This "M" symbol could be found in almost every country ALL AROUND THE WORLD. McDonnald's Corporation, a.k.a McD, is one of the world's LARGEST fast food chain restaurant. Statistic shows, McD serves up 47 millions of customers EACH DAY!
So why am I writing about it? Of course, "I'm lovin' it" too! Ever since I entered college life, I have my meals at McD at least once a week , which is pretty frequent for a Malaysian. And since I have McD meals more than a normal Malaysian, I need to dig out more about the ingredients and stuff in the food itself. I dowanna die one day due to too much McD food intake.
My all-time-favourite burger of McD is BIG MAC. Instead of crapping about the grandmother history of McD, I'm gonna share with you guys what I've discovered about Big Mac.
From the ingredients list, Big Mac is made up of 100% Beef Patty, Big Mac Bun, Pasteurized Process American Cheese, Big Mac Sauce, Lettuce, Pickle Slices, Onions. I think this is a PERFECT combination because I get to eat my Beef with cheese and lettuce.and all. Besides, I think it pretty much 7 classes of nutrients we need each day. Yet, people say having too much fast food is bad. I don't get it. So, here I go again. GOOGLE!!!
So what's the big deal having fast food? After searching about the nutrient facts about fast food, although there's veggies and stuff in a burger, however, there contains many bad fats and other thing that are bad to our health. Namely, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium(excess) and too much carbs.
Trans fat is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid. It is different from other dietary fats because it is not essential to the body. Two common trans fats are oleic acid and elaidic acid(unsaturated fatty acids) with the chemical formula C9H17C9H17O2. Consuming trans fats increases one's risk of coronary heart disease. It raises the levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Besides just coronary risks, trans fat will also cause diseases such as diabetes, cancers, OBESITY(the key to all sorts of diseases)......
Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy steroid found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Although it is important to maintain the permeability of cell membranes, if there's excess cholesterol in blood circulation will also cause heart diseases.
As we can see, having too much fast food often puts us at the risk of developing heart diseases because too much sodium intake will also cause heart diseases by affecting our blood pressure which indirectly affects our heart. Yet, the amount of sodium in ONE meal of McD set is about 2-3times our daily need. Its just plain insane when I come to realize all these. But what can I do? Stop eating??!! NO WAY!! Maybe I'll just reduce my fast food intake and have more veggie, fruits, whole grain food and legumes which will help to break down the cholesterol in our body and will lower the LDL-cholesterol level, especially at the liver.
Guess I really have to gain more self-control or else I will be one of the millions people who dies of heart disease, the world leading cause of death. Those fats do not just give me fat physically, it also affect me mentally and physiologically as they will form plaques in our vessels. I don't wish to be an obese who died of FAT!!!!
People, have a lil health concious. Maybe do more exercise will help because it keeps our heart muscles and all to work to burn the fats. Yet, self control is more important to a healthier lifestyle. Good luck choosing what to eat.
Para-pa-pa-pa, I'm lovin' it??!!
on Tuesday, July 28, 2009Chocolate makes me HIGH!!!
on Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My course mates often ask me why am I always that hyperactive and always laughing like an idiot? I will always make a funny face and tell them "My glucose level too high, ate too much chocolate I guess" After being asked for a few times, I decided to do some research. Does sugar level, chocolate consumpstion for example, make people happy or HIGH (to be more exact) by effecting the brain?
A research was done by some researchers from University of Bath. It suggests that people who eat chocolate regularly are happier than those who do not! Here's how it goes. A group of 900 people were divided into three - one ate a bar of a well-known brand of chocolate a day, another was asked not to eat chocolate, while the third were free to eat chocolate or not, as they liked. The group reported their feelings via a Web-based interactive diary over a week. In the chocolate group, 70 per cent said they felt happy, compared to 35 per cent in the chocolate-deprived group. In the free choice group, 60 per cent felt happy. (This statistic was found in [http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Eating-chocolate-makes-you-happy-1395-1/]
As I'm google-ing MORE about chocolate, I find chocolate consumption has long been associated with enjoyment and pleasure. Popular claims that chocolate has the properties of being a stimulant, relaxant, euphoriant, aphrodisiac, tonic and antidepressant. Besides, it is also commonly claimed that chocolate has the ability to lift spirits, to create "HYPERNESS" and make people feel good. How COOL is that?! Now I guess that pretty much explained why am I always so high. Chocolate from Koko Krunch, Choki-choki, Mars bar, Sneakers......
To begin with, the main factors of sugar, fat, and carbohydrate provide a boost of energy. Then there is chocolate's seductive mouth feel which melts slowly in our mouth(it is because of cocoa butter). Also, chocolate contains theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine (PEA), and anandamide that add to its appeal. These chemical substances have a profound effect on the brain and also help to prove(I think so) that chocolate has a definite physiological effect on the body.
Theobromine and caffeine are both stimulants. Phenylethylamine is a chemical that our brain releases when we fall in love. It is also being called the "love drug" (Now I know why people love giving out chocolate to their crushes or lovers). It also acts as an anti-depressant by combining with dopamine that is naturally present in the brain. Anandamide helps to stimulate and open synapses in the brain that allow "feel good" waves to transmit more easily. Anandamide was discovered by a scientist in 1992. He named it after the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. See, chocolates are always related to happy things.
Another two other factors are serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that is released after eating carbohydrates. It is a neurotransmitter that communicates a feeling of calm to the brain and helps to stabilize moods. Endorphins are another chemical that act to send high levels of energy and feelings of euphoria to the brain. In addition, endorphins have been shown to be effective painkillers, much like morphine.
Chocolate has a long history associated with feelings of well being. It has been favored by people ranging from the ancient Aztecs to high society Victorians to Popes (COOL isn't it??!!). Chocolate also has a history of being a known aphrodisiac. I think it is quite fascinating that a food such as chocolate can have such an effect on the operations of our brain and thus our perceptions of the world.
There are ENDLESS details about chocolate and I might take me 3 pages-essay-long to further elaborate. Curious to find out more about chocolate, you can always go to this website to learn more about it - http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/ . I gotta say, IF you want to be like me, EAT MORE COCOA-PRODUCT!!!!
Reference:
http://www.chocolate.org/chocolate.pdf
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=1419
