Zoey's Healthy And Beautiful Life

Getting married is every woman's dream, and I would say it is one of the best things that ever happened to my life. And yes, the married life has some ups and downs but perhaps what most people complain about after getting married for a few years is getting fat. Actually, it didn't even take a year before I started gaining some weight uncontrollably! Now, I'm not trying to scare you here. In fact, the reason why I'm sharing this is because I want to help you how not to go through this very difficult stage of your married life.

Before anything else, I would like to make some points clear. First of all, when I got married, I quit my regular job and worked from home instead. My job required me to sit in front of the computer all day long, meaning, I lost the time to exercise or at least move around a bit. As a result, my waistline increased and most of my clothes wouldn't fit anymore. I also started to get sick more often, and saw some cellulite formation in my legs and thighs, something I haven't experienced before. My husband's tummy began to balloon as well. To cut the long story short, my husband and I decided we should really start doing something deliberately.

Since we lack the opportunity to go the gym and work out, we decided to try dieting. After a week, we actually lost weight. We are a work on progress, but still, our effort of going on a diet really helped big time.

If you're wondering what kind of "program" we followed, read along. This is basically the routine we followed for a whole week before we saw some results. A word of warning though, this worked for us, but that doesn't mean it would work for you too. There are a few factors to consider on how effective a diet can be and that includes your age, your metabolism rate, and most of all, your lifestyle. If all these factors work on your favor, you're good to go.

In the beginning, we tried to go for an all-fruit diet, but we realized it wouldn't work for us since we are used to having heavy breakfast. So what we did is we decided to stick to our regular breakfast routine, a piece of bread, some veggies, some fruits (banana, papaya, or watermelon), and my husband's favorite, eggs. Most people think that by skipping breakfast, they are going to get thin fast. However, according to studies, people who skip breakfast have a higher chance of becoming obese than those who eat their breakfast regularly.

Usually, we would have an all-fruit lunch. It's really effective especially if you're detoxifying. Sometimes we would also go for tuna sandwich and some apples dipped in honey. On some days, we would only eat oatmeal with some apples or watermelon as well. It would leave us hungry after a few hours, which was a good thing so that we could have dinner before six in the evening.

A light dinner is ideal for everybody, whether your goal is to lose weight or not. Sleeping with a full stomach is not a good thing as it leaves you feeling heavy as you wake up the next day. So for my husband and I, we would basically have some veggies for dinner along with just a small portion of fish meat.

After sticking to this diet for a week, my husband and I started to feel good. We became more alert and active as usual, and the best part is, we could fit on our clothes again!

The term "plantar warts" is just a proper name for foot warts. You're right, they are the kind of warts that grow on the sole of either or both your feet. Unlike other types of warts, plantar warts are really painful especially since you get to step on them each time you walk. As a little background, warts are caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV. The virus gets inside your skin through very tiny wounds or cracks.

I haven't experienced growing plantar warts before but my husband does. He shared to me how he bore the pain for months thinking that the growth on his left toe would leave on its own. Unfortunately, the wart was stubborn and eventually grew bigger and more painful. What's worse is that my husband didn't have any idea how to get rid of it. So, after a few months of bearing the pain on his left toe, he decided to take the matter to his friend who was a doctor. Thankfully enough, his friend was a good surgeon, and after half an hour, his toe was finally free from the pesky foot wart.

Based on my husband's own experience, having your foot warts surgically removed is the quickest way to get rid of your problem. However, if you are afraid to go under the knife, you can try other plantar warts removal options.
After doing some research, here are some of the most common treatment options for plantar warts I found:

Most people who can afford laser surgery would prefer it for treating their warts since it's one of the best treatments out there. The idea of laser surgery is using an intense beam of light to burn the warts until they are completely destroyed. Laser surgery is good for the removal of large warts. You have to take note though that while the laser might get rid of the warts, it might not be able to totally eliminate the virus that caused the warts in the first place. Because of that, you'll have to make several returns to the doctor to see significant results.

Another procedure you can try is cryosurgery. This technique works by using liquid nitrogen to freeze and eventually destroy abnormal cells. While cryosurgery is less invasive, it can result to skin discoloration and scarring. What's more, it's similar to laser surgery wherein you have to return several times in order to be free from the warts.

Salicylic acid can be bought over the counter at a very affordable price. If you want to choose this kind of method, make sure you look for a product that contains at least 40% salicylic acid. People normally use salicylic acid for the treatment of acne and you can certainly use it for removing plantar warts as well. Before applying salicylic acid, soak your foot first in warm water. This should soften your skin and make it easier for the wart to be removed. After 5 minutes, apply salicylic acid on wart using a cotton swab. You can continue with this procedure for 2 months, and if nothing seems to happen, see your doctor and try another method.

This is a one-of-a-kind approach to treating plantar warts, but while it may seem unorthodox, most people claim it to be very effective. Simply take a small cut of duct tape and place it on your warts as if you're wearing a band aid. Leave it on your skin for a period of ten days, and if the duct tape falls off, just replace it with a new one. This works simply because your immune system would try to fight off the irritation caused by the duct tape, healing the wart in the process. According to experts, you should see your plantar warts gone after eight weeks of treating with duct tape.

Two months to go until our first wedding anniversary, and for me, this only means two things - 1. It's time to have a baby, and 2. I only have two months left to get into my ideal bodily figure! Now, talk about pressure!

The one thing I learned about pressure is that it doesn't work for me. I've been trying to stress myself to really get down to business and do some serious workouts to get into shape. What I only got to accomplish is to have myself and my husband eat a "healthy diet". At least, I know that it's a good start. We lost some weight by eating more fruits, veggies and fish, but it's not enough to remove the bulge on my tummy, hips and legs that I developed after months of working from home and sitting in front of my computer. Yeah, I have excess fat on my stomach and I'm not even pregnant yet!

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who is anxious about getting into an ideal weight before having a baby. You see, I have been browsing the web about pregnancy stuff and I found the importance of having the ideal weight before conceiving. I also learned that it is the answer to a lot of pregnancy issues that some women (like me) are afraid of going through once they get pregnant.

So, I wrote down some common pregnancy anxieties and how watching how much I weigh before and during pregnancy is crucial for my health and the baby's.

Being overweight may cause several health risks to a woman such as high blood pressure, diabetes, painful labor or a difficult delivery. The baby on the other hand is at risk of being overweight too or having birth disease like neural tube defect. If a woman is underweight, the baby may also come out with a low birth weight and may face the risk of early death, chronic illness, and slow growth development.

Whether we like it or not, we are going to gain some pounds when we get pregnant. But, like most women, I want to be able to lose the extra pounds after I give birth. I figured that if I don't have excess fats to begin with before growing a baby in my womb, I'll have lesser "excess fat" to worry about in the end.

Cooking is my passion. In fact, I could easily trade anything if given the chance to cook for a living. But even though I can cook just about anything or prepare mindless recipes, I carefully select healthy, balanced menus for me and my loving husband. I'm not going to show you any of my favorite recipes (not yet), but instead, I'm going to share with you three of my favorite spring veggies that help me feel and look great at the same time.

There's a large asparagus plantation near the place where my husband grew up and he would always tell me how his aunt who used to work in the same plantation would give bring home some for them. As for me, asparagus is one of my favorites because it makes you feel light and clean from the inside. It can also make you feel full but without the bloated feeling. It contains inulin, a natural fiber that helps curb your hunger so that you don't look for something to eat only two hours later since your last meal. It also has asparagine, an amino acid that helps eliminate fat-packing toxins from the body.

You won't easily find fennel in the place where we live, but nevertheless, it makes a good ingredient when I'm in the mood to make vegetable salad. What's great about this veggie is that it makes you feel like you're glowing from the inside after eating it. Fennel is super rich in vitamin C and some combination of flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and glycosides. These substances help reduce the oxidation damage to skin cells produced by free radicals. The result is a healthy, radiant, and young-looking skin.

Among the three, I believe peas are the most in demand spring vegetables. The reason is that you can easily grow them in your home garden, and effortlessly harvest them when they're ready. They can also effectively add personality to just about any vegetable recipe. What makes peas one of my top picks is their high protein but very low fat content. They are also packed with B vitamins (riboflavin, thiamine, folate, and niacin) which help metabolize carbohydrates and protein. In short, eating peas is like having an energizer inside of you that keeps you going all day long.

Every now and then when I get burned out with work, (or with my husband hehe), I resort to some of my stress busting activities. They work perfectly for me that's why I would love to share some that might interest you.

Sleep deprivation really makes your brain foggy and takes away your focus. If I want to start my day with complete focus on the task I want to accomplish, I simply make some omelet for me and my hubby (he loves eggs and never eats breakfast without them). Eggs, together with milk, cheese, and almonds are rich in tyrosine, an amino acid that helps increase alertness. It also helps boost my multitasking ability, something that's very important for a homemaker like myself.

Most of the stress I feel are a result of fatigue, which is most of the time due to a lack of sleep. To combat fatigue and stress, I eat apples dipped in honey for snack. The rich antioxidant content of apples helps fight lethargy and acts as a jump-starter for me when I lack the energy to do just about anything. The delicious taste is also a bonus by the way.

Pressure from work really gives me the headaches sometimes. To relieve me of the pain and stress, I take a break and snack on a cup of sunflower seeds. Sesame seeds contain L-arginine, a form of amino acid that helps relax the blood vessels. If you have recurring headaches, eating sesame seeds on daily basis should reduce the frequency of the attacks in less than two weeks. You can also try peanuts, cashews, and soybeans as alternatives.

This one's quite a bit of a challenge for me, but nevertheless, I try my best to perform some moderate exercises as much as I can to help boost my mood. I realize that running first thing in the morning leaves me on a high for the rest of the day. It also helps me fall asleep faster and the quality of my sleep is better than when I fail to move a lot during the day. But perhaps the best thing about doing some exercises like running is that it helps me get rid of extra fat from my belly and my butt.

There you go. These are my top 4 stress busting activities. I believe they won't remain my top pick for long so stay tuned for future updates.

One of the foods I love to eat are veggies. Our family grew up eating lots of vegetables like Pinakbet and Dinengdeng. My mom is Ilocana and these are the dishes that I grew up eating. But, to cook these dishes, I will need some sort of fish sauce that I don't know where to get here in Iloilo. Plus, I don't have time to look for it. So, I decided to work with what's available.

One time at the supermarket, while we were browsing the vegetable aisle, I saw a pack of fresh spinach and exclaimed, "Wow! Is this real spinach?"

Ok, I guess I'm over-reacting. And then my husband said, "Why? You don't have real spinach in Manila?"

The truth is, I don't know if I've eaten spinach before but I'm pretty sure that it was not a common vegetable that we use for cooking back home. I'm 27 years old and I don't know how spinach tastes like! After learning about its rich vitamin content from the health and food articles I've written, I felt like I missed a lot from life.

You see, spinach is more commonly used here in Iloilo where I live now with my husband, compared to the city of Manila where I grew up in. It goes by the local name "kulitis". I'm quite amazed that they have it here, and all along I thought we don't grow it in the Philippines! It's very cheap and I can buy it fresh from the nearby market or in the grocery.

So, just in time for the healthy eating scheme that both my husband and I agreed to do before the start of the year, I decided to incorporate spinach to our weekly diet.

The first time I cooked spinach, I sautéed it using olive oil and garlic. Then I added a little bit of salt and pepper. I used it as a side-dish for baked fish. It tasted a little bitter so I thought it's just the vegetable's natural flavor. Later on I found out that the bitter taste came from its high oxalic acid content.

So, I looked it up again and I found out that it should be washed really well without leaving it dipped in the water for long or it might lose essential nutrients. Then, it should be boiled for exactly one minute in a pot-full of water to remove the oxalic content but retain other special nutrients such as Iron, Vitamins A and C, and calcium.

After boiling the leaves, I topped it with minced garlic that I fried using olive oil and squeezed some lemon juice. I added a pinch of salt to taste. I also poured in the same oil I used for frying the garlic.

It's a great side dish and goes well with fish or chicken breasts.

There are so many different exercise routines available on the net, as well in women's health magazines, but the problem is, most of them are just so plain boring. If any of you know of any fun routines that we girls can do on a regular basis to drop our weight whilst not getting overly bored, please let me know! For example, have you tried Zumba?

My hubby and I love to collect books and magazines (he reads the books, and me, the magazines LOL). Just this morning, while looking for a good stuff to read, I came across one particular article in a women's magazine that has a very interesting topic. It featured three plant proteins that are believed to help people trim down. Since I'm desperate to get rid of the extra layers of fat on my waist, I would love to try anything as long as it's natural and convenient. At the same time, I would also like to share with you guys what I've discovered. I haven't really tried if these super plants could actually help me get back to a healthier figure but why not give them a try, right?

According to the article I read, having a mushroom-based lunch would help you eat 400 fewer calories daily than if you would have meat. It also states that eating 1 cup of mushroom as substitute to animal protein every day can help women lose 10 pounds of abdominal fat in just 2 months! What makes mushrooms an excellent substitute for meat is that they only contains 18 calories per cup. And the best part is, they
are 100% fat free.

Believe it or not, I haven't encountered this word until this morning. It turns out that "edamame" is a term used to refer to a Japanese dish. Edamame literally means "twig bean", and is actually a preparation of soybeans that are still in their pods. Anyway, study shows that consuming 2 servings of edamame and other soy foods like tofu can help target your belly, and not just in a superficial but at a cellular level. According to the study, soy promotes fat burning within cells. And not only does it stimulate a higher metabolism in less than 72 hours, and by up to 60 percent! Now that's the kind of Japanese dish you would want to order in any Japanese restaurant!

I love beans, but I didn't realize how important they are until after reading about them. How these legumes work in targeting bodily fat is quite amazing. Fiber from beans bind themselves to toxins inside the intestinal tract, resulting to the rapid elimination of fat in the abdominal area. Scientists have proven that if you can eat at least 1 cup of fiber- and protein-rich beans, you can cut your risk of increasing your cholesterol by up to 25 percent.

The two fastest ways to success I think are detoxing and eating a high-protein diet. The only problem with these methods is that they are usually accompanied by headaches and cravings, which only makes getting slimmer more difficult. Thankfully, scientists found a way to incorporate these methods minus the negative side-effects, and that is by filling up on these super plant proteins.

Even before the holiday pigging out sessions at our parents' house ended, I have decided to go jogging at least twice a week as soon as we get back home. I have been trying to convince my husband that it is the only exercise I know that can help me lose the excess fat on my stomach. It worked before the wedding, so I'm pretty sure that it's going to do wonders for my body again.

My husband, being the realistic person that he (sometimes) is, knew that we'll have a hard time sticking to the plan, especially that the nearest jogging park is far from our place. So, he insisted that a good cardio workout like jogging in place or using a jump rope should work the same (he actually bought me a jump rope which I used twice). He also said that it can increase my metabolism, a problem I've been having for the past months because of my sedentary lifestyle.

But, being the stubborn person that I am, I didn't believe my husband and just kept on complaining why he doesn't want to support me on my "brilliant plan" - that is to wake up early and go jogging twice a week at the park. Two months have passed and until now, my running shoes are still quietly sitting inside the cabinet, untouched and squeaky clean while I'm sitting here with a flabby stomach and cellulite-ridden thighs.

So much for my "brilliant plan"!

So, today I decided to research about good abdominal exercises that I can do at home without the need of any exercise equipment. I stumbled upon a pretty good exercise website which confirmed that jogging or walking is the best and the cheapest exercise for the stomach. The best because it cannot only eliminate fat on my stomach but can tone up the rest of my body as well. It won't cost a thing because all I need are my two feet.

I knew I was right! But to my surprise, the article continues to say something about boosting the body's metabolism to burn calories. It says that by increasing one's metabolism through hard exercises like jogging in place or brisk walking for at least 20-30 minutes three times a week is considered a complete body workout, and is the secret to having flat abs.

I hate to admit it but, I guess my husband is also right about the cardio exercise and metabolism thing.

So, here is my new belly-busting exercise plan that I'll start doing tomorrow%u2026hopefully! I'll begin with a simple routine that I can easily commit to.

Warm up for 3 minutes.
Cardio Exercise: Run in place for 30 seconds.
Moderate Exercise: Brisk walk around the compound for 60 seconds.
Repeat ten times.
Cool down for 3 minutes.

One morning, EJ (my husband) told me that he's going out to buy some fish. I told him to buy tanigue. It's some sort of fish steak and I think it's known to the rest of the world as Spanish Mackerel. What my mom usually does back home is fry it in olive oil and that's it! But, since we're trying to avoid fried foods lately, I decided to cook it in the oven. Here's how I did it.

Oven-Baked Tanigue

Ingredients:

2 slices of tanigue (Spanish Mackerel)
2 tbsp Olive oil
juice of 6 calamansi or Philippine lemon (you may also use half of a lemon)
salt
ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil leaves
a dash of Cayenne pepper
3 cloves of garlic (minced)

Materials:

Electric oven (we're using a small electric oven)
Broiling pan (I actually use the tray that comes with our mini-electric oven)
Aluminum foil

Cooking Instructions:
1. While preparing the ingredients, set your oven to 175 degrees Celsius to preheat.
2. Place the tanigue slices on a broiling pan covered with aluminum foil. Using only 1 tbsp of the olive oil, rub the fish on both sides. Then, season it with a little bit of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and basil leaves. Set aside.
3. Heat a frying pan, then add the remaining olive oil. Fry the garlic until golden brown. Be careful not to burn it. Transfer the fried garlic to a small bowl and leave the oil. Set aside.
4. Mix the calamansi juice with the garlic-infused oil. Pour ¾ of this mixture over the fish.
5. Cover the fish with aluminum foil then pop it in the oven. Let it cook for 15- 20 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size or thickness of the fish you are using. Once cooked, the fish should look opaque and should flake easily.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and place the tanigue steaks and all the cooking liquid on a serving plate. Then, pour the remaining olive oil and calamansi mixture on the cooked tanigue. Garnish it with fried garlic bits.

* I usually serve this with boiled spinach side-dish.
But, my husband didn't come home with tanigue that day. 'Coz when I asked him to buy tanigue, he just laughed at me and told me that he's not going to buy fish for dinner. He actually went out to buy two pet fishies (betta fighting fish to be exact) which he named after the greatest Filipino boxing champion, Manny or Pacman and his wife Jinky. I had to wait for the weekend to cook my oven-baked tanigue.

An adult needs at least 2000 calories per day to maintain a normal figure. In order for you not to overeat, you have to choose the right combination of foods that will give you 2000 calories plus the other essential nutrients that you need per day. So if you're eating something that doesn't satisfy your hunger but only keeps on adding to your calories minus the nutrients your body needs, you can be in big trouble. And I mean big trouble especially if you are not the type of person who loves to move a lot.

The solution? Choose certain foods that will a.) sate your hunger, b.) provide you with the right amount of calories per day, and c.) satisfy your daily nutritional needs.

Here are some of the best filling foods you might want to include in your daily menu:

Eggs

Eggs have been called the perfect protein food and the role of protein in a person's satiety has been proven by scientific study. According to researchers, people who consume at least 30 percent of protein a day eats 400 less calories than those who do not.

Oatmeal

Perhaps the most satisfying breakfast meal of all time, oatmeal is rich both in protein and fiber. If you want to stay full in the morning, add some low-fat milk to your oatmeal.

Fish

White fish in particular has been proven to keep people full for long after eating. You can either steam or grill a white fish like dory or sea bass to get excellent results.

Soup

Nothing can beat the old-timer chicken/vegetable soup when it comes to satisfying hunger. If you can eat soup at least twice a day, you have a higher chance of losing and maintaining your weight than when you don't. Not only that, soup is also good when you've got colds.

Beef

A small cut of beef can go a long way. Beef is packed with iron and zinc, and is also rich in protein. Eat it with high fiber rice and you won't keep on returning to the refrigerator until the next meal.

Popcorn

This is the perfect snack for you if you're trying to lose weight. Forget junk food. Instead, munch on popcorn when you're watching a movie or just taking a break from work. Popcorn contains at least 1 gram of fiber per cup and is very low in calorie.

I bet, if I give my husband an Apple iPad, he won't ignore it! But I'm not talking about gadgets here. I'm talking about real apples - the crunchy, juicy, red fruit that is often left ignored inside our fridge. He buys them for me but I want him to benefit from it too by eating it. Especially now that we're experiencing a lot of warm afternoons and ending the day with surprisingly cold nights. This is the time that fatigue easily catches up on us. Even if the ground gets cold at night, the air way above remains hot. This warm air traps pollutants near the earth and causes lung tissue to get inflamed. As a result, the oxygen flow in the blood slows down and fatigue sets in. This is where apples come in handy. Since this fruit is loaded with flavonoids, it helps cut lung inflammation by 32%.

So, to get him to eat apples, here's what I did.

2 pieces medium-sized Fuji apple
2 tbsp organic honey (if you can't find one just make sure that the brand you buy do not contain additives)

This is very simple to do. I just quartered the apples, removed the seeds and cut them thinly. I placed them in a bowl and drizzled 2 tablespoons honey. The slight tanginess of the apples goes very well with the sweetness of honey. He now enjoys it with me as a snack or dessert. Yum!

One time, we ran out of tomatoes and lettuce for our tuna sandwich. What we had left was a piece of apple. So, again, I sliced the apple thinly. I used whole wheat bread, topped it with cheese and tuna (Century Tuna Flakes Light in Vegetable Oil). I toasted this in the oven until the cheese melted and the bread is a bit crunchy. Then, I placed the sliced apples over the tuna before topping it with the other slice of bread. He already ate more than half of the sandwich before he asked what I put in it.

I was thinking of ways to cut rice from our diet, especially at night. Since it is the staple food of Filipinos, we grew up eating it from breakfast, lunch 'til dinner. We tend to eat a lot of it, which makes us consume more carbohydrates than we can actually burn. Some even eat it as a snack. We also have a lot of native delicacies made of sticky rice and sugar.

I know that it's not just the only thing to blame for our weight gain. And I don't know if completely avoiding it at night will help us look better sooner. But, my husband says that he finds it difficult to sleep every time we eat heavily at night.

So, the solution is to eat less! I read somewhere that soup is great to eat for dinner 'coz it's not too heavy but filling enough to not make you feel deprived.

I found this quick chicken soup recipe from a magazine and it's S-O-U-P-er easy to make. I just touched it up a little to make it a lot easier for me to do.

Super Easy Chicken Soup

3 cups water
1 whole chicken breast fillet (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 small carrot (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium white onion (chopped)
1 piece chicken bullion
Salt
Pepper

Put water, chicken, bullion, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and then add carrots. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and serve with a piece of toasted wheat bread while hot.

I have yet to try some variations in the coming weeks. I'm thinking about adding some canned tomatoes and basil for an Italian taste or ginger, soy sauce, scallions and sesame oil for an Asian flare. Can't wait!

I'm sick! My throat started to ache last week and eventually developed into a full blown cough and colds.

Anyway, I started craving this particular Filipino chicken soup called "Tinola". I think it's the perfect substitute for the American chicken soup. Laboratory analysis has proven that a bowl or two of this grandma recipe have ingredients that are really good for colds.

Now, that I'm officially under the weather, I prefer to eat the broth from Chicken Tinola. For me, it hits home better than the other recipe I recently posted. However, this Filipino dish does not have carrots or celery in it. Instead, it uses ginger and green papaya. Ginger is known for its ability to treat colds, sore throat and inflammation of the mucus membranes. We also put in some malunggay leaves, which is a good source of Vitamin C.

Here's the recipe.

Chicken Tinola

Ingredients:

½ kilo chicken
----à(Any part will do, but it's best to combine the bony and fleshy parts for this recipe)
5 cups water
1 pc chicken bullion
1 cup Malunggay leaves
6 gloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 small green papaya (cubed)
1 small bundled tanglad or lemon grass (we buy lemon grass from the grocery store that comes in small nifty bundles for easy use)
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:

After heating 2 tsp of oil on a medium sized pot, you can add the garlic and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes then add the pieces of chicken. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté until the meat is half-cooked.
Now, add in the water, chicken bullion and lemon grass. You can add more water if you want more of the broth. Allow it to boil then reduce heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Drop in the papaya and add salt and pepper to taste. Let the vegetables cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
As soon as you notice that the papaya is starting to be opaque, you can remove the bundle of lemon grass then add the Malunggay leaves. Let it cook for a minute or two, then taste the broth just before you turn off the fire. Add more seasoning if needed.
Remove from heat. Serve while hot.

Since we're on a diet, we're eating this without rice.