Theeuroblog.com – Health, Food and Travel

These are truly yummy foods. I don’t know how many calories and fats you will have when eating all of these.lol! These are some of the foods prepared during a friend’s party some months ago. Fried chicken, shrimps and shanghai eggroll, are only some of my favorite ones. I can never say no to these foods!

I am quite late with my FTF entry but glad to participate in this other meme that I found from a fellow blogger. Feel free to click the badges below. Enjoy the rest of you week also!

I was browsing the files in my photo albums and was looking for food images and……I found this ice cream. I ate this ice cream during my birthday last 2008. Since it is very cold in our place right now, I really did not miss eating this. Probably if I am in a tropical country like my homeland, I might be craving for this.

Here is my entry for Food Trip Friday this week.

This is my version and improvised pancit palabok. I know for sure most of my kababayans know about this food. Pancit palabok is made up of rice noodles, shrimps, crushed or ground pork rind, hard-boiled egg and fresh minced green onion. Adding some spices and vegetables, I also cooked it with garlic, onions, ginger and bell pepper sometimes. Sad to say, I don’t have any tinapa (smoked fish) flakes everytime I prepare it.

Here is my homemade Pancit Palabok. I am thinking of cooking pancit tomorrow. I will see if I have time to prepare it.

Pancit palabok are rice noodles cooked in anato seeds, usually served with hard-boiled egg, chicharon, spring onions, and kalamansi.

It’s a yummylicous day today. It’s time for food tripping again! I had a random selection in my food album and chose this food for my entry today. I hope I am still not too late. This is a tomato mozarella salad. I am planning to start a proper diet and would love to include this in my menu. Let’s see if its happen. Wish me luck!

Happy Food Trip Friday!

I miss cooking my homemade gyros. I usually order this everytime we go to a Greek restaurant. It’s been a long time I haven’t cook this. This is very similar with Turkish döner kebap or the Middle Eastern shawarma. I usually served it with tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce. Since I don’t know how to make pita bread or seldom I find it in the stores nearby, I usually eat it it rice. Other might prepare gyros differently but hubby always says, the gyros I cook always taste good.

Before I forget, I am happy to join for the first time this wonderful meme called Food Trip Friday. The main reason why I join?? I simply love food which means I love eating too! Second reason…. to meet more bloggers in the net.

Here is the gyros I prepared some months or even a year ago.

My homemade gyros..I love this food.

Click and join the meme below.

You’ve probably heard that orange juice and chicken soup can help kick a cold or combat the flu, but there are less obvious (and more appetizing) mealtime choices that help an ailing immune system. Below are five surprising foods that you might want to toss in your shopping cart the next time you feel a tickle in your throat.

Kefir/Yogurt

Many yogurts and almost all kefir, a fermented milk product, contain probiotics, the so-called “good” bacteria. These bacteria alter how the immune system in the digestive tract reacts to microorganisms. Studies have found that probiotics can help with diarrhea and other intestinal disorders. Although more research is needed, probiotics may also help reduce the severity of colds and the flu, according to the Mayo Clinic. Opt for the yogurt and kefir that contain live and active probiotics to make sure you’re reaping the benefits of these miracle-workers.

Black/Green Tea

A hot cup of tea can help soothe a sore throat and lift spirits, but green and black teas are also a good source of polyphenols, or plant antioxidants, that can help prevent free radical damage in the body. In the lab, compounds in green tea have been shown to inhibit viral replication, which may aid in defending against cold and flu. In addition, a Harvard study found that people who drank five cups of black tea had elevated levels of a compound that can help ward off infections like viruses. The benefits also pertain to decaf black and green teas, so you don’t have to over-caffeinate while loading up on the good stuff.

Garlic

Garlic is indispensible in the kitchen but has recently received widespread attention for its potential in disease-prevention and immune-boosting properties. Although some of the claims are certainly oversold, garlic has shown some promise when it comes to warding off infections. It’s believed that the sulfur-containing compound allicin could function as an antibacterial and antiviral agent. In one study, British researchers found that people who took a garlic supplement regularly were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold than those who took a placebo. The best way to reap garlic’s benefits, however, is consuming it raw or freshly processed.

Orange-Fleshed Vegetables

Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, squash, and other orange-fleshed vegetables are high in beta carotene, which the body uses to make Vitamin A. A diet low in beta carotene can suppress the immune system, so stocking up on these fall veggies is a great way to ensure your body has the nutrients it needs. Vitamin A also is important in keeping the skin healthy, which is our body’s first line of defense against disease-causing microorganisms.

Oysters

Oysters are definitely not the first thing that comes to mind when a cold or other illness strikes, but the bivalves are a great source of zinc, among other good-for-you nutrients like omega-3s, selenium, and iron. Zinc is important in the development of white blood cells and even a low-to-moderate level of zinc deficiencies can have negative implications for the immune system. Of course, there can be too much of a good thing however: too much zinc can have an adverse effect and inhibit the immune system. Therefore, it’s best to get zinc from a well-rounded diet. In addition to oysters, beef and chicken are good sources. yahoo health

Need help losing weight? These 13 things could be the key.

1. It Really Is Genetic

When scientists first discovered it in certain chubby mice, they called it simply the fatso gene. Years later, when they scoured the human genome for markers that increased vulnerability to type 2 diabetes, the fatso gene (now more politely called FTO) showed up there too. Turns out, people with two copies of the gene were 40 percent more likely to have diabetes and 60 percent more likely to be obese than those without it. Those with only one copy of the gene weighed more too.

2. Some People Just Have More Fat Cells

And the range is enormous, with some people having twice as many fat cells as others have, says Kirsty Spalding, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Even if you’ve lost a few pounds (or gained some), your fat-cell count remains, holding tight to the fat already inside and forever thirsting to be filled up with more. (To add insult to injury, the fat cells of overweight and obese people hold more fat too.) continue reading here

1. A lot of patients are worried that dental X-rays can cause cancer, but if you’re outside for an hour, you’re exposed to more radiation than you’d get from a full set of dental X-rays. What I worry about is that if I don’t take an X-ray, I might miss something serious.
– Bryan Tervo, DDS

2. When someone meets you for the first time, the first thing they notice is eyes. Second is teeth, and third is hair. But people spend way more money on their hair than their teeth.
– Damian Dachowski, DMD, general dentist, Horsham, Pennsylvania

3. If your breath is bad, we won’t tell you unless you ask.
– Gary Herskovits, DDS

4. Patients come in with pictures of celebrities and say, “I want to look just like her.” I’m sitting there thinking, You can’t have a smile that looks like Angelina Jolie’s, because you don’t have a face that fits those teeth. It’s like when you get your hair color done—you can’t just put the same highlights or lowlights in everybody’s hair.
– Jay Grossman, DDS

more here

This is a special post for this month.We will be taking a short vacation to Turkey in a couple of days. Included in the 10-day trip are; 4-star hotel accommodation, tourist guide, sightseeing to the different places in Turkey, flights with tourist class tickets, 10x breakfast and 5x dinners. You can choose to have business class flights but you have to pay extra for it.

Here are the places that we will be visiting;

Istanbul– this is the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. This city bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. You can find here the footsteps of history and ancient monuments and architecture dating back to Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods. I would love to visit Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and Basilica Cistern in this city.

Pergamon– also called as Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern Turkey. This is a historical place and of religious importance for Christians. According to the book of Revelation 2:13, the first bishop of Pergamon, Antipas, was martyred there in ca. 92 AD. Interesting sights to see include Kizil Avlu (Red Basilica), the Town Square which features some columns from Pergamon and Asclepion, the Temple of Serapis, the Acropolis and many more.

Izmir– this is the third largest city of Turkey. I saw some images of a friend who visited this place some years ago. The Konak Square, Alsancak, Kadifekale are only some of the sights to see. Izmir is also known for its beaches located not to far from the city centre. A walk along the Kordon can also be a nice experience. Kemeraltı, a big bazaar in Izmir, is the perfect place for those who love to shop.

Bosphorus– This is also known as Istanbul Strait. It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation. It connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Sights to see include Akaretler Street, Arnavutköy or the so-called Albanian village, Emirgan Park, Rumeli Citadel, Dolmabahce Palace and the Sakip Sabanci Museum is also worthy to visit especially if you love calligraphy and paintings.

Ephesus– I am sharing here some words of an online friend during his trip to this very interesting and major tourist destination in Turkey. It is very touching. Thank you so much Art for this very well-written experience.

“When Jesus died on the cross, He asked his apostle John to take care of his Mother, the Virgin Mary. John brought her to live out her last years at Ephesus, which is right outside of Kusadasi. When I walked into the small stone building that is where she lived, it was the most unbelievable feeling that I have ever felt in my whole life!! And I am not even Catholic. BUT I BELIEVE, especially now! The Greek and Roman ruins at Ephesus are unbelievable. There are more ruins in just Ephesus than there are in all of Greece. I saw where the apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians and where he was imprisoned. I saw where John was tried and exiled to a small island just of the coast of Turkey. And all of Ephesus is very well preserved because no cities were built over the ruins like they did in Greece and Italy.”