Today I Learned: Garlic intensity

 

Today I Learned on Japanese TV, I learned a valuable culinary tip: how to control the intensity of garlic flavour in your dishes. On the chart they presented, the most intense garlic flavour which is positioned on the left, with the least intense on the right.

To see all the things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: how to prevent heat stroke

 

Happy Summer!! It is officially summer today!!

I wanted to share some things I learned on a Japanese TV program about preventing heat stroke.

Drink one sip of mugicha (麦茶 - むぎちゃ roasted barley tea) every 30 minutes. This will prevent your body from dehydrating

This also applies to comfortable, cool (AC-cooled) environments. Most people don't realize how important it is to keep the body hydrated and neglect this when they are in comfortable settings (e.g. cars, malls, and houses).

If your shirt is drenched in sweat, change into a dry one. A wet shirt will trap your body heat and cause heat stroke.

Eat Pork. If you have the choice of food, choose pork, pork contains Vitamin B1 and can prevent heat stroke.

That's all! Remember these tips, stay hydrated and enjoy summer! :)

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: warm yogurt aka sour milk

 

Today I learned the best way to eat yogurt (the best way = healthy way to get the best health benefits) is to heat up yogurt. The purpose of eating yogurt (from a healthy perspective) is to intake more Lactic Acid Bacteria (乳酸菌). Lactic Acid Bacteria (乳酸菌) is good for the intestines and creates an acidic environment aiding the growth and development of good bacteria.

The best and most convenient way to heat up yogurt is to put the yogurt into the microwave and heat it for 30 seconds. This will warm the yogurt up to about 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and become hot sour milk.

When you heat up yogurt, it changes the yogurt into a warm milky "soup" like texture. Some call this "sour milk". 

At 40 degrees Celsius, yogurt's Lactic Acid Bacteria (乳酸菌) count increases. You may add fruits and honey to this mixture to make it sweeter and enhance its nutritious value.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: Chopped condiments and their benefits

Today I Learned that chopped garnishes/condiments can benefit us in different ways. These include keeping us warm, protecting our stomach, boosting our immune system, helping our blood vessels stay healthy and allowing us to lose weight.

Grated white radish, green onion pepper, and condiments to keep our bodies healthy.

Starting from the bottom and working out way up:

5. Grated white radish 大根おろし protects our stomach and intestines

4. Grated ginger　しょうが boosts our immune system's effectiveness

3. Grated garlic にんにくhelps our blood vessels stay healthy

2. Grated chilli pepper 唐辛子 helps our bodies burn off fat

1. Grated spring onion 長ねぎ helps keep our bodies warm

So next time you are looking for condiments, pay attention to these benefits!

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned... Onion Rings

 

Today I Learned that Onion Rings are (surprise!) good for you. We can eat these greasy snacks in peace knowing that it does good for our bodies (yeah!) :D

According to a documentary on Japanese TV, onions, especially onion rings (which must be fried) are good for us as they help boost the immunity of our bodies. 

Onions contain a high amount of prebiotics and fibre. These improve the gut's health by aiding digestion, strengthening the immune system and lowering inflammation.

In addition, onions contain immune-boosting nutrients like selenium, sulphur compounds, zinc, and vitamin C. They are also one of the best sources of quercetin which is a potent flavonoid and antioxidant that has antiviral properties. 

So you can eat an onion... why must it be fried?

It must be fried (because that is one of the best ways to cook onion and NOT ONLY fried but it has to HAVE A BATTER e.g. tempura, onion rings... etc), during the frying process, the batter helps conceal the onion's nutrients within a "pocket" which creates a "steaming" effect allowing the onions to properly release nutrients (within the batter/shell) and help the body fully absorb all the nutrients and get all the benefits of an onion! :D

(Another way is to finely mince onions to break down their fibre and release their nutrients for the body to absorb). 

So next time you crave onion rings, there is no need to feel guilty... :D

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: Vitamin C and the sun

 It is officially summer!

You might already know that Vitamin C skincare products cause your skin to be sensitive to the sun ☀️ 

But Today I Learned that even intaking Vitamin C (in tablet form or juices such as Orange juice, lemon juice, apple juices, etc) can also cause your skin to be sensitive to the sun!

So having that glass of OJ for breakfast isn't as good for you as we thought.

The reason your skin becomes sensitive to the sun is that Vitamin C contains Psoralen.

Psoralen causes your body/skin to take in more UV light making your skin vulnerable to the UV rays and making it "sensitive" to the sun.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I learned: fried tofu and dementia

Today I Learned that Fried Tofu prevents Dementia!

First, here is a list of foods that can prevent dementia

• fried tofu
• lecithin
• vitamin E

One of the reasons that Fried tofu is better than regular tofu is that it is moist and can hold in more nutrients with its oily barrier.

But an important point is: when pan-frying Fried Tofu, there is no need to wash the fried tofu, if you do, you remove the nutrients, there is also no need to add oil, the oil on the fried tofu is sufficient to pan-fry it.

Here are some ways you can cook it

Stuffed Fried Tofu

1. slit the fried tofus so they are like little pouches.
2. put various mushrooms and cheese
3. sprinkled with salt and pepper.
4. panfry them (WITHOUT oil)
5. once the fried tofus are crispy, and the cheese has melted, they are ready to serve!

Fried Tofu Salad

You can add Fried tofu to any Japanese-style Salad.

Fried Tofu Nabe (hot pot)

Slice Raddish, carrots and Burdock (牛蒡) and put them in a hot pot

Add soy sauce, bonito flakes (or some kind of Japanese dashi) and water

Then when it boils, add the fried tofu

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: Black Fungus

This is part two from yesterday's post where I said I will talk about the methods they use to prepare 黒菌, 黑木耳, Wood Ear, Black Fungus.

Tempura

one of the benefits of tempura is that the oil preserves the Vitamin D in the fungus.

Egg and Black Fungus

Eggs help the extract the Vitamin D from the Black Fungus into your body, so it will be good to eat them together

Cook with Rice

You can add black fungus as you are cooking rice in a rice cooker, this method helps retain the Vitamin D in the Black Fungus because the rice will absorb the essence of the Black Fungus.

Miso Soup

You can add Black Fungus to Miso soup. Boil it first, then add green onion and then miso paste.

Natto

You can try adding Black Fungus when you are eating natto, this can increase your immunity by 70%.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: Vitamin D and Immunity

Today I Learned that Vitamin D prevents Dimentia

First, here are the benefits of Vitamin D

• If you lack Vitamin D, there is a 42% chance of easily getting sick
• Studies have shown that there is a lower chance of cancer among those with a significant amount of Vitamin D in their blood
• Those with a significant amount of Vitamin D in their blood have less than a 2.5 chance of calcium loss

One of the best ways/natural ways to get Vitamin D is by soaking in the sun (but remember, apply sunscreen before you do!)

One of the food with the highest level of Vitamin D is Wood Ear, Black Fungus (黑木耳 in Chinese, 黒菌 in Japanese).

in this post (available 24 hours after posting this), I will talk about the ways they mentioned on the show to prepare Wood Ear, Black Fungus (黑木耳 in Chinese, 黒菌 in Japanese).

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned... Germ Hacks

These are some germ/virus/bacteria hacks I learned from watching a Japanese TV show today. (apologies in advance for the broken English since these tips were directly translated from Japanese)

Please note I use germs/virus/bacteria 🦠 but these tips apply to all of them

1. Use cold water to wash hands, that way your skin barrier won't break AND numerous studies show that hot water can't kill germs
   
   
2. Do not gargle... this is useless, it will do more harm than good... you will not only get rid of the fighting mechanisms barrier in your throat (which are there to protect you from germs) but you will open up a path for the germs to get into your body.
   
   
3. Do not use a hand sanitizer and soap hand washing simultaneously. It is unnecessary and either one will do. Doing this ruins your skin's protective barrier and allows the virus to enter the body.
   
   
4. When using a hand sanitizer (those with a pump) you must push ALL THE WAY to the bottom. If you only push halfway, the amount is not enough to clean your hands. Manufacturers have specifically made the pumps to pump out the perfect amount for you to clean your hands. THe only time you don't need all of that hand sanitizer is when you are only trying to clean your fingertips.
   
   
5. Of the various kinds of hand sanitizers (foam, gel, etc) Gel type is the best, it is better to manage and has a smaller amount. You only need to rub vigorously for 15-20 seconds.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

history of Unagi day

 

I watched TV and learned about the history of Unagi day in Japan :D

Today I Learned... rice and diets

 Today I learned that it is better to eat "hard" rice than "soft" rice if you want to lose weight.

reasons:

1. Hard rice is harder for the body to breakdown and requires more muscles to chew 
2. Hard rice (as a result of not being cooked as thorough) leaves a hard resistant starch which is good at reducing appetite and boost digestion

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: how to enhance taste

 

Today I learned about how to enhance food's taste (Japanese way). Here is what I learned based on these screenshots

Combine Mayonnaise and Oyster sauce to make a sauce for dipping cabbage

add butter to motsunabe もつ鍋 (Japanese pot with Beef large intestines)

Drink Oolong Cha with Carbonara (the pasta)

Eat cheese while drinking OCha (Japanese Green tea)

Eat cheese with Miso Soup

Drink milk with senbei 煎餅(Japanese rice snack)

Pair plain Japanese rice with Mikan蜜柑 (Mandarin, the Japanese citrus fruit)

Put Daikon 大根(White radish) into some yogurt

Put Pudding (Japanese egg pudding) with Instant ramen (Japanese kind)

These are the best combinations (what are your thoughts?)

This screenshot explains why it is good to add salt to watermelon slices.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: stringy cheese toast

Today I learned, in order to make an ordinary slice of cheesy toast into a stringy cheesy toast, all you have to do is fold the toast in half and wait for 30 seconds, when you bit into the toast, the cheese will be very stringy :D 

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: hand sanitizer and wine stains

Use hand sanitizer to get rid of red wine stains (more effective than white wine)

all you have to do is 

1. wet the stain
2. pour hand sanitizer on the area
3. wait a bit
4. gently rub area
5. toss the clothing/item into your washing machine
6. stain is gone! :D

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I learned: how to keep your body warm (part three)

Today I Learned of ways to keep your body warm and what mistakes you are making by making it cold.

(this is a 3 part series)

• the best way to use a heat patch (カイロ) is to put it directly on top of your liver which is located at the upper right of your abdomen. Once the liver is warm, your whole body's temperature will be raised and you will feel warm.
• point the shower head to your butt/pelvic mid area for 30 seconds. This area has a lot of nerves and will be able to transport the heat to the rest of your body to raise its temperature
• bath for 20-30 minutes will give your body enough time to heat itself up.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: How to keep your body warm (part two)

Today I Learned of ways to keep your body warm and what mistakes you are making by making it cold.

(this will be a 3 part series)

• ginger can raise your body temperature but when you cook with pork and other ingredients it loses its effectiveness
• ginger will lose its effectiveness to raise your body temperature when you boil it (100 degrees celcius) or cook it at a temperature higher than 100 degrees Celcius
• ginger soup can help raise your body temperature but remember to not boil it.

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: how to keep your body warm (part one)

Today I Learned of ways to keep your body warm and what mistakes you are making by making it cold.

(this will be a 3 part series)

• eating bananas and yogurt will lower your body temperature
• if you put on too many layers, your body temperature will be lowered (because your body will end up sweating and losing heat)
• do not let your body sweat

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: steamed brocolli

 Today I learned that it is better to use less water to cook and even better to steam broccoli to preserve its nutrients. 

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Today I Learned: tips to stay healthy

 Today I learned a bunch of tips on Japanese tv that I felt would benefit us all and prepare. 💪 

The peak of flu/cold season is February – April, so I hope these tips will benefit you while we step into this season.

• You should wash both your hands and face to prevent getting sick (through this pandemic, I'm sure we are not unfamiliar with washing hands, but we need to wash the face, as we usually have a tendency of touching our faces with our "possibly" dirty bacteria/virus filled hands.
  
  
• It is better to use tap water to gargle instead of a mouthwash/antiseptic mouth wash or mineral/bottled water. The antiseptic and mouth wash will be too strong and will get rid of the good bacteria that prevent you from getting sick. Mineral/Spring/Bottled water's PH balance is not strong enough to kill any germs/bacteria/viruses.
  
  
• If you are sick, it is good to do some light exercise (then to rest or take a bath) because when you exercise, it will raise your body temperature and allow your body to effectively kill and get rid of the viruses/bacteria. Furthermore, when you exercise and raise your body temperature,  you aid your body into feeling as if you have a fever.
  
  
• When you are sick, it is better to eat meat (instead of eating porridge, congee, and fruits) to boost energy and fight off the virus and bacteria. 
  Pork will be better than beef because pork contains vitamin B1 which prevents bacteria/viruses from attacking the body. 

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV