Kaleidoscope World

There are some people that leaves this world and years later, you still cannot believe they're no longer with us. Most of the people I feel this way to were close to me. But there's one that unusually stands out because I don't even know him personally. That's Francis Magalona.  Francis' songs have been a part of my growing up years and each song a wonderful remembrance of the years that were.

This morning i saw this video of Elmo Magalona (Francis' son) doing a duet with his late Father. The wonders of technology. I am sure Francis would have been so happy to do this live. But the magic of video editing will have to do for now. I can only imagine the how Pia (Francis' wife, Elmo's mom) must have felt to see this video for the first time. Surreal.





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LifeScience: Fitness Intolerance Test

"One man's food is another man's poison."

A couple of weeks ago, i got invited to try the Food Intolerance Test at LifeScience - a newly opened wellness center in Bonifacio Global City that focuses on anti-aging and preventive medicine.  I heard about LifeScience through Jennie Epperson's blog over a month ago and have been very interested to check it out since then. So when the invite came, i said yes in a heartbeat.

One of the more popular diagnostic tests at LifeScience is the Food Intolerance Test (FIT). A lot of people misconstrue food intolerance to food allergies.

Here is how the Mayo Clinic differentiates the two:

"A true food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects numerous organs in the body. It can cause a range of symptoms. In some cases, an allergic food reaction can be severe or life-threatening. In contrast, food intolerance symptoms are generally less serious and are limited to digestive problems." 

Unlike food allergies, food intolerance symptoms generally come on gradually and don't involve an immune system reaction (ex. skin rash, instant swelling, shortness of breath or wheezing). Food intolerance may produce a variety of symptoms including bloating, constipation, chronic fatigue syndrome (like when you always feel sleepy after a meal), diarrhea, gastritis, headaches, hyper acidity, insomnia, water retention, weight control problems and even attention deficit disorder.

The doctors at LifeScience explained that people who frequently ate food that they are intolerant to usually complain of a general feeling of unwellness. Medical tests may show that they are fine so they would automatically assume that it's 'all in their mind'.

There are two kinds of Food Intolerance Test at the wellness center.  The first one is called Food Print which is a more thorough food intolerance test covering over 200 food items. This test is a bit more expensive and results are usually available within 10 working days. 

Blood Extraction
The other one called the Food Detective which is a quick test that can give you the results in just 40 minutes. This covers 46 common food items and costs P8,500 only. This is what i tried.

I booked an appointment prior to my visit. Upon arrival, i was asked to proceed to the extraction room where blood sample was taken by finger-pricking. Easy-peasy. Then i waited outside and was offered coffee/tea while i filled out the patient profile. The place felt like a Spa. So calm and relaxing.  And the fact that i was sitting on Kenneth Cobonpue furniture while sipping hot tea felt even more luxurious. 

After less than 40 minutes, i was ushered to the nutritionist's room where the results will be discussed with me. The nutritionist was not yet there so i was able to take some pictures while waiting. Check out the Herman Miller chair! They definitely did not scrimp on the furniture.
My results show that i am intolerant to 6 out of the 46 food items on the food detective card.
Rice was on the list and this made sense. I stopped eating rice over 20 years ago. The reason was not to diet.  I noticed that i often felt bloated and acidic after eating rice. This also resulted in constant hyper acidity and a false sense of hunger only an hour or so after my meals.

Wheat was a recent discovery for me. Early this year, i had several episodes of vomiting and diarrhea for no reason at all. My endoscopy and colonoscopy procedure show that i have a slow digestive system. I did my own research and learned about the negative effects of Gluten on digestion. So i decided to eliminate this from my diet as a test.  After a week or so, i noticed less bloating and no more recurring episodes of vomiting nor diarrhea. Since Gluten is a a protein composite found in wheat, eliminating Gluten meant eliminating wheat from my diet. Of course, i cannot cut wheat 100% of the time but i have significantly lowered my consumption after the Food Detective test confirmed my self experiment early this year. I have not had any vomiting or episodes of diarrhea for the past 6 months. Praise God!

Other food items that i was found to be intolerant to were Celery (surprise surprise!), Legume Mix, Mushroom (this is the hardest to cut from my diet), and Yeast.

You see, most of the above mentioned food are considered healthy.  However, they can be good food to one person but poison to another. This is why taking the Food Intolerance Test is very important to know your body's unique needs.

If you want to find out more about LifeScience and the other services that they offer, you may book an appointment or reach out to them through the following contact details: 

LifeScience
Tel: +632 828 LIFE (5433)
Mobile: +63917 535 LIFE (5433)
8th Floor ACCRA Law Tower
2nd Avenue corner 30th Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Philippines






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It's Time for Recess with Chef Chris!

Do you often hear people missing their school days because problems then were few and rare? The only constant problem then was how much time will be spent doing homework. On top of the fact that being in school is one of the most carefree season in a lot of people's lives, recess would usually rank as the most favorite time in school. Hence, the name of the newly-opened restaurant along Jupiter in Makati. Recess!

Last week, the SoMoms were invited to lunch by Chef Chris and his wife Tin (who, by the way, bakes the most awesome cheesecake and tiramisu ever!).  It was not my first time at Recess but it was my first time to try a lot of the dish served that day. One thing with Recess is that Chef Chris changes the menu every now and then. You will still enjoy the comfort of the original menu plus new offerings that make each visit exciting.

Speaking of comfort, Recess serves the ultimate in comfort food. It's not exactly all Italian as most people think. Some items are infused with Filipino favorites like the Tito Original which contains smoked bangus bits, tomatoes, red egg (itlog na pula), and fresh red onions.  The red-brick ambiance plus the tasty food is great way to relax after a busy day in the office.

We tried a lot of offerings that day but here are my personal favorites:
Recess Salad (P390) - this salad is good for sharing. It contains Mixed greens, assorted grapes, apple slices, orange segments, cherry tomato and cucumber, tossed with light grape seed oil dressing and topped with balsamic caramelized almonds.  Tin created this using all of her favorite salad ingredients. It's definitely a refreshing and filling salad. I can have this everyday!
Golden Baked Mozzarella (P320) - crispy on the outside and tender and tasty mozzarella on the inside.
The Originals! They have so many flavors and i cannot really say which ones are my favorites. Although the Tito is definitely on top of the ranks. I love that they now serve a Mini (P400) which is good for 2-3 persons and still kept the Regular size (P790) which is good for 4-5 persons (could be more, if you're ordering other items on the menu)
You eat The Originals by rolling the pizza together with the Arugula and Alfalfa Sprouts inside.



Another one of my favorites that day was the Penne D.M.S. (P540). This pasta dish contains chicken fillet dices, fried artichoke hearts and fresh mushrooms tossed in parmesan cream sauce with fresh herbs. It's so good it is named after the owners of the restaurant, Dennis, Mark and Scott. A must-try for all pasta-lovers!
Baked Salmon (P750)! Just look at the picture. Need i say more?
Sausage Rolls (P450) - i don't particularly like meat but i can imagine this being a hit with my kids. I love that the sausages are home made which makes it more healthy than the ones bought in the supermarkets.
Pavlava (It's as delicious as it looks! Seriously.)
Recess also has a bar area where you can order drinks and pica-pica while watching your favorite game on the TV. Perfect for UAAP or NBA season or maybe the next Pacquiao fight.
(L-R) Conci of Blairbitchbunny.com, Patty of nonstopbabble.com, Chef Chris, Tin, me, Neva of manilamommy.com
Visit Recess at #50 Jupiter St. Bel-Air Makati.  It's the same building where The Spa Bel-Air used to be.  You may call them at +632 899 1818 to make reservations. 



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