good4u

good4u.com.my is a local (as in malaysian) web based organic store.

they do delivery too, at only rm3 but with a minimum order of rm50. right now they only cater to klang valley but hope to expand to other parts of malaysia later.

they have quite a range of products. do check them out!

make your own chocolate!

i love chocolates! who doesn't? i love them, especially the dark dark variety.

unfortunately commercial chocolates are anything but healthy. too much sugar, too much fillers like soy lecithin, soy protein etc... why all these fillers? to bulk it up! cocoa powder and cocoa butter is expensive. to use more butter is also expensive, hence all the "substitutes".

as the saying goes, if you want something done the right way, you better do it yourself.

natural health strategies' website has this page on making your own healthy chocolate. it's really easy! you could make it in 10 minutes!

key here is to use good ingredients.

for cocoa powder, i used radiant wholefood's unsweetened organic cocoa powder. it's worth getting this, it's cheaper than hershey's! check around organic stores, jaya jusco and cold storage.

i tried searching for coconut oil but it's not easy! the only one i could find is the organic variety. quite costly... i asked our indian friends and was told you could probably find in indian specialty stores. hmm... for centuries, indians have been eating coconut oil and they live fine. no heart disease etc. but nowadays with the advent of cheaper oils like vegetable oils, we have a rise in heart disease! i know i know i'm over simplifying things but there's food for thought.

but coconut oil is high in saturated fat no? it is! but it raises mainly HDL - good cholesterol which has a protective effect on your heart. it is also rich in lauric acid which has anti bacterial properties. lauric acid can't be bad for you since breast milk is also high in lauric acid. since we can't drink breast milk every day... coconut oil will have to do!

raw cocoa is great as it's know to have anti oxidant properties.

so how about combining both super ingredients into one tasty snack?!

from the site's recipe, i modified it somewhat. i didn't put in grated coconut for bulk but put in quite a handful of roasted hazelnuts and roasted cashew nuts. put in some brown sugar as well. you really got to adjust this to taste. if you prefer it sweet, then put in more. i love it bitter! how much sugar is really up to you but go for brown sugar or molasses. do not go for those "sugar free" sweeteners like aspartame, xylitol, malitol etc. remember, use only natural ingredients. if it sounds like some chemical or you have problem pronouncing it, you shouldn't bother with it!

and when i taste it... it's fantastic! the darkest bestest dark chocolate i have ever tested!

 it's super rich, immensely gratifying, brings a huge smile to your face and you know it's very healthy as coconut oil is one of those good fats that we should eat more and eat less those unhealthy fats.

there you go! enjoy!

earth day

what is your earth day pledge?

http://act.earthday.org/leaderboard

we do practice some here. let's see.

• we use recycleable shopping bags.
• we reuse all plastic bags.
• we don't buy bottled mineral water.
• we reduce our consumption of meat.
• we eat organic produce.
• we use natural soap/cleaners.
• we car pool.
• we compost our waste.
• we recycle newspapers, all paper products and glass bottles.
• 90% of our light bulbs are of energy saving variety.
• we only use rechargeable batteries.
• reduce further our consumption of water and electricity. current monthly water bill is the minimum charge of rm6 and electricity bill averages rm40.
• we don't use air conditioning at home at all. on very hot nights, we switch it on for only 2-3 hours to cool down the room.

hmm... this is all i could think of, the initiatives we are taking right now. will definitely add to it! 

so what's your pledge?

if you love fast food, read this...

... in 1996, karen hanrahan bought a mcd hamburger. she didn't eat it but kept it in a sandwich box.

in 2008, she took a photo of the burger and updated her site in 2009 with the photo of the burger as well.

in total 13 years has passed and the burger still hasn't decomposed. not sure about status now though...

it doesn't matter. if it hasn't decomposed in 6 months (and this is already a stretch), it's not food!

photo below is taken in 2010. 14 year old burger on your left. new burger on your right.

check out these links.

http://bestofmotherearth.com/2009/09/23/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger-revisited.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/25/mcdonalds-happy-meal-shows-no-sign-of-decomposing.aspx

 

from dr mercola's site,  this is info taken from mcd's site. this hamburger bun consists of

"Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin."

simple life maxim. 

if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! 

if you don't know what is it, don't eat it! 

 we bake our own bread here, using artisanal methods of yesteryears and our bread consists of :   

 organic whole wheat flour, salt, oil and water

if you don't bother baking your own bread, perhaps you'll think twice about buying those "healty" commercial bread? 

if you are lazy to bake your own bread, and i'm looking at you. you you you you!!!!!

here's a bread i turn to too when i have too much on my plate.

above is a 3 seed sprouted bread - flax seed, sunflower seed and sesame seed.

on the right is a 7 grain sprouted bread - millet, corn, oat, rye, soy, lentil and of course, wheat.



baked without preservative, the cost at rm6.90 per loaf is actually quite a good deal. it has to be one of the healthier off the shelves bread available now.

nowadays you could buy them from kl as well as many places in malaysia. the store finder on the site helps you out here.


do visit adventist's website for more detail.

i like this toothpaste!

the harmful chemical sodium lauryl sulphate is found in many household products, especially detergents, as it lathers very well. found in shampoo, soap, shower cream, dish washer, floor cleaner etc.

since it is so harmful, the thought of swallowing sulphate is disgusting right? but you may be doing so EVERY DAY. especially if you are using tooth paste that has this chemical in it. go home and read the ingredient label on your tooth paste!

i recommend this tooth paste.

ingredient list :  propolis extract, sage oil, chamomile extract, myrrh extract, peppermint oil.

we really like this toothpaste. it cleans very well, very refreshing and doesn't leave an unpleasant after taste in the mouth. also, since it's quite concentrated, you only need 5mm of it on your tooth brush. so a tube lasts more than 6 weeks for both of us.

we pay something like rm8+ for it, so it's very reasonable considering the natural ingredients used.

i like this soap!

i'm interested in making soap but the problem is getting lye, a strong alkaline solution. even though i have been told where to get lye, still i'm lazy to go there. reason being...

this!

this is a bar of soap made using natural ingredients and made in the natural way. i was told the ingredients are palm oil and coconut oil. i believe lye is the other ingredient. since it costs only rm3+ and available easy at many organic stores, i'm not tempted to play with oil and lye!

it lathers very well, moistures our skin extremely well and best of all, it's so lasting. a bar lasts us more than a month for both of us. the fact that it's wrapped in unassuming mahjong paper only adds to its charm. well, that's what i think.

nowadays if i travel, i'll bring this bar of soap with me and it maintains our skin moisture so well that even if i'm cooped up in a dry, air-con environment for 24 hours, i don't feel my skin itch at all. you know, that kind of itch you get when your skin gets too dry?

who needs body lotion if you use the RIGHT type of soap? one made using traditional way, using natural ingredients. no sulphate no nonsense chemical.

as there's no synthetic fragrance in it, it has no smell at all. i like this! i hate smelling like a flower after shower.

go ahead! try this bar of soap! if you don't like it, i'll take from you!