Wednesday 27 March 2013

Wedding and pesach!

My exams are now done, for this time at least, and I got to do my last one at the swedish embassy here in Tel Aviv. I don't miss Sweden at all but it was still nice to meet some swedish people there and speak some swedish.

I have a very good friend here who takes me to all these jewish stuff so that I can see how it is like so last week he took me to his friends wedding which was a lot of fun and I also joined him and his family these last couple of days for pesach. Before pesach, the jews (or at least the religious ones) clean their houses very thoroughly so that there is no signs left of any unleavend bread or food of any kind. If something has been open before the pesach, they can't use that either. They also have to boil their cooking pans etc in a special way for the special pesach kosher food. You could see people doing that outside with a fire under it. As I have dreamed about coming here and experience all the jewish traditions, I see all of these things so interesting and I am so happy that I get to see it all through my local friends here.
The cleaning has to be done on the sunday and then they start celebrating pesach on the monday with a dinner with the family. They sing and read and eat - a lot. I must say I have never been on such loud family dinner before. It was soooo much fun! Today there was another one with barbeque.

My sister arrived today with her friend so now it's time for some more seightseeing for the next 1,5 weeks. Tomorrow we are exploring Tel Aviv and then on the evening we are going to Be'er Sheva to spend the night as my friend there will drive us the day after to the dead sea, the masada, ein gedi and more. It's still really nice here and I like this country more and more!











Wednesday 13 March 2013

Health research

Sugary drinks linked to greater high-calorie food intake, study finds

Soaring intakes of sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with increased calorie consumption of other foods such as sweets and pizza in children, warn researchers.

Rosemary extract shows metabolic benefits: Lab data

Scientists at spices, seasonings and flavorings giant McCormick and Company have unlocked the mechanism behind rosemary’s ability to reduce blood sugar spikes and cholesterol levels.

Insufficient cocoa flavanols in chocolate to benefit diabetics, says Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK says there are not enough cocoa flavanols in chocolate to benefit diabetics after a study found that a cocoa extract could help people with the condition regulate insulin levels.

Cocoa may help diabetics regulate insulin, says study

Diets rich in cocoa may help people with diabetes to regulate insulin levels, according to new research.

Good bacteria may wipe out antibiotic-resistant pathogens: Study

New possibilities for novel probiotic products are on the horizon after researchers report that some probiotic strains can eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the gut.

Do vitamin D levels influence genes for immune health?

Blood levels of vitamin D may affect the expression of genes linked to immune health and inflammation, Norwegian scientists report for the first time.

Vitamin D pills linked to better heart health for diabetics

Supplements of vitamin D may improve cardiovascular health for diabetics, says a new study with implications for recommended doses in diabetics.

Manuka found to be pivotal in fight against MRSA

In what has been dubbed a “hugely important finding”, Australian researchers have found that medical-grade manuka honey can be used as a new weapon in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, such as the MRSA superbug.

Grape seed extract shows cardiovascular and cholesterol benefits

Supplements containing grape seed extracts may help reduce blood pressure in people at risk of hypertension, and improve cholesterol levels in people with metabolic syndrome, according to two new studies.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Purim party and bar mitzvah!

You are suppose to work hard and play hard. The last years I have worked hard but skipped the last part so now I'm catching up!
It was a couple of weeks ago that it was Purim here but because of the bombing between Gaza and Israel in November, the Universities in Be'er Sheva is a week or two behind as they couldn't go to school during the bombing, which means that their semester finished a few days ago and celebrated Purim this weekend instead. I got to go on the Purim party that one of the biggest universities in Israel had in Be'er Sheva which was sooo much fun! People were dressed as so many funny things.


University purim party



University purim party

University purim party

Bar mitzvah

Bar mitzvah food - sheep brain

Bar mitzvah party

The birthday/bar mitzvah boy

Bar mitzvah party!

Yesterday I went to a bar mitzvah which was my first one. I really want to go to all the jewish stuff and see how they do things so it was very interesting to go. It was nothing as I have ever seen in Sweden or any other place I've been to.. It's amazing how they can celebrate a kid turning 13!! We danced, ate (a lot!), put henna on our hands and danced with holding food over peoples heads. I don't know why they do that but I heard it's a moroccan tradition.
The weather keeps getting hotter and hotter as well and on friday it's suppose to be 34 (!!!!) degrees celcius! I'm spending a lot of time at the beach so I'm also starting to get a tan :)
It is only 2 days left for my first exam that I will do here so now I gotta get back to reality and then back to partying again on sunday when I will be going to my first Israeli wedding which I am obviously very excited about.

Monday 4 March 2013

Health research

‘Second generation’ prebiotic shows potential against metabolic syndrome 

Daily supplements of a novel mixture of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides may boost gut health and immune function and help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, UK researchers report.

Plant-based diets: Healthy for people, but what about the planet?

Plant-based diets are generally seen as healthy – but they are not necessarily the healthiest diets for the environment, according to new French research.

Blueberries may protect DNA from damage: Human data

Consuming blueberries may protect DNA from damage related to oxidative stress, suggests new research from Italy, but the fruit’s role in vascular function still needs additional study.

Low-dose L-carnitine can yield weight loss (in motivated overweight individuals): Study

A daily dose of 500mg of L-carnitine coupled with motivation training can help weight loss in overweight individuals, according to a Lonza-sponsored pilot study.

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Could multivitamins boost well-being and energy levels?

Daily consumption of a multivitamin may boost consumers’ perception of mood and energy levels, says a new study from Australia.

First weekend in Tel Aviv

The weekends here always feels so long because I am used to having sunday as my day off but here people get off work thursday night and have friday and saturday off which means for me, it feels like weekend from thursday night all the way to monday morning :)
I'm still loving it here and I know things can change but for now, it feels like I will never want to leave. I am excited about the nutrition conference I'll be going to a few days after going back from Israel but I really wish I could just fly back here again after that. The good thing is that I'm getting to know more and more people which makes it easier to go back and visit again.
I have tried to find a church to go to and I found a small one about an hour walk away from here which I really like. I have only been there once but I like it because the sermon was very biblical which is obviously very important. I met several scandinavians there so I also got to speak some swedish which was quite nice :)
I have spent the rest of my weekend at the beach, getting a tour around the city with my roommates and met some of their friends (whom we had a great shabbat dinner with on the friday night) and my friend from Be'er Sheva also came to visit me and his sister who also lives here. This week will be spent reading as much as I can so I can catch up even more (while I tan at the beach ;)) and on the weekend my friends from Jerusalem will probably come and see Tel Aviv as they haven't been here yet. There is also a (late) Purim party in Be'er Sheva on sunday that I'm probably gonna go to with my roommates. And something that is really exciting is that it looks like I will be going to a Israeli wedding in two weeks! I am sure it will be nothing like a swedish wedding.



The church I found

Go Sweden!



The Tel Aviv marathon is coming up

The mall/shopping center close to where I live