I was down with sore throat, flu and cough last week. Typically, I'll get a sore throat, followed by fever, then flu and finally cough. My cough can usually last up to 2 weeks, even with cough syrup.

A friend of mine introduced coconut oil to boost my immune system and advice me to try and avoid taking the usual medicine for flu and cough. So I bought myself a bottle of virgin coconut oil from BMS Organic shop. It was selling at RM56+ for a 750ml bottle. At that time, my sore throat was almost gone, and I starting to have flu already.

I took a tablespoon of coconut oil, three times a day, and popped in vitamin C tablet as well. The next few days, I still had flu and started coughing a little, but that was it. It seemed to be 'under control'. By the third day of taking coconut oil, the flu and cough was gone. Yay!!! And that was without taking any antibiotics, flu or cough medicine.

I googgled about coconut oil and discovered the below:


So I guess I'll be taking coconut oil from now on. :)

Additional good reads:
http://www.thevirgincoconutoil.com/articleitem.php?articleid=217

I started experiencing slight constipation during my 14th week of pregnancy. It took a little longer than usual, although I was still able to 'do it' every day. I was worried things may go out of hand, so I was determined to keep constipation at bay.

The one thing I found most efficient in getting my bowel movements 'smoother' was papaya. I really love this fruit. Just one big slice of papaya, and the next day, wooooosh, everything comes out much easily. I never knew papaya to have laxative effects! According to google, papaya contains the natural digestive enzyme papain which supports digestive health. The vitamins, fiber and water content also helps to maintain a healthy colon.

Since I was not able to buy papaya everyday, my second best solution was to drink more water. I've had trouble drinking too much water earlier on due to my morning sickness. Before pregnancy, I've always been drinking lots of water. I think I usually drink 3-4 liters of water everyday, but it probably dropped to 1-2 liters during my first trimester. My lips cracked the whole time during my first trimester, and I had occasional nose bleeds, which my doc said was due to dehydration.  However, I started drinking like a camel the moment my morning sickness was gone, and toilet visits were also much smoother.

I love bread. I love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven in the morning. I love walking past bakeries and am almost, always, tempted to walk in and buy the whole store. I will gladly choose bread over rice most of the time. Which is why not being able to eat bread during my first trimester had been difficult.

On good days (when I'm not experiencing indigestion or heartburn), I'll be hungry most of the time. And eating bread, no matter how much, just wasn't enough to keep me full. As a result, and I'm left feeling dizzy due to the hunger pangs.

I had to then turn to rice, brown rice specifically. That managed to keep the hunger at bay. I ate rice throughout the day, every meal, even breakfast. There were days when I got really tired of rice, but I had no choice, I had to eat it anyway.

The reason for this is quite simple. Rice, especially brown rice is complex carbs, whereas bread, is processed food, containing simple carbs. Complex carbs are processed by the body at a slower rate, thus providing a longer lasting energy. By contrast, simple carbs provide the body with a sudden surge or energy, but the blood sugar dips quickly, and I'm left hungry again.

So for now, rice it is. Oh double cheese burger, how I miss thee!

I have a new found appreciation for lemons and grapefruits!

I have always been drinking hot lemon juice first thing in the morning before I was pregnant. I find that it's a very refreshing way to start my day, apart from the fact that it's beneficial for the digestive system. But somehow, I stopped when I found out I was pregnant. As for grapefruit, I've never really been a fan of it, due to the slight bitter-ish taste.

However, as I was experiencing frequent bouts for indigestion and heartburn throughout my first trimester, I was looking for natural ways to elevate the discomfort without having to resort to drug-based remedies.

I started taking lemon juice whenever I have indigestion. I read somewhere that drinking or eating something citrusy helps, so I tried. It does help, but then it made me hungry even faster. And I didn't like that, as being hungry means I need to eat, and since I had very lousy appetite during my first trimester, the act of eating was a torture.

Then my dad chanced upon the use of grapefruit skin to help elevate nausea. My sweet dad was going through some of his old food related books, to see what kind of food is suitable for pregnant women. One of his books talks about food that can cure/help relieve ailments based on Chinese belief, and it mentioned that boiling grapefruit skin in water and drinking it as 'tea' throughout the day helps with nausea.

Unfortunately, the grapefruit skin tea drink didn't quite help me with nausea. However, I soon discovered eating the grapefruit itself whenever I had indigestion and heartburn helped me a whole lot! And it doesn't make me hungry even faster after that, unlike lemon juice.

And so, grapefruit is now, always, readily available in my fridge, for days when my digestive system is acting up.