Health

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” - Heave

Interesting facts and trivia about our health, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Body Truth’, ‘Pure Facts’, etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

These are for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

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Did you know? If your grip strength remains strong into your 60s, it's often a sign that you're aging well. Researchers consider grip strength one of the simplest and most powerful indicators of overall health, physical function, and longevity.

Although it may seem like just a measure of hand strength, your grip reflects the health of your muscles, nerves, bones, and cardiovascular system. Because nearly every daily activity depends on these systems working together, grip strength has become a quick screening tool used by doctors and researchers around the world.

A 2023 review published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle found that lower grip strength is consistently associated with a higher risk of frailty, falls, disability, hospitalization, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. The landmark PURE study, which followed more than 140,000 adults across 17 countries, even found that grip strength was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than systolic blood pressure, highlighting just how closely muscle strength is linked to long-term health.

The encouraging news is that grip strength isn't fixed. Regular strength training, carrying groceries, hanging from a pull-up bar, using hand grippers, and lifting free weights can all improve grip while strengthening the muscles throughout your entire body.

Strong hands often reflect a strong body — and maintaining muscle strength as you age is one of the most effective investments you can make for your future health and independence.

Try this: Include 2–3 strength-training sessions each week, and add simple grip exercises such as farmer's carries, dead hangs, towel squeezes, or hand grippers. Improving your grip usually means improving your overall strength as well. - A Facebook post by 'Body Truth'

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Many people aren’t aware that activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” branch of your nervous system can be one of the most powerful tools for health, habit change, and emotional healing. Research shows that parasympathetic activation helps reduce stress, regulate emotions, and promote a sense of calm, which makes it easier to break bad habits, release stored childhood trauma, and reset the body for optimal function.

When your parasympathetic system is engaged, your heart rate slows, digestion improves, inflammation decreases, and your body enters a restorative state. This is the opposite of the fight-or-flight response, which dominates under chronic stress and can make unhealthy habits harder to break. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, gentle movement, cold exposure, and mindfulness can stimulate parasympathetic activity, allowing your nervous system to recalibrate naturally.

By making parasympathetic activation a daily practice, you can improve emotional resilience, reduce anxiety, enhance focus, and support long-term physical and mental health. This approach empowers you to take control of your stress response, improve sleep quality, and unlock your body’s innate healing potential.

Turning parasympathetic activation into a “superpower” is about creating routines that calm your nervous system, restore balance, and give you the mental clarity and energy to thrive. It’s a simple, science-backed strategy to transform your habits, health, and overall well-being. - A Facebook post by 'Nutra Facts'

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Did you know? That extra "jiggle" on the back of your upper arms — often called "bingo wings" — isn't just about body fat. It can also reflect a gradual loss of triceps muscle mass and strength, something that naturally occurs with age if those muscles aren't challenged regularly.

Your triceps make up nearly two-thirds of your upper arm muscle and are responsible for straightening your elbow during everyday movements like pushing yourself out of a chair, opening heavy doors, lifting groceries, and doing push-ups. As we get older, inactive muscles gradually shrink through a process known as sarcopenia, reducing muscle tone and making the upper arms appear softer.

Research published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle has shown that regular resistance training can increase muscle size and strength even in adults well into their 60s, 70s, and beyond. While exercise cannot target fat loss from one specific area of the body, building the underlying triceps muscles can improve arm definition, strength, and everyday function, especially when combined with overall fat loss through healthy nutrition and regular physical activity.

The good news is that muscles respond to training throughout life. Even a few sessions of strength training each week can lead to measurable improvements in muscle mass, stability, and confidence during daily activities.

Try this: Perform 2–3 triceps-focused workouts each week, including exercises such as chair dips, triceps pushdowns, overhead triceps extensions, close-grip push-ups, or bench presses. Combine strength training with adequate protein intake and full-body exercise for the best improvements in muscle tone and overall body composition. – a Facebook post by ‘Body Truth’

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Did you know? In many parts of the world, resting in a deep squat is an everyday position used for cooking, gardening, eating, or relaxing. Yet many adults in Western countries find it difficult to hold this position comfortably because of reduced mobility, muscle tightness, and years of prolonged sitting.

A deep squat requires your ankles, knees, hips, and spine to move through a full range of motion while your core and leg muscles work together to maintain balance. As people become more sedentary, these joints often lose flexibility and strength, making the position feel uncomfortable or unstable.

Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and Sports Medicine has shown that maintaining good lower-body mobility and regularly performing full-range movements can improve balance, joint function, functional strength, and healthy aging. While the ability to perform a deep squat isn't a medical test, it can serve as a useful indicator of overall lower-body mobility and movement quality.

The encouraging news is that mobility is highly trainable. Regular stretching, strength training, and gradually practicing a comfortable squat position can help many people improve their range of motion over time.

Try this: Spend 30–60 seconds each day practicing a comfortable squat while holding onto a sturdy door frame, countertop, or suspension strap for support if needed. Over time, combine this with ankle mobility drills, hip stretches, and bodyweight squats to improve flexibility, stability, and lower-body strength. – a Facebook post by ‘Body Truth’

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Did you know? Your muscles and brain are constantly communicating. Research shows that maintaining muscle mass is associated with better memory, sharper thinking, and healthier brain aging — one reason strength training benefits far more than just your body.

When you challenge your muscles through resistance training, your body increases the production of signaling molecules known as myokines, along with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — often called the brain's "fertilizer." BDNF helps support the growth of new neurons, strengthens connections between brain cells, and plays a critical role in learning, memory, and cognitive function.

At the same time, stronger muscles improve glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and blood flow, helping deliver oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This close biological relationship helps explain why people with greater muscle strength and muscle mass often experience better cognitive performance and a lower risk of age-related cognitive decline.

A 2023 review published in Nutrients and multiple studies on healthy aging have highlighted that resistance training can improve executive function, memory, processing speed, and overall cognitive health, while also helping prevent sarcopenia — the age-related loss of muscle mass. Researchers now recognize skeletal muscle as an important endocrine organ, releasing chemical messengers that influence not only metabolism but also brain function.

The takeaway is simple: every strength-training session is an investment in both your muscles and your mind.

Try this: Aim for 2–3 full-body resistance training sessions each week, focusing on compound exercises such as squats, rows, push-ups, presses, and deadlifts. Pair your workouts with adequate protein, quality sleep, and regular walking to maximize both muscle growth and long-term brain health. – a Facebook post by ‘Body Truth’

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The World of Animals

“I think having an animal in your life makes you a better human.” - Rachel Ray

A peek into the world of animals. I think it is good that we learn something about the animals that share our wonder-ful world.

Here are some fun facts and trivia about animals, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Strangest Facts’, ‘Wild Wonders’, etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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They are supposed to be peaceful vegetarians that only eat grass. So why are these Bighorn Sheep actively hunting down dead bodies to chew on their bones?!

Welcome to the brutal reality of winter survival in the Rocky Mountains.

Bighorn Sheep are strictly herbivores. But they have a massive biological problem: the males grow absolutely gigantic, 30-pound horns made of solid bone. Growing these horns requires unimaginable amounts of Calcium and Phosphorus.

During the lush summer, they get these minerals from rich mountain grass. But during the freezing, brutal winter, the grass is buried under 10 feet of snow. The sheep's bodies begin to experience severe mineral depletion.

The Macabre Solution: Osteophagia (Bone Eating).

To prevent their bodies from failing, the sheep turn to scavenging. They use their incredible sense of smell to locate the rotting corpses of dead elk, wolves, or even human hikers!

Because they don't have sharp teeth, they don't eat the meat. They wedge the dry bones into the back of their molars and aggressively chew on them like a dog chewing a bone, grinding the calcium down and swallowing it to survive!

Nature has no strict rules when starvation kicks in! – A Facebook post by ‘Wildest Facts’

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The Gila monster moves like it has nowhere to be, which is fair, because dinner is rarely on its calendar. The real detail is that this desert tank turned scarcity into a survival strategy.

Native to the American Southwest and northern Mexico, the Gila monster can spend most of its life underground, waiting out heat that would punish anything in a hurry. When food finally appears, it does not nibble politely. It can gorge on eggs, nestlings, rodents, or small reptiles, then live off fat stored in its chunky tail.

Its water trick is even stranger. After rain, it can stash extra fluid in its bladder, then slowly draw from that reserve when the desert dries out. Basically, it carries a backup canteen where most animals carry plumbing.

And the venom? It does not inject like a snake. It bites down, hangs on, and works venom-rich saliva into the wound with a stubborn chewing grip.

Then science found exendin-4 in that saliva, a molecule that helped inspire GLP-1 diabetes drugs and eventually the Ozempic era.

The lizard was never lazy. It was just built to make every move count. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

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A horse can sleep in the open and still survive the night. That only works because someone else stays awake.

Wild horses are prey animals, so rest is never casual. Most sleep comes in short standing bursts, helped by a leg-locking system that lets them doze without folding to the ground. But deep REM sleep is different. For that, a horse has to lie down, muscles fully relaxed, body suddenly vulnerable.

That is where the herd becomes the safety system.

Some horses rest while others stand nearby, ears turning, eyes open, scanning for trouble. Then the roles switch. No drama. No ceremony. Just an ancient rotation built on trust.

From a distance, it looks peaceful. Up close, even sleep has a lookout. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

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Komodo dragons did not need a dirty-mouth legend to be terrifying. The cleaner truth is somehow worse.

For decades, people believed their prey escaped the first bite, only to die later from bacteria simmering in the dragon’s saliva. But the real detail was hiding lower in the jaw.

In 2009, researchers used MRI scans and found complex venom glands tucked inside the world’s largest lizard. Paired with serrated teeth, the bite works less like a crushing trap and more like a biological can opener with bad intentions.

The venom helps thin blood, drop blood pressure, and push wounded prey toward shock. That matters because a Komodo dragon is not built to chase like a cheetah. It only has to bite well, follow slowly, and let the body lose the argument.

Even the skull tells the story. Their bite force is weaker than expected for an animal that size, because the real weapon is not brute pressure.

The myth made them sound filthy. The truth made them precise. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

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The mandrill is the largest monkey in the world – and the most colorful mammal on the planet.

A male mandrill’s face is not just for show. When he wins fights and climbs the social ladder, his testosterone surges. The red parts of his face become visibly brighter. The blue on his face isn’t pigment – it’s structural coloration, an optical trick created by protein fibers that refract light, a trait almost never seen in mammals.

Female mandrills consistently choose the brightest males. Why? Because those colors advertise health, dominance, and superior genes.

The mandrill wears his rank on his face, and everyone in the troop knows exactly where he stands.

A monkey whose face is a living résumé. Win more fights, get brighter skin. Get brighter skin, attract more mates. A biological system of rewards that you can see – no testing required. – A Facebook post by ‘Wild Wonders’

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The World of Plants

“Knowledge is the key to a high path. Knowledge is that which brings calmness and peace to life, which renders man indifferent to the storms of the phenomenal world.” - Unknown

A peek into the world of plants. Here are some trivia, and fun facts about plants, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Plant Care Today’ ‘Fruit IQ’, etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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The average ear of corn has exactly 800 kernels in 16 rows — and it is surprisingly consistent across different ears when you test it.

The relationship between the silk and the kernels is one of the most elegant pieces of plant biology in any common food crop. Each strand of silk that emerges from the top of an ear of corn is not decorative — it is a single pollen-capturing tube connected to exactly one potential kernel at the base. When a grain of pollen lands on a silk strand and fertilizes the ovule at the bottom of that tube, a kernel develops. If a silk strand is not pollinated — if it is removed too early, damaged by insects, or simply missed by drifting pollen — the corresponding kernel position on the cob remains empty, which is why you occasionally find a cob with missing kernels in an otherwise complete row.

This is also why corn is planted in dense blocks rather than long single rows in serious growing situations — the corn needs to be surrounded by other corn plants releasing pollen simultaneously so that enough drifting pollen is available to reach every silk strand on every ear. A single isolated corn plant will often produce a poorly filled ear because it relies only on its own pollen and the wind to reach all of its own silks. The silk that most people hurriedly strip off and discard when shucking corn is herbal tea in traditional medicine practices across Latin America and Asia — brewed as a mild diuretic and kidney support tea that has been consumed for centuries across multiple cultures. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Your hydrangea isn't actually hungry at its base — it's waiting for breakfast two feet out.

Here's what nobody tells you: those thick roots near the trunk? They're just plumbing. The real feeding happens in a hidden circle of hair-thin roots that cluster right under the drip line — that invisible ring where rainwater rolls off the leaf edges and hits the ground.

I fertilized wrong for years. I'd sprinkle plant food around the stems like I was salting a driveway, wondering why my hydrangeas never exploded with blooms like the ones I'd see on garden tours. Then I dug one up to move it, and everything made sense.

The root system looked like a bicycle wheel — spreading wide and flat, not deep. And clustered about 18 inches from the trunk were thousands of impossibly delicate feeder roots, almost fuzzy-looking, concentrated exactly where rain drips off the canopy during storms.

That's the zone. That's where your hydrangea actually eats.

When you dump fertilizer at the base, it sits in drier soil where the roots aren't designed to absorb it. Sometimes it even burns those woody transport roots. Meanwhile, the actual feeding roots are out there starving, waiting for nutrients that never arrive.

But spread that fertilizer along the drip line — right under the outer leaf tips — and you're delivering it exactly where those hungry root hairs are positioned. They'll pull it in steadily, no waste, no scorch marks, just pure fuel for bigger blooms.

I've been feeding this way for four seasons now, and my hydrangeas finally look like the ones in magazines. Heavier flower clusters, deeper leaf color, branches so loaded they need support.

Where have you been putting your hydrangea fertilizer? – A Facebook post by ‘Plant Care today’

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You stand in front of a tree barely taller than you are, its branches heavy with fat yellow lemons, and something doesn't add up. How does something this small make so much fruit?

The answer lives underground, in a conversation happening between two different plants grafted into one. The rootstock — usually something like Flying Dragon or Poncirus trifoliata — sends chemical signals upward through the vascular tissue. Those signals tell the top of the tree to stay compact, to keep nodes tight, to limit vertical reach. But here's the part that catches people off guard: those same signals don't touch the fruiting instructions coded into the scion wood above. The branches still think they're supposed to produce lemons like a full-sized Eureka or Meyer, because genetically, they are.

You've essentially created a tree that grows with the brakes on but fruits with the accelerator down. The rootstock restricts height and spread through hormone regulation, but it doesn't dilute the scion's blueprint for blossom density, fruit set, or sugar production. So you get a plant that behaves like a shrub in stature but performs like an orchard tree in output. That four-foot frame can carry thirty, forty, sometimes fifty lemons in a season, proportionally outperforming trees four times its size.

This is why container culture works so beautifully with citrus. You're not asking the plant to compromise — it's already been engineered at the graft union to thrive in a confined root zone. The restricted space actually reinforces what the rootstock is already signaling. And because the whole system stays movable, you can chase microclimates. Morning sun by the south wall in spring, dappled shade under the pergola in August, a rolling retreat to the mudroom when frost threatens in November. The tree doesn't care that it's traveling. It just keeps making lemons.

Most of these grafted dwarfs carry their own pollen, which means the biology is even more self-contained. One tree handles pollination, fruit set, and maturation without a partner. You're watching an entire reproductive cycle happen in a pot you can lift with both hands.

People think "dwarf" means less. But in this case, it means more control, more flexibility, more fruit per square foot of canopy. The roots aren't weakening the tree — they're tuning it. And the top growth, unbothered by the size restrictions below, just keeps doing what lemon trees have always done.

That's the quiet brilliance of rootstock selection. You didn't shrink a tree. You taught two plants to work as one, each doing a job the other can't, and the result is something that fits on your patio but fruits like it owns an acre. – A Facebook post by ‘Plant Care today’

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Pineapples take up to two years to grow — each pineapple plant produces only one fruit every 18 to 24 months.

The growing cycle of a pineapple plant is one of the longest of any common commercially grown fruit — and the effort involved in producing a single fruit from a single plant over nearly two years helps explain why pineapples were considered an extraordinary luxury in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, long before refrigerated shipping made tropical fruit transport practical.

In colonial England, a single pineapple cost the equivalent of thousands of dollars in today’s money — wealthy households would rent pineapples to display at dinner parties as status symbols and return them to the merchant the following day. After the first fruit is harvested, the pineapple plant produces offshoots called ratoons — side shoots that grow from the base of the parent plant and eventually produce their own fruit.

These ratoon crops can be harvested in shorter cycles than the first fruit, and commercial pineapple farms typically harvest two to three ratoon cycles from the same plants before replanting. The pineapple crown — the leafy top that most people twist off and discard — is actually a functional plant cutting that will root and grow if placed in soil, producing another complete pineapple plant that will fruit in its own 18 to 24 month cycle.

Planting a pineapple crown in a large pot and growing it as a houseplant is genuinely achievable in most indoor environments, though harvesting a full-sized fruit indoors requires patience and bright light for nearly two years. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Avocados never ripen on the tree — they only start softening after being picked.

This biological quirk is unusual enough in the plant world that it has fascinated botanists and food scientists for decades — and it has extremely practical implications for how avocados are grown and supplied commercially.

While attached to the tree, avocados produce a compound that inhibits the ethylene response that triggers ripening. The fruit reaches full size and full nutritional development while still hanging on the branch, but the softening and flavor development process that makes it edible simply does not occur until the fruit is separated from the tree. This means avocado farmers can effectively use the tree itself as a storage facility — leaving mature fruit on the branches for weeks or even months beyond the point of full development without it ripening or spoiling.

Some avocado varieties can be held on the tree for up to seven months past maturity without significant quality loss. Once harvested, the inhibiting compound is removed and the ethylene ripening response begins — which is why commercial avocados are harvested hard and green and ripen in transit or on the counter at home. This also explains why placing an avocado in a paper bag with a banana speeds ripening so effectively — the banana releases ethylene that the detached avocado is now ready to respond to without the tree’s suppression mechanism. No other common fruit has this particular relationship between the tree and its ripening biology. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Food For Health

“Eat your vegetables. Brush your teeth. Sweat once in a while. Get plenty of rest. Don’t smoke. Laugh more. There are certain tenets to health that are pretty commonsensical and that we all know we should practice routinely.” - David Perlmutter and Kristin Loberg

The benefits of consuming the following food/fruits. The information is taken from Facebook posts by ‘Fruit IQ’, ‘Strnagest Facts’, etc...

These contents are shared purely for educational and awareness purposes. Always consult a qualified doctor or healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, lifestyle or health routine. Self medication and self diagnosis can be dangerous. Your health is your most valuable asset — always seek professional medical advice!

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Durian is called the King of Fruits across Southeast Asia and is simultaneously the most loved and most banned food in the region — prohibited on the Singapore MRT, in hotels across Thailand and Malaysia, and on multiple airlines, not because it is dangerous but because its smell is so extraordinarily powerful that it clears rooms.

Behind the notorious odor is a nutritional profile that deserves far more serious attention than the fruit typically receives in Western nutrition conversations. Durian contains the amino acid tryptophan — a natural sleep-inducing compound — that is required to increase the level of serotonin and melatonin, with serotonin being essential to relieve stress, sleeplessness, anxiousness, appetite dysregulation, and depression, and melatonin being required to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

Tryptophan is the rate-limiting precursor to serotonin — meaning the amount of tryptophan available in the brain directly determines how much serotonin can be produced at any given time. Most people get tryptophan from turkey, eggs, and dairy. Durian delivers it in a fruit matrix alongside significant B-complex vitamins — thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and folate — that are the exact co-factors required for the enzymatic conversion of tryptophan into serotonin to proceed efficiently. Without these B vitamins, tryptophan cannot be converted effectively regardless of how much is consumed. Durian is also rich in flavonoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, and carotenoids — with experimental animal models showing that durian beneficially reduces blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and durian extract possessing anti-proliferative and probiotic effects in laboratory models.

The smell that makes it infamous is caused by volatile sulfur compounds that dissipate completely once the fruit is frozen — frozen durian has virtually no odor while retaining its full nutritional profile. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Mark Twain tasted cherimoya in Hawaii in 1866 and wrote that it was the most delicious fruit known to men. Over 150 years later cherimoya remains one of the most celebrated fruits in the world among people who have encountered it and one of the most unknown to everyone else. The flesh is creamy white, custard like, and overwhelmingly sweet with a complexity of flavor that people describe as a combination of vanilla, banana, pineapple, and strawberry simultaneously.

Behind the flavor is a nutritional profile that makes it genuinely worth seeking out. Cherimoya is rich in vitamin B6 — one of the most important co factors for serotonin and dopamine synthesis — making it one of the better whole food sources of mood supportive nutrition available in any fruit. It contains significant lutein and zeaxanthin for eye protection, vitamin C for immune and vascular support, and potassium for blood pressure regulation. The fiber content is high and predominantly soluble, supporting gut bacteria and cholesterol management.

However there is one critical fact that every cherimoya eater must know. The seeds, skin, and bark of the cherimoya plant contain annonacin — a neurotoxin found across the Annona fruit genus that includes soursop and custard apple. The flesh itself is completely safe to eat in normal food amounts. But swallowing or chewing the seeds delivers annonacin at levels associated with atypical Parkinsonism in populations with extremely high long term consumption. Eat the flesh only and always remove and discard every seed before eating. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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A plum looks harmless until biology checks the paperwork. Inside that purple skin are polyphenols, plant compounds studied for their ability to push damaged cells toward cleanup mode.

The real detail is this.
Apoptosis is not chaos. It is cellular self-discipline. A faulty cell receives the signal, breaks itself down, and gets cleared away before it can cause more trouble.

Researchers have found that compounds in plums, including chlorogenic acid and other phenolics, can trigger this process in certain cancer cell studies. That does not make a plum a treatment, and dinner is not chemotherapy. But it does make the fruit more interesting than its soft, innocent grocery-store reputation suggests.

Plants make these compounds as part of their own defense system against stress, sunlight, pests, and decay. We bite into the result and call it sweet.

Sometimes the quietest defense is sitting in the fruit bowl. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

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Countless recipes instruct home cooks to deseed and drain tomatoes before using them to reduce excess liquid or because it is a culinary technique that sounds professional. The unintended nutritional consequence of that instruction is removing the single most lycopene concentrated part of the entire tomato from the diet.

The clear gel surrounding tomato seeds — the part that gets scooped out and discarded in most professional culinary preparations — contains the highest concentration of lycopene in the whole fruit. This gel also contains glutamic acid at high concentrations which is responsible for much of tomato’s umami flavor depth, meaning removing it also removes flavor alongside nutrition.

Lycopene is the red carotenoid pigment that gives tomatoes their color and is one of the most studied natural compounds in cancer prevention research. In men, regular lycopene consumption from tomatoes particularly cooked tomatoes where lycopene bioavailability is dramatically higher than raw has been consistently associated in large epidemiological studies with reduced risk of prostate cancer.

For everyone, lycopene reduces LDL cholesterol oxidation preventing the formation of the oxidized LDL that initiates arterial plaque formation and has shown anti inflammatory effects in blood vessel walls that directly reduce cardiovascular risk. Using whole blended tomatoes in sauces rather than peeled and deseeded tomatoes delivers the full lycopene content that culinary deseeding removes. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Black currants were banned across most of the United States in the early 1900s because they hosted a fungus that threatened the white pine timber industry — and that ban remained in force for so long that most Americans have never eaten them, never seen them fresh, and have no idea what they are missing.

In the United Kingdom and across Europe, black currants are a deeply familiar and beloved fruit — the base of Ribena, the predominant flavor in countless jams and desserts, and eaten as a daily food by millions of people.

The nutritional profile is extraordinary. Black currants are rich in anthocyanins, vitamin C, and other antioxidants that protect cells against oxidative stress — with research linking black currant compounds to benefits for eye health including support for blood flow to the retina, dark adaptation, and relief from digital eye strain, alongside immune health, circulation, and inflammation balance.

A single 100-gram serving of black currants provides approximately 180 milligrams of vitamin C — more than triple the amount in an equivalent weight of orange. Black currant seed oil is rich in gamma linolenic acid, a type of omega 6 fatty acid that the body converts into other polyunsaturated fatty acids known to help reduce inflammation and improve heart health — and according to research, GLA from black currant seed oil is extremely effective at treating joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers from Tufts University found that black currant seed oil reduced levels of PGE2 and improved immune function in healthy elderly subjects — with black currant seed oil being a preferred source because it contains both GLA and the omega 3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid simultaneously.

Fresh black currants are increasingly available at farmers markets and through specialty importers. Frozen black currants retain their full anthocyanin and vitamin C content perfectly. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Birthday Dinner

👉 Source

Last Saturday, I celebrated by 68th Special Day with a group of my mates. I was treated to dinner at the ‘Famous Kitchen’ - an alfresco bar with a garden setting in a quiet neighbourhood place. For those in Singapore it is at the crossroad of Sembawang & Old Mandai Road. A five minutes walk from Springleaf station.

They also have a bar outside the restaurant where friends and family can chill.

The Famous Kitchen at Hong Heng Mansions serves Nanyang-style Chinese and ‘tze char’ dishes blending Teochew, Hokkien, and Cantonese flavors.

I didn’t do the ordering. So, I am not sure what the names of the dishes are. But, I have an idea what I ate.

Peking duck. Peking duck is a dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the Imperial era. The skin of the duck is thin and crispy. A chef carves the skin and a little meat, sliced in front of the diners.

These are wrapped in thin, steamed wheat pancakes, with a sweet bean paste, strips of onion and cucumber.

The rest of the duck is prepared according to the customers wishes. They are usually used to stir fry noodles, or sometimes they are wrapped in some leafy greens like what we did the other night. The vegetable is missing from the photo.

A meat roll of some sort

Deep fried belly pork with garlic

A squid

A claypot mixed vegetables - mushrooms, peppers, beans...

Stir-fried mixed vegetables - asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, lotus roots...

A claypot rice with a mix of sausages

Minced pork fried with beans, carrots and pepper

A longevity bun – compliments from the restaurant and pandan cake

For dessert, there was yam paste.

The food was nice. There seemed to be quite a bit of dishes, but they were all small portions. The amount was just about right.

Famous Kitchen is located at
54 Sembawang Road
#01-01 Hong Heng Mansion
Singapore 779085
Business Hour: Mon – Sun 4 to 11pm

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Monday Humour

Life is short and transient. Like the passing cloud, we are here one moment, gone the next. The most wasted of all days is that one which one has not laughed. When possible, where possible, laugh. It may not add years to your life but it will surely add life to your years.

The following images are from the internet – Facebook pages and friends’ WhatsApp messages. I hope they bring on a chuckle, or at least put a smile on your face. May your days be filled with laughter.

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Biology - Briefly

“The preservation of health is a duty. Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality.” - Herbert Spencer

Some interesting fun facts, trivias about our body – courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Inside Biology’, ‘Human Scope’, ’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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The tiny uvula has a Bigger job than you think. That tiny piece hanging at the back of your throat isn’t useless. The uvula helps with swallowing, keeps food and liquid from moving into your nasal passage, and plays a role in speech and throat function.

You probably never think about it — until something goes wrong. Your body has countless small structures doing important jobs every second. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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OLIGODENDROCYTES: The tiny cells that help your brain send signals faster.

Deep inside your brain and spinal cord, oligodendrocytes create myelin — the protective insulation wrapped around nerve fibers. Myelin helps electrical signals travel rapidly and efficiently. Without healthy myelin, communication between nerve cells can slow down or become disrupted. These microscopic cells support movement, coordination, balance, and brain function every second. You don’t notice them. But your nervous system depends on them. They don’t make the signal. They make sure the signal gets through. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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Amniotic fluid is more than a protective cushion. It helps maintain a stable environment for the developing fetus, allows movement, supports musculoskeletal development, and contributes to temperature regulation. The fetus also swallows and inhales small amounts as its lungs and digestive system develop. - A Facebook post by 'Inside Biology'

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This tiny part of your brain is your body's master clock.

Deep inside your brain is a tiny cluster of cells called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). It helps regulate your body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm, including your sleep-wake cycle and daily biological timing.

The surprising part? It responds to light and helps synchronize your body’s internal clock every single day.

Small structure. Massive influence. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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86 billion neurons constantly communicate through an incredibly complex network of electrical and chemical signals.

Their activity is not perfectly synchronized. Instead, different brain regions coordinate dynamically, allowing perception, memory, thought and conscious experience to emerge. - A Facebook post by 'Insidee Biology'

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The hidden structures inside your nose you never notice. Inside your nose are three curved structures called turbinates — and they’re doing far more than you think. They help warm and humidify the air you breathe, trap particles, regulate airflow, and support your sense of smell. When they swell, your nose can feel completely blocked.

Tiny structures. Huge job. And you probably never knew they were there. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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ARYTENOID CARTILAGES: The tiny structures controlling your voice.

Hidden deep inside your larynx are two tiny pyramid-shaped cartilages called the arytenoid cartilages. They help move and position your vocal folds — opening them for breathing and bringing them together for speech. Every word you speak depends on incredibly precise movements happening inside your throat.

Tiny structures. Massive role. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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This is Wwat your lungs look like fully inflated.

Ever wondered what your lungs actually look like when they’re filled with air?

Your lungs expand when you breathe in, filling with air so oxygen can move into your bloodstream. Deep inside are hundreds of millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli, where this gas exchange happens.

Every breath is a reminder of how complex your body really is. - A Facebook post by 'Human Scope'

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