Good afternoon, dear friends, 
Hehe, since I started my yoga lesson 2 days ago, I have decided also to cut down on my daily calories and eat healthier, nutritious food in my quest to lose some weight. 
I have started a category “Dieting & Slimming” on the sidebar that you can see on the right of this page (lower down) and will later post on the various diet plans and ways of losing weight for your reading interest.
Fortunately, there is a cooking show on the Asian Food Channel here called “Dosanko Cooking”, which is hosted by Mrs. Sachiko Hoshizawa and features many healthy and simple home-style Japanese recipes and I will slowly post them here so that you can try these wonderful dishes yourself. 
Eating corn is good for anaemia, constipation and gout.
To treat gout :-
Boil 2 fresh cobs in 4 cups of water for 45 minutes, then strain and allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator. Drink one cup three times a day. Once there is relief, reduce your intake to one cup a day.
Corn bran is a heart protector, when eaten everyday it can lower cholesterol in the body. The soluble fiber in corn binds with cholesterol in bile from the liver. It then passes from the body taking the cholesterol with it.
Corn is good for the renal system and kidney functions.
Eat everyday a soft and boiled corn. For other kidney problem; boil 4 tsp. of cornsilk in 21/2 cups of water for 20 mins. Strain and allow to cool. Drink ½ cup every 4 hours.
Dosanko Cooking – Easy Nutritious Milk & Corn Soup (Serves 4)
Ingredients -
* 2 ears sweet yellow corn
* 2 cups water
* 2 cups low fat milk
* 4 dried scallops (or 1/2 cup diced back bacon)
* 1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry (optional)
* cornstarch mixed with water for thickening soup
* salt and pepper to taste
Method -
1) Use a sharp knife and cut the kernels of corn off the cob. Be sure to scrape with the back of the knife the juicy, milky bits left on the cob as these are the most nutritional parts of the corn. Set aside.
2) Soak the dried scallops in 2 cups of warm water for 10 minutes and shred the meat.
3) Bring to a boil in a pan the water and dried scallops (or bacon), lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4) Add in corn and simmer for a further 10 minutes,
5) Add in milk and wine, bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch.
6) Turn off fire immediately and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or refrigerate, and serve it cold.
Mrs Hoshizawa said that this soup is very nutritious and good to take during the hot summer. It soothes the throat very much. For the elderly people who can’t take much solid food, this soup would be ideal if it is put into a blender to be made into a cream soup, as this soup packs a lot of nutrition for them.
Corn is a decent source of vitamin B1, B5, C, E, folic acid, magnesium and phosphorus. It is considered to be low in protein due to the minimal content of the amino acids, lysine and tryptophan….but it is a good source of complex carbohydrate, fiber and healthful essential fatty acids. Yellow corn is high in carotenoid and the lutein in the yellow corn can protect against heart disease and macular degeneration ( a condition of the eye which is typically seen in the older age.)
Bon Appetit, ladies and gentlemen!
