Change your life before 8 am

You already know what a difference a bowl of oatmeal makes: It warms you up, fills you up, and pumps you up like no other breakfast food. Studies suggest that this overachiever can also help prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks. And that's just the plain stuff. What happens when you top your bowl with healthy ingredients that have their own superpowers? BOOM! Your first meal of the day turns into the nutritional equivalent of TNT.


NEVER-STOP SUNFLOWER CRANBERRY

This no-cook recipe (you'll love its flakier texture and nuttier flavor) combines metabolism-fueling sunflower seeds, oats, and milk.
Whip it up:
Mix 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats, a tablespoon of sunflower seeds, and a tablespoon of dried cranberries into 1 cup of fat-free milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Makes 1 serving. Per serving: 332 cal, 7.5g fat (1.5 g sat), 48g carbs, 138 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 18g protein


BRAINY ALMOND-BLUEBERRY

This fruit and nut-spiked solution delivers the vitamins and omega-3s your inner Malcolm Gladwell craves.
Whip it up:
Boil 1 cup of water over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats. Cook, stirring, for 25 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup of fat-free milk, a tablespoon of slivered almonds, 1/3 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, and a teaspoon of ground flaxseed. Mix and serve.
Makes 1 serving. Per serving: 251 cal, 7g fat (0.5g sat), 40g carbs, 41 mg sodium, 6g fiber, 10g protein


BELLY-STUFFING PEANUT BUTTER

Oatmeal baked with eggs, peanut butter, and soy mlk packs enough protein to keep you satisfied until long past your lunch hour.
Whip it up:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of old-fashioned oats and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs and add 2 cups of vanilla soy milk, a cup of water, and 4 tablespoons of natural peanut butter. Add to the oats, pour mixture into dish, and bake for 20 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons agave syrup.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 253 cal, 10g fat (1g sat), 30g carbsw, 96 mg sodium, 3.7g fiber, 11g protein


PUMPED-UP BANANA-PECAN

Potassium-rich bananas and muscle-building whey protein give you the comph you need to grunt through that last set.
Whip it up:
Mix 1/4 cup of quick-cooking Irish oatmeal, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey powder, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Microwave the mixture on high for 90 seconds and top with 1/4 cup of fat-free milk, a sliced banana, and a tablespoon of pecan pieces.
Makes 1 serving. Per serving: 388 cal, 9g fat (1.5g sat), 63g carbs, 349 mg sodium, 9g fiber, 18g protein

Thoughts Can Heal You Or Kill You

Good thoughts, bad thoughts. A person goes through about 66,000 thoughts a day, both negative and positive, says mind science consultant Professor Dr R.Kadeer Ibraheem.

"We go through many thoughts in a day, but whether they have a positive or negative impact is up to us." Negative thoughts of anger and hatred are so powerful that they can destroy our health, mood and happiness.

"Hatred, anger, grudges and judgment destroy friendships, business dealings, opportunities and several other aspects of our lives," says Kadeer.

Thought can also be used for good and we can do almost anything, says Kadeer, but only if we first believe in our selves.

"We must eliminate our fears, step by step. We must do everything in stages and not rush it. After we develop this ability to believe in ourselves, we will enjoy the results." The power of the mind should never be underestimated, because it's the one facet of a human being which can tease, trick, convince and destroy.

Its powers have long been used to create wealth, kick habits and lose weight .

Over the past few years, the mind has taken on a new role: It's been a key player in the body's healing process.
Silva Method Malaysia managing director Steven Soh Teck Toh is convinced that whatever goes into your mind will come to pass. Whatever you put into your mind and believe is going to happen will happen.

"This works for good and bad thoughts. So be careful with what you feed your brain. That's why it's so important to only have positive thoughts, especially when fighting a disease. Every time a negative thought gets into your mind, you should consciously tell yourself, "can - cel, cancel". Soh has seen the power of believing work in people who have had various medical issues, from warts to a low sperm count.

"An accountant and his wife were desperately trying to have a baby, but the doctor told the husband that his sperm count was low, and that it was almost impossible.

"He asked the doctor for a sperm map and looked at it every night, picturing and believing that his sperm count would increase. His sperm count did go up and, a year later, he was the proud father of a baby boy." Soh says it's also important to clean your "mind archives" every day to make room for positive thoughts.

"Any concerns or worries you have should be addressed daily. Don't keep them in. Recognise them, deal with them and get rid of them.

"Keeping them all in will clog your 'mind pipe' and prevent you from feeding yourself positive thoughts." According to Soh, the onset of cancer is usually after a traumatic encounter.

"Most cancer patients would have had traumatic experiences, six to 18 months before the onset. The first thing cancer patients should do is trace the experiences they've had in the past two years.

"When they have identified the cause, they should accept the situation.

"It could be a financial problem, or a death in the family." Unfortunately, many terminally ill patients don't want to be cured, Soh says. "They say they do, but deep in their hearts they don't mean it. Many don't have the will to live, and that attitude is enough to kill them.

"If you're dying and want to be cured, you'll break all other appointments and do what it takes to be healed. When your mind doesn't want to get better, your body releases enzymes that make that thought a reality." Soh says that the more you reject the reality of things, the more you attract it. "Cancer is not deadly if you take precautions in the beginning.

"People should understand that the mind is the first tool they should use to overcome cancer." Clinical psychologist Leong Huey Mei says: "When you adopt a positive attitude you find that everything is possible. Having positive thoughts mean giving yourself a choice.

"Too often, we hear those sick or in trouble say they have no choice.
When they say that, it becomes something that cannot be resolved.

"A positive attitude gives you energy to move on. Those who waste their energy on negative thoughts are killing that energy.

"But, if they think positive, although the situation seems impossible, they'll find a solution. It's all mind over matter." Leong says illnesses and bad situations befall anyone. "Things don't always go the way we want. But if we keep complaining and living in the 'whys', we are digging a deeper grave.

"We have to learn to adapt to the new situation and find ways to remedy the problem or we won't be healthy. Adjust to the environment.

"Deal with the issue instead of exploding.

Don't let it accumulate.

Don't dwell. Let other people help if you can't deal with it. Talk to positive people and surround yourself with positive thoughts." Being aware of your negative thoughts, she says, is a very important part of recovery.

"Each time a negative thought crosses your mind, you must challenge it. If you keep telling yourself it's useless and you can't do it, then that is what will materialise.

"Even if you think there's only a 20 per cent chance of getting through this tough time, work on it. Stop focusing on the other 80 per cent.

"That's wasted energy." First, she says, one must be able to identify the negative thoughts in order to change them.

"Recognise those thoughts and then push them out of your mind, each and every time. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is another way of doing it." She says some people claim that positive thinking is just a way of cheating yourself. "Maybe it is. But, if it's helping the situation and making you feel better, why not?" As the words of the poet John Milton go, "the mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven".

New Straits Times/Asia News Network

Nutrition: Cancer Killers

Eat like a Greek:
A Mediterranean-style diet is associated with a lower cancer risk. Researchers reporting in the British Journal of Cancer analyzed the food intake and medical records of almost 26,000 people and found that those who included more olive oil, beans, fruits, and fish had a 12 percent lower incidence of the disease than those who ate the least. See below for why:

Olive Oil
Contains phenols, antioxidants that can prevent damage from free radicals that canlead to cancer.

Beans
Are chock-full of nutrients that are associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer.

Fruits
Have phytochemicals, compounds that color fruits, and antioxidants, which sweep away free radicals.

Fish
Some researchers believe that the omega-3 fatty acides in fish oil may reduce breast and colon cancer risk.