owlolive

Everything that matters to me (and maybe you as well)

Archive for the tag “health”

01 Aug 2012
7 Comments

I’ll Have A Caesar Salad… Possibly Poisonous Needles on the Side

Two days ago, I craved some of Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup. So, as many of us do, a friend and I headed on over to Chili’s (the one on the Gulf Road) to have Iftar.

We sat down, we ordered: our food came, we ate it. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. But as we neared the end of our meal my friend spotted this thing.

It was a needle: an I.V. needle.

Yes, we found a possibly used, possibly poisonous, and definitely unsanitary hospital grade I.V. needle just sitting around at the edge of our table. Disgust does not even begin to express what was going through my mind when I first saw it. After snapping a few incriminating pictures with our iPhones, my friend and I immediately informed the manager who apologized profusely, comped our bill, and promptly took the needle away.

He promised that he would get to the bottom of how the needle got there and how it could’ve been so horribly neglected. He seemed very earnest and extremely apologetic as he repeatedly assured us that he would handle the situation with his superiors somehow. After having a very stern conversation with him I didn’t want to make a scene or to do anything that would lead to someone needlessly losing their job.

So, my friend and I left Chilli’s and, even while thoroughly grossed out, decided we didn’t want to hurt someone’s life over a mistake.

But then the next day I thought: hold on, that was a needle. Placed precariously close to our food.

It could’ve been poisonous; held some highly contagious disease; had we had any toddlers with us they could’ve easily stuffed it in their mouths. The possibilities for a very scary situation were endless.

And God knows how long its been left out there, right under the noses of the Chili’s staff! I mean, we came into the restaurant at Futoor time, which I’m guessing is when the restaurant opens (since, you know, Ramadan), that means that there is a good possibility that this needle which someone might have stuck through thier skin was left out over night without anyone caring enough to notice it or clean it up.

That level of negligence on the part of Chili’s cannot by any means be excused. Hell, if that’s how negligent they are about the part of the restaurant that people can see imagine how negligent they are about the part that they can’t.

What it came down to in the end was simple: I would not want anyone to even possibly be exposed to the same level of unsanitary eating. If I knew of someone who was exposed to this kind of incident, I’d definitely want them to report it for everyone’s sake. It’s not that I want to cause trouble for anyone or that I don’t trust the manager will try and do something about it. It’s just that I think its my responsibility to try and do as much as I personally can.

Now, here’s where I might need your help (yes, you’re the “your,” you!). See, I’ve tried reaching out to a few places that might be able to help and, basically, I haven’t come up with squat. I called 135 (the Ministry of Commerce hotline) only to be answered by a gentleman who, with all due respect, did not seem to take me seriously at all or know his elbow from his knee. He informed me that they would try and look into it but, after my conversation, I’m somewhat doubtful he even put it on record. I tried to find a way to contact the Ministry of Health (cause maybe there was an angle there) and couldn’t even find so much as a working phone number.

So, just to be safe, I’ve now taken to the blog. And to you my faithful, wonderful readers! Yes, I’m invoking the indestructible powers of LE WASTA!

If you or anyone you know can get some serious health inspectors down to Chili’s in order to really get this matter sorted out I urge you to please do so. If you don’t then please pass this post along to as many people as you can, and hopefully it’ll catch the eye of someone who can really do something about this.

Public health and eating sanitation is not a joke and when something as scary as I.V. needles are found it should be our responsibility to make sure they are never found again. Please help if you can.

All my love! (also here are more pictures of the scary I.V. needle, taken with a mediocre iPhone 4 camera)

Posted in Disapproved, Frugal Approval, Kuwait, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , ,
27 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Talkin’ About a Food Revolution – Kuwait Jumps On the Bandwagon

So I’m a food-lover. A big one. The amount of satisfaction that I take in eating truly delicious foods and experimenting with new flavors and cuisines is way too much to really put into words. I can make an event out of a hamburger and fries combo if it was really worth it. To me, eating food that tastes so awesome you could write poetry for it has got to be one of the greatest pleasures and privileges that my life offers me. And I definitely have no issue with milking that privilege for every drop that it’s worth.

Now, I’m not usually one of those people that worries all that much about calorie-counting or always looks at the back of the cereal box to read the nutritional information. If something tastes really good (or it sounds like it tastes really good) then I’m probably eating it regardless of that other health stuff (which I’m sure I should be paying more attention to). To me, the bottom line is that, if done correctly, your diet should allow you to eat without torturing your body or your self. What I mean to say is that, if you moderate, I personally don’t believe there is a reason for you to deprive yourself of any single, mouthwatering, slightly unhealthy food (PROOF! PROOF!).

That said, I do actually care what happens to my body and I care to keep it in tip-top shape as much as I can. Otherwise, I wouldn’t put myself through something like this. So when I heard about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution making it all the way to Kuwait, I was definitely all kinds of excited.

If you know anything about Jamie Oliver you know that he is a man on a mission. That mission is simply to educate and, through that education, fill your belly up with all kinds of healthy yet delicious goodies. All around the world, the Food Revolution is meant to let people know what they’re eating and asks them to play an active and conscious part in making their own food choices as well as their entire community’s overall nourishment. The Revolution is going to schools and advocating the use of healthier, more organic lunch choices and informing kids and parents alike just what they’re feeding themselves and their families when they opt for some easy yet usually harmful choices on a day-to-day basis. It’s here to let everyone know that, with the right tools and enough knowledge, reshaping our eating and cooking environment for the better and on a global scale is actually a very easy and real possibility.

And, I have to say, knowing the insane, almost unbelievable obesity rankings that Kuwait has been getting lately, its about time we jumped on this bandwagon. If any place needs to reconsider its approach to healthier more responsible eating (whether it be for children or adults), its definitely Kuwait. I mean, with ratings as high as 5th most obese nation in the entire world we could all probably benefit ourselves and the people around us with, at least, some basic knowledge about the ton of food we happily stuff ourselves with on a daily basis.

Now, I’m still not entirely sure about what the Kuwait Food Revolution campaign has exactly in store as far as events or campaigning strategies goes. As far as I can figure out from their official website which, as of now, still looks like its in the construction phases (it just features an image of their flyer) Kuwait is participating in the global Food Revolution Day on the 19th of May.

I’ll be sure to get in contact with them and see if they can provide me with any specific event or campaigning info and report back.

In any case, this is definitely a step in the right direction, guys. Its so great to see Kuwait participating in a cause which has a direct hand in reshaping a major aspect of its generational future. I, for one, am definitely going to help spread the word about the Kuwait Food Revolution and will be more than happy to actually be a part of the difference that this kind of vital campaign can have on our community. Then, of course, I’ll go chow down on that deliciously mouthwatering burger.

Be sure to check out the Kuwait Food Revolution on their official website or contact them on Twitter @foodrevKuwait.

All my love!

Posted in Beautiful, Food, Kuwait, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
02 Apr 2012
3 Comments

My One Day Detox Bonanza: Three Cheers for Cleaner Bowels!

So, two days ago I was chowing down on a very delicious, juicy, and highly fattening burger. Like seriously the size of that burger patty was probably no smaller than 2 inches. More meat! More fat! More deep-fried, cheese-topped, sauce-covered goodness!

And while I’m not usually one of those obnoxious people that gripes and whines about calorie-counting and trans fat and OH THE ANTIOXIDANTS, I like to make sure my body stays relatively healthy from time to time. So I’ll eat whatever I want, whenever I want but only if I feel truly hungry. And, every once in a while, I will opt to do something that my body loves but that I hate.

Last year I went on a 3-week murderous exercise program before I went back to Kuwait for the summer. It was living hell, but I lost the 5 kilos that I wanted so I was a happy camper by the end.

And yesterday I went on a severe body-purging one day detox to rid myself of a big chunk of the the poisonous stuff that I had been happily filling my body up with every time I indulged in a juicy, meaty cheeseburger.

This is how this experience went. I’m going to lay it out in categories: ‘Objective,’ ‘On the Menu,’ and ‘Disclaimer.’ In case anyone wants to actually commit themselves to this experience in their own time.

Objective: So, as I said before, my main goal was to remove as many of the toxins that my body was keeping stored for it’s poisoning pleasure in one day. Which means that, unlike a monthly or a weekly detox, this one day commitment is going to have to be pretty hardcore. So I could only allow myself to consume food and drink that was completely cleansing and nothing else. The goal was that, by the end of the night, my internal organs were so detoxified and cleansed that they would actively begin to purge all the drugs, preservatives, additives, and excess bile that I’ve put into my own body all on their own. So, if you’re interested in achieving these great results in a single day you better strap on a pair and seriously commit.

On the Menu: Well, to put it kind of briefly, eat nothing! Due to the very intensive diet that a one-day detox demands, I was basically limited to a whole lot of liquids. But, hey, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! To kick off my morning, I enjoyed the super-yummy breakfast of a large cup of warm water flavored with a freshly squeezed lemon. A WHOLE LEMON. Ain’t that a treat? And, given that citrus juice is actually a very powerful bowel-purging agent, it was right on spot too. Now, throughout the day, it’s important to keep one core principle in mind: Water is your friend. Drink it whenever you can, as much as you can. The more water your system consumes the faster your metabolism is going to work to clean those filthy innards of yours. And, for the highlight of the day, I had an apple for lunch to make sure I could survive the rest of the detox without hurting myself and then I chugged down two cups of camomile tea to keep up the anti-oxidant fun! (if you start feeling so hungry you could eat your furniture, I’ve been told a teaspoon of sesame seeds wouldn’t hurt although strictly speaking its not allowed). I then had the pleasure of dining on a nice clear soup of hot water flavored with some fennel which is also very rich in antioxidant agents, so SCORE! Before heading off to bed, it would also be advisable to drink a cup of peppermint tea if you’ve got any lying around–apparently it’s great for aiding in digestion.

Disclaimer: You know the saying: “no pain, no gain!” You can’t expect your entire body to detox in one day and feel like a cake-walk the entire time. You’re going to be feeling the hurt with this one! Hell, if you don’t, odds are you actually did something wrong. Word of advice? Don’t schedule your one-day detox on a day when you’ve got a lot of things to do or need some strong brainpower. Take the day off and chill cause this experience might take it out of you. Also, you should know what to expect: Headaches are for sure going to happen. It’s nothing scary it’s just your brain being a wuss and craving for its usual high dose of the somewhat harmful stimulant that it’s been used to getting everyday: caffeine. And, because your tissues are going to be getting rid of all those nasty noxious substances through your bloodstream, which has to pass through your brain, it might cause some irritation. Obviously you’re going to feel pretty weak and hungry most of the time, but man up, brave soul! Remember: this is actually good and you’re not really dieing. Mid-afternoon, your detoxing skin may erupt in local rashes. And, I haven’t experienced this but some people have reported frequent urination, diarrhea, and gas by the end of the day. I just remember feeling really anti-social by the end of the whole thing, but other than that I fared pretty well.

So there you have it. My one-day detox bonanza! Sure it was painful, it was difficult, and it was slightly insane. But, hey, it was only one day and, in the grand scheme of things, it’s quite the useful thing to do every once in a while. I have to thank my helpful dietician buddy-girl who, even while making it clear that she thought I was a complete loon for doing this, guided me through it and made sure I got the best results possible.

All my love!

Posted in Food, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 Mar 2012

Today on the Menu: PLACENTA AND OTHER ICKY STUFF.

Today I made a startling discovery. I found out that placenta–as in the connective tissue between a mother and a fetus and that comes out of a women after she gives birth in an icky, bloody, and disgusting mess–can make for an actual meal. Yeah, as in you can cook it in the oven, season it with salt and pepper, and serve it for dinner.

Or, if you’re squeamish, you can turn it into a pill and start popping those bad boys January Jones style!

Now, barf-factor aside, some people are indeed claiming that eating your own afterbirth is actually a nourishing and “calming” experience. Others, of course, are calling the whole thing out as a pointless fad which actually leads to nowhere. And, really, it’s pretty difficult to actually lay claims on the fact of whether or not this new “eat thyself” trend is actually useful or even necessary.

I mean, sure, almost every mammal on the planet eats their own placenta and I’m sure that, sometime along our own evolutionary curve, we have as well. But, uhm, haven’t we evolved past that evolutionary phase by now? My mom seems to have had me and my siblings without so much as tasting a sliver of her own placenta (Yekh!) and we all turned out okay. Just sayin’.

So is eating your placenta (basically your own innards) such an insane thing to consider? I guess not. Are there other, more evolved and clinically tested alternatives available to those of us who find the whole idea way too stomach-churning to handle (RIGHT HERE)? Of course.

Is there anything wrong, unnatural, or harmful with choosing to go either way? Absolutely not.

Although you might want to think twice about taking maternity advice from celebrities. I mean, sure, January Jones pops placenta pills but Alicia Silverstone feeds her child like a freaking bird.

All my love!

Posted in Everywhere Else, Food, Musings, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
03 Dec 2011
3 Comments

Kuwait Obesity Ranking: Greasy Skepticism Served with a Side of Fatty Shock

I just read this article that came out in the Kuwait Arab Times yesterday and I have to say: kinda shocked. Basically, the article highlights the issue of child obesity prevalence in Kuwait and some of the efforts that are currently being put forth to try and curb the growing number of children heading in the direction of obesity in Kuwait.

Now, none of that really shocked me. It’s great that Kuwait is taking the initiative to supply healthier food choices, and especially for children WHO WILL LITERALLY SHOVE ANYTHING INTO THEIR MOUTHS. That’s all good. Kudos and golden stars and every other kind of praising remark/gesture to Kuwait. The part of this article which shocked me was its tagline: “Kuwait: 5th most obese nation on earth.”

Is it really?

I mean I know that Kuwait’s got fast food drive-throughs available at every other corner, and I know that most of the options available on restaurant menus in Kuwait are doused in more fat, grease, and a bevy of other artery blocking substances than one would like to take the time to consider BUT! 5th place? Really? Maybe its just me but, for all the unhealthy food choices which litter Kuwait’s eating scene, I found that most people were relatively within the normal range of body weight. I’m sure that they weren’t all the picture of health because I have seen some people who are definitely within or steadily heading towards the obesity range. I don’t claim to be a dietician by any means so I can’t say with exact certainty what constitutes an obese or severely overweight person but STILL 5th place seems kind of unrealistic to me.

The few times that I have made the commitment to join a gym or two in Kuwait (and very sparingly attended) THE PLACE WAS ALWAYS PACKED WITH PEOPLE YO. And I also know that the diet center line of business in Kuwait is booming which means that, even if there is a problem, A LOT of people are making a conscious effort to fix it. Generally speaking, most of the people whom I have come across in my 22 years in Kuwait were not obese. And if you consider how small Kuwait’s population is when compared to many other countries, in order for it to rank so high above the rest of the world about 75% of the population would have to be obese. And I’m pretty sure that would’ve been pretty noticeable.

I actually take some issue with the whole BMI calculating system which these kinds of rankings use. I mean, what if someone has a higher BMI, and is therefore considered heavier, because they’re muscular or because they have a high bone density? There’s a lot of room for error with that kind of calculation.

You see what I’m sayin’ here?

Anyway, I looked up a couple of other statistics on this so-called fact. Some rank Kuwait a little lower but still the claim seems kind of bogus to me (74.2% WHAT?).

I don’t know. Maybe its just me and my absentminded self (in which case I apologize, I guess). And if that’s the case and the problem really IS of that magnitude then I hope something can be done to turn the issue around FAST because at this rate Kuwait might just be your number one holiday destination for lots of diabetic, cholesterol spiking, family fun!

All my love!

Posted in Food, Kuwait, Musings, News and tagged , , , , ,

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