Webinar - 5 Tips on how to slow down the signs of aging

Ever wondered why aging occurs and how it happens on a cellular level? Want to know how you can prolong the aging process through cutting edge technology in skincare?

Come join us in this webinar on Wed, 16 Mar at 8pm as we share with you the science behind aging and how you can slow it down so that you remain beautiful and younger, longer.

Register today at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/190339029921911044

Are You Gluten-sensitive?

I've been talking to a lot of people about how I found out that I'm slightly gluten sensitive and why a lot of people probably are but simply do not know about it. After every such conversation, most of them would ask me to blog about it and so here I am! I must stress that I'm no expert and this is only my opinion. You should always consult your doctor and do more proper research before you embark on any crazy experiments with your diet.

First of, let's find out what gluten really is. According to www.livescience.com, gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat grain but it can also be found in other cereal grains such as rye and barley. It is what makes breads and cake have that elastic texture.

Is Gluten Bad?
If you're gluten-intolerant, then yes...you can't eat any gluten and some severe cases of gluten-intolerance have met with death. The most well-known form of gluten intolerance is celiac disease and when someone with this disease consumes gluten, it will trigger an immune response that damages their intestines, preventing them from absorbing vital nutrients.

Another form of gluten intolerance, although quite rare, is wheat allergy and the reaction is normally through skin, respiratory or gastrointestinal. It is in recent years that scientists have found another form of gluten intolerance where patients may experience many celiac disease symptoms, such as diarrhoea, fatigue and joint pain, but do not appear to have damaged intestines. This is when doctors would recommend the patients to go on a gluten-free diet.

Why the trend to go gluten-free?
There is a perception that going gluten-free is healthier because some articles have written that the human stomach does not digest wheat that well, therefore causing a lot of gas in the stomach and intestines. In addition, the publication of Karyn Seroussi’s "Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research and Recovery" in 2000, and actress Jenny McCarthy’s books and activism, prompted many parents of autistic children to try a diet free of gluten and casein, a protein in milk. As some parents reported success with the diet, scientists devised studies to try to pin down the diet’s impact on behavior. So far, however, these studies haven’t convinced scientists of the diet’s effectiveness.

Nonetheless, this 'health' craze doesn't seem to be ending any time soon especially with celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga going on a complete gluten-free diet and claiming that they lose weight in the process. Gluten-free is now big business and the marketing folks at each of these health food companies aren't going to stop churning out them gluten-free labels. Yay for those with celiac while the rest of us had better make more informed choices.

Why I went gluten-free
As I was researching about endometriosis and other autoimmune diseases, I read about how researchers have seen that there's non-celiac gluten sensitivity (as mentioned earlier) and that people with this gluten sensitivity tend to have other autoimmune diseases or symptoms. I too often felt fatigued and bloated, but I blamed it all on the endometriosis plus stress at work. However, those articles that linked gluten sensitivity to the symptoms of endometriosis made me want to test out this theory.

Thus, I went a full month without eating a lot of gluten. I can't say that I went totally cold turkey because the sad thing about food these days is that there are a lot of gluten traces during the processing of food...even for soy sauce. What I did do was cut out pasta, breads, pizza, wraps, cakes and donuts. However, I did not cut out carbs. I merely chose alternatives such as rice and potato.

I was never a huge fan of cakes, bread and donuts so it was not that hard the first week into this diet. However, lunch was a tough choice because I could not eat pasta, wraps or pizza. I had to stick to potato and rice...which limited the variety of meals. Sometimes, I had no choice but to succumb to eating gluten as I could not be too fussy about my meals when dining with my (now ex) colleagues. Nonetheless, I pressed on.

The result? I lost the bloat but in terms of weight loss, it was about 0.5kg overall but what I liked most of all was that I no longer had that uncomfortable bloating. Moreover, the lack of fatigue was more significant and my energy levels were higher during the day.

When I went back to my regular diet, I experimented again. I took my weight every morning to see whether what I ate the day before would affect my weight the next day. I found out that I could eat gluten at any time of the day except for dinner. If I ate a plate of pasta or even a nice sandwich, I would put on 0.5 to 0.8kg the next day.

Is it all in our heads?
A couple of researchers who studied self-diagnosed gluten-sensitive patients found that that NONE of them were actually gluten sensitive. The study also revealed that these patients were experiencing a "nocebo" effect, where they thought they'd feel worse when given gluten and therefore would really feel worse when given gluten. In other words, it's all psychological.

Another study also states that people who go on gluten-free diets often make other lifestyle changes which contribute to their weight loss or better skin. For example, someone might cook more meals at home rather than eating fast food as they go on this gluten-free diet. They may eat more vegetables and less fatty foods as a result as well.

For me, that was not true because I was still working full time at a 9 to 5 job and although I wasn't eating pizzas and pasta, I was still eating my chye png and rice noodles etc. I was also actively  recording down the calorie intake each day and it hardly changed from my gluten-laden days. That is why my conclusion is that I'm slightly sensitive to gluten and it has been helping me control the bloat better than all the other 'solutions' that I get from therapists at the spas.

Many dieticians do not recommend going on a gluten-free diet because grains that contain gluten often contain other essential nutrients such as vitamin B6. Moreover, some manufacturers add in fat into gluten-free products in order to enhance the taste or to improve the texture. I've also seen some gluten-free products containing white rice flour, which means that it has been processed twice, making me wonder how much nutrients would've been stripped away before it became noodles or pasta sheets.

Nevertheless, please do not take my word for it. Go see the doctor, get yourself tested and then experiment a little with your diet. We are unique individuals and our diets should be customised for our current lifestyles too.

How The Bikini Evolved - Every Woman Should Watch This

Women tend to dress in order to impress and attract those of the opposite sex, which seems like a normal thing to do. However, what if how you dress makes men see you as an object instead of a human being who is smart, beautiful and worthy of attention?

The bikini seems all the norm these days and if you walked onto the beach in a one-piece, you may be called 'conservative' or may even be laughed at. However, if you watched this video, it will challenge your idea on what the word 'modesty' means.

You are worthy and you should wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident!

Tribute to Everyone Who Has Been Shamed For Being Fat/Skinny

I don't feel fat until people tell it to me in my face and that's when I'd usually feel bad about myself. There was a period of time where I'd even get depressed. As in clinically depressed, bawling my eyes out and feeling crappy kind of depressed. It has been many years since then and thankfully, I managed to crawl myself out of that hole but I do know that a lot of people are still suffering similar situations.

A friend of mine posted once about how she knows that she has put on weight but she's frustrated at how some people are asking her whether she's pregnant again or offering her all sorts of solutions to lose weight. Another friend of mine had accidentally brushed against an old auntie on CNY eve in the supermarket and was rudely scolded with a "Fat slob! Too greedy and rushing to eat like a pig ah?", thus ruining said friend's mood and made her go back to her own hole of self doubt.

It's not just the fat people who get it. The skinny ones often will get people wanting to feed them (myself included) and people joking about how a wind would blow the skinny people off their feet. Oh my favourite one is probably "you're so skinny that you use a Cheerio as a hula hoop".

Why do women do this to ourselves and to fellow females? Sure, we are all blaming the media for giving us an ideal body weight to conform to. However, the media does not tell us to insult each other. This, unfortunately, is a societal thing. How many times have we been told that fat=lazy? And then of course we see images of starving people who are stick thin and that's where we feel that skinny but healthy people are that size because they're not eating enough.

I watched an episode of "Extreme Makeover" and for the first time, it was a skinny man who was undergoing the makeover. His issue wasn't that he wasn't eating enough. It was that he wasn't building muscles as he didn't go to the gym.

As for lazy, I know a lot of people who are fat but are the most hardworking people. There are many other reasons why the weight is piling on and most of the time, it is some emotional reason and not because they don't have the willpower. Sure, they may say that out loud but if you've watched enough makeover shows or read sufficient articles on inspirational weight loss stories, the actual reason a lot of obese people pile on the weight is because they turn to food for comfort and they went on a spiral where they couldn't get themselves out.

When I look at my old photos, sure, I was much slimmer then but right now, at this moment, the heavier me actually feels happier and more assured about myself. Sure, some of it came due to age but it is also because of an epiphany that I had - my weight does not determine how I feel about myself.

As I said to my friend, we choose how we react and feel. Although insults may make me angry and feel bad for a bit, I tell myself that whatever the insult was isn't me. I determine who I am and I'm growing stronger and healthier with time and on my own terms. I'm not encouraging obese people to remain obese or underweight people to remain stick thin. What I'm saying is, don't judge. If you're judging others, what makes you think that others aren't judging you? Instead of judging, just work on yourself and help others feel better about themselves. Remember, the over eating is often a symptom of emotional problems.

Which is why, when I went through a workshop and we were forced to really think about WHY we're setting up our businesses and WHAT we actually are selling, it reminded me that I want to help everyone be body confident. That is why my company's motto is "Be The Best Of You". Now that I've been reminded of this fact, you'll see a lot of changes with SWAG Guide soon where it'll be more in that direction and become a platform for holistic plans, advice and solutions to enable you to be more confident about yourselves.