Sesame Seeds: small in size, big in calcium

If you’re worried about osteoporosis and yet you cannot bring yourself to drink milk, I may have the answer for you.

I came across a wonderful book years ago entitled Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. It was written by a famous American nutritionist, Gaylord Hauser and was filled with information about how one can be beautiful by eating the right foods. According to the author of the book, sesame seeds contain a good protein and B vitamins but most of all it is also a great source of calcium which is badly needed for good teeth and bones. One can get 1,125 milligrams of calcium from one hundred grams of sesame seeds, while you can only get 600 milligrams of calcium from milk. So for all of you out there who dislike milk as much as I do, you may want to try this recipe. I like it a whole lot better than milk.

Sweet Sesame Milk

1 cup washed sesame seeds
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons of honey
2 drops of vanilla extract

Put ingredients in liquefier-blender and mix until smooth. If it is too rich, just add more water. Keep it in the refrigerator and serve it chilled. It’s not only nutritious, it tastes good too, a little like almond milk.

Other rich sources of calcium are cottage cheese, yogurt, molasses, almonds, sesame seeds, turnip greens and broccoli.

Reference: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Gaylord Hausser

Alum: My partner for life against seborrhaic dermatitis

Alum or tawas has been known to help whiten skin and reduce underarm perspiration. Few people know that it can also be used to clear the skin if you have what is called seborrhaic dermatitis. This is a recurring skin problem that produces itchy red spots on the oily and hairy areas of the skin like that under the eyebrows, the hairline, the side of the base of the nose. These spots become rough and scaly as days go by. They can be very unsightly if left untreated.

I have had this problem ever since I was in second year high school. I have been to different dermatologists and all of them said that there was no permanent solution to the problem and that I would just have to live with it, avoid stress and avoid the foods that I was allergic to. Of all the treatments I have gone thru and of all the remedies I have been asked to do, one thing stands out. This is the alum compress. Here’s what it does: it dries the spots faster, healing the skin in three days or less (it usually takes around five days for the skin to clear when using ointments). Since it is natural it is safe and has no side effects unlike if you have to use one particular ointment every day for the rest of your life. Aside from that, because the alum has a whitening effect, your skin would be lighter after regular use.

What you need:

alum crystals or alum powder (you can buy from Mercury Drugstore)
fresh clean water
face towel

1. Boil one and a half cup of water.
2. Pour the boiling water into a bowl.
3. Put 1 tablespoon of alum crystals in the water.
4. When the water gets warm dip the face towel into the water.
5. Lie down and cover the affected body part with the face towel for 15 minutes.

Do this twice a day every day until the itchy spots are gone. It works for me. I hope it works for you too.