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This has been my hardest post to write yet. Namely because I have been writing it in pieces but I finally wanted to compile this little work about Food, Health, and Acclimating to the weather in South Korea.

While I have been living out here I have noticed that I have lost a significant amount of weight since I got off the plane a few months ago. I don't mean like "OMG I lost 5 or 7 pounds because I switched to this awesome yogurt!" No, no I mean I used to weigh 210 lbs before I came to South Korea and now I weigh 175 lbs. For all of you who don't use pounds as a standard measurement I went from 95kg to 79kg. A lot of this is because of the mostly high vegetable standard Korean diet that I have adopted. This coupled with a little exercise, little alcohol consumption, and a severe shortage of Whoppers and French Fries have put me on the fast track to success.

Granted, I feel great now, but I wanted to share with you that really helped push me to lose the weight. The secret was Spicy Food and Hot Peppers! That's right the bane of my existance is actually what helped me to pull off this the modern day magic trick and make the weight just disappear. While picking up one of Michael Pollen's books on food and health (which I highly recommend) I found some helpful information that I would like to talk about.

There is a chemical in spicy food called capsaicin. This chemical allows your metabolism to speed up and help the body burn calories faster. Also portion control on your part is made easy since hot peppers are naturally very spicy you will begin to eat smaller portions. So it's not much of a coincidence that eating spicy food will help to greatly reduce your calorie consumption throughout the day.

Another benefit of is improved digestion. This is because consumption of spicy foods increase what is known as "hydrochloric secretion" which is found in the stomach. This also will increase the blood flow to the stomach and even increase the mucous lining helping to prevent and even cure stomach ulcers. If you have a weak stomach like mine you can always take a antacid tablet before you eat to neutralize any excess rumbly in your tumbly.

And like my childlike friend you will enjoy the sleeping benefits that come from improved sleep patterns and an overall boost in the level of endorphins and serotonin. So you receive both a chemical that dulls pain and give you a feeling of wellbeing? Sign me up! This is cool because they act as depression fighters and powerful stress relievers, and you wonder why I crack so many jokes?

With these helpful antimicrobial properties found in spicy foods people are better able to acclimate to scorching hot temperatures. This is especially important in these hot and humid summer months where the forecast is as follows:



Being that it is currently July its super humid and my head is always in the freezer. So the lesson to be had here is that EATING MORE SPICY FOODS KEEPS YOUR BODY COOLER AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES. Although eating spicy foods seems to like the inverse of how you should address the rising heat outside, but actually this method is proven and very effective. On the other hand you could take the easy route and go grab an ice cream or a frozen yogurt? Wait...damn it! Now I want frozen yogurt. Hopefully I can find a good healthy yogurt place so I can share it with you guys next time. As always THANKS for reading, stay healthy, and I miss you all!

Joe - OUT!!

When you travel abroad there are so many things that you might want to do and see. So by all means get out there and make it happen. However there are also some things that I'm sure everyone on the planet would cringe if any of the following were to happen while traveling in a foreign land. These things are:

1) Losing their Passport or Wallet
2) Requiring immediate medical attention
3) Having an unforeseen dental emergency

Although this list is rather exclusive I should have known that my ability to follow my own 3 Step Program was a little too complicated even for me. About a week ago I did the unspeakable; I somehow managed to chip my top first molar. And you won't believe what I broke it on. You ready for this? It was a freakin' cough drop! Sorry guys, I wish I had something more macho to tell you but I am still amazed myself.

When it first happened I felt a pain but the second thing I felt was fear. Who do I talk to about this? How much is this going to cost? Where do I go to get this remedied? Growing up the majority of my adult life poor and without medical and dental insurance I tried to instinctively shrug it off and continue to go about my day. This, however, is hard to do when your tooth is suddenly as sharp as a Ginsu Cutting Knife. Now this tooth serves no other purpose than to cut me every time I rest my tongue. After swallowing my pride and confronting my fears found a Dental Clinic with doctors and secretaries that speak fluent English.

I will post a follow-up blog after I find the place and go through the procedure. My fingers are crossed that it will quick, painless, and cheap. Otherwise I will live the rest of my days as a wise crackin' toothless pauper.


In retrospect I think that odd occurrence of my tooth is suspect. Although I am eating the healthiest I have ever had in my entire life I would not think that a lone cough drop would have the potential crack my tooth. Especially after all the havoc that eating all the countless processed and sugar laced foods in America did on my teeth, they seemed to be losing their durability. Maybe there was something to to the 1962 order in the US to place fluoride in all drinking water [click here]. This will definitely keep my up for a while trying to figure it out.