Whispers of the Heart

Anorexics, bulimics, plastic surgery, slimming centers, liposuction, Atkins diets, starving, have all been too familiar in this contemporary world. Nothing is perfect; images of own bodies are distorted and weight gain or fat are viewed as objects of disgust and scorned even on their own bodies.

Young girls have resorted to all sorts of diet fads; ranging from the Atkins diet (low carb) to NO carb diets in their stake to maintain an ideal and thin figure as those who walk the runways. Thin and small in size are the equivalence to beauty and the ultimate road to fame and also happiness. Isn’t this a distorted image which is playing in their minds?

You will be surprised that the population which are obsessed with their body images are highly educated beings; most of whom are placed in professional fields and earning decent monthly wages and yet, all they think about is their body figures rather than participating in healthy activities with the society and in maintaining a good health. I have heard of ladies in my offices talking about putting on weight, going on a diet routine, skipping lunches, etc. Of course, being a lady myself, I will not deny that I conscious of my own image as well. But to the extent of believing in beauty fads and slimming commercials and also in products that can trim those inches off the waist and thighs, it is still rather a skeptical truth for me.

The keyword to this whole phenomenon is trend and vanity. Trend; a positive yet at the same time destructive pattern follows closely with the demands and also the fresh innovations in breaking into sales market and achieving those target figures to meet the revenue. Setting the trend is not difficult; and if we explore into this issue of vanity and delving into our history files, we will find that the beauties of the past were not stick thin figures. In fact, most of them were chubby and some may even call them fat in the modern day’s image dictionary. One of whom was even noted as one of China’s Top 4 Beauties until this day; the ever famous and enchanting Lady Yang (Tang Dynasty). If you have ever seen portrait images of Lady Yang, you will know what I mean.

However, back then, she was not coined as a fat girl and isolated because of her weight, on the contrary, she was the object of affection of many who laid their eyes on her and was even involved in a love triangle between the Emperor and his son; to whom she was wife of. Today, Lady Yang will be considered fat and skinny girls like Nicole Richie or Victoria Beckham will be considered beauties.

See, that is the trend set as we travel through different eras. It is good to lose some weight for the sake of battling against obesity of which various problems could surface but it is another thing if this becomes the prime aim of life to be as thin as possible to make it to the cover pages of the magazines or even a job on the runway.

Young girls today are starving themselves; pushing food off their tables just to make sure they fit into that little bikinis and extra small size of dresses to feel and look good. But the key point is, being vain has also turned this society into a more heartless and creating more individualistic behavior as they strives only to lose weight.

What is the main objective and what is the true meaning of life?

To wear a skimpy bikini and dress with tanned and skinny legs and a flat tummy? At the same time having a stomach that growls at every opportunity?

The most important thing about beauty is not just about looking good physically, it also takes a lot to reform yourselves internally; beauty is only skin deep after all and is never everlasting; no one in this world is immortal and ginsengs are not magic food which preserves your youth. It is a state of mind to feel beautiful and look beautiful. You may be a 200 pounds girl but if you put a smile on your face and place others above your self interests, hey, you are an even more attractive beauty compared to a 40kg girl who is always jealous and plots on others’ downfall.

All that said, it is a matter of choice and perception. I am in no position to say or measure anyone’s beauty; all that prevails is yourself; choose the road you walk…be vain and be slain; or be kind and shine!

Ever been in those situations when you are horribly embarassed in the public or just during that special occasions where all you cared about was looking good and making the best impression in front of others?

All of a sudden, something comes in uninvited and interrupted your whole plan….

You burped….

Your stomach growls in the dead silence…..and making a a very loud and slow rumbling….

Or worse still, there was a horrific sound of gas coming from you (let’s not picture where it came from; leave it to your active imaginations…)

Sounds familiar? It has happened to everyone at least once in their lifetime and you hated those embarassing situations where it lands you in an awkward situation which makes you just want to disappear from the face of earth just for that one instant.

However, coming to investigate the causes of a growling stomach, one will typically associate it with the familiar sounds from your stomach to alert you that you are hungry. When you hear someone’s stomach growling, the first thing that comes to your mind is also, "Hey, he is hungry!"

But, further studies and research have landed me with more profound theory that this is not so. I have previously linked this to gastronomical problems as I never felt hungry whenever I hear growling in my stomach. According to a medical site I found on the web (Medicine.net), doctors/experts have pointed the growling of the stomach was caused by the intestinal movement, or specifically, the motion of air through the intestines. This can initiate the growling sounds as there is friction of the air with the intestines’ walls; and the presence of food is not a ruling factor of whether the sound will be produced. Therefore, this is a new theory on top of the old belief that a growling hunger can only mean one thing; hunger.

The link to gastronomical factors lies in the movement of air as well. As everyone knows, the disorder of gastric is caused by the discomfort of the stomach and also the presence of excessive air and the movement of air within the stomach; accurately, in the intestinal area. And as some sayings goes, you may have swallowed a lot of air thus inviting the air into your stomach, sits there and then causing the major movement and bumping in the stomach. If you still remember, sometimes the elders will always tell you not to talk too much during travel or when you are out in the open air/space and warned you that it will cause wind in your stomach. This is not an entirely baseless statement; sometimes, swallowing a lot of air which are permitted through the passage of your mouth opening can create excessive air in the stomach which further leads to the low rumbling or what we hear or interpret as the growling of the stomach. At the same time, some food which can cause indigestion and the intestines, being unable to digest it may push it along the way and this will cause a symphony of noises which sometimes can be heard; penetrating the walls of your stomach.

Gastritis patients like myself have often been warned against foods that can trigger the pain and also the disorder’s occurrence and those were the foods to be avoided to maintain normal intestinal cycles. However, there are other foods besides fizzy drinks (colas,sprites, etc) and your favourite baked beans (the famous culprit for belching and stomach gases) which cause/trigger gas in the body.According to the source found in the Medicine.net, food which are high in fiber are also responsible for causing indigestion in the small intestines and as it is further dissected by the large intestines; or rather the bacteria which resides there, this will cause the gas in the stomach.

Surprisingly, most of the foods causing these unpleasant turns were actually healthy foods such as vegetables (cauliflowers, broccolis, cabbage, onions, asparagus), beans, fruits (apples, pears, peaches), whole grains, just to name a few. This will tend to confuse people as fruits and vegetables are also important for digestion but yet at the same time, due to its high content in fibre, it actually also leads to indigestion by the small intestines.

Just one advice; though they are healthy and beneficial foods, moderation is the key to avoid any issues. Most of the time, the growling and gas symptoms from your body is not a hazard to your body nor is it alarming. However, if you do feel uncomfortable with an increase/ appearance of new symptoms and also the company of pains and weight loss, then you may perhaps want to consult professional advice from a doctor to perform a thorough medical check-up to prevent further health disorders such as cancer or intestinal diseases.

Live a healthy living and do not let fibre turn you off; just remember that the key to a healthy life is not just consumption of everything good but take note that everything is a balance. Eat and drink in moderation, exercise at a normal rate (not excessive) and also sleep well, and maintain a well state of mind.

~~Your health is your asset~~