egg. I’ve even used tofu as well. Get creative! It’s delicious, healthy, so easy to make, and pretty hard to get wrong. Enjoy!!

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