Soft Boiled Eggs

I have an egg boiler for the convenience of it. It's great for hard-boiled eggs. But it took two attempts to produce soft-boiled eggs. This boiler runs very hot, so I needed to understand its science. The knob's markings for soft-boiled, half-boiled and full-boiled are completely inaccurate. 

I simply count the time now. Even for fridge-cold eggs, I can't push it to 6.5 minutes. It only requires a max of 4.5 to 5 minutes in the cooker. Then I remove them, letting them sit for another minute in the shell, then I'll dunk it in an ice bath to stop it from cooking further. 

I could have just used a good old pot and water right? That would be easy. But I was too lazy to remove all hob cover and all the things atop to put a pot of water on the boil. So I insisted on using the egg boiler. Heh. 

Soft-boiled eggs at home are so tasty. I can use better eggs (that don't stink), a better quality of soy to enhance all the flavors. Aside from pepper, I also add a sprinkle of garlic and onion powder. The husband loves it as a protein boost before hitting deadlifts or bench presses. He can't eat more than that before a workout. 

It was raining that morning, and we couldn't go out to play or to a Toastbox or Ya kun for the husband to have his fix of eggs. So I boiled up some. There was coriander in the fridge, so it was added to the husband's soft-boiled eggs. The dog likes coriander too. So she also had two leaves, plus a quarter of a hard-boiled egg with her breakfast. Heh.

EAAs and Creatine

The husband has always had tubs of protein powder of sorts. He now gravitates towards whey isolates instead of whey per se. Isolates result in a lighter drink and a higher ratio of protein derived. No milkshakes or smoothies for him. These whey isolates can be stirred into water and ice. That would do. A lot lighter and less sugar. 

I'm not keen on protein powder at all. Whey flares my IBS, even the isolates. I would need a plant-based protein powder. Whatever. I'm not into it. However, I'm not closed off to supplementation especially when I'm aging. My kidneys and liver are fine, and a little supplementation should aid bones and muscles. 

It took me a fair bit of research and a lot of thinking before I bought supplements in the form of Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) and creatine. I don't care about BCAAs — they're a subset of EAAs. The body can't produce the nine blocks that form EAAs. We take them either through diet or supplementation. Now that I can't really eat so much, and eating that much gives me indigestion, supplementing with powdered EAAs would work. It would also help with bone health and anabolic resistance. 

Now, creatine. 

Creatine is not an anabolic steroid, nor does it increase testosterone levels. The husband is keen on creatine gummies because they're convenient. I don't mind, but I think I prefer it as clean as possible, which means taking it in its powdered form. It can help with muscle breakdown and keeping my muscles nicely toned. I don't want to lose them. I want to offset any potential age-related sarcopenia. 

Some say creatine helps with brain fog. Okaaaay I'm not experiencing brain fog just yet. I don't know if it truly helps, but I guess it does help with cellular regeneration. That would do. It doesn't negatively interferes with female perimenopause hormones, so it should support a general feeling of well-being. 

I'm not into overloading on anything. I eat enough protein generally. I'm not into having extra protein via supplements. But I don't mind giving EAAs and creatine a try. There're so many brands out there. I chose Naked Nutrition. 

I'm not taking them every day. I can do EAAs once or twice a week, and creatine 3mg thrice a week. IThese could be mixed into juices or water with ice. My EAAs are completely unflavored, making it smell and tasting like tree bark. It can be quite gross, but I'm perfectly fine with it. I can add to to soy milk or whatever. The creatine powder is strawberry flavored, so if I toss 3mg in with the EAAs, that would suffice to flavor it although it doesn't mask that bitter aftertaste. 

These wouldn't affect our kidneys because we're not doing mad supplementation. More isn't better in this case. We're not athletes, and we certainly don't train at their intensity. We're hitting just under the recommended dosage, and we're hydrating so much. And honestly, increased exercise and these supplements have oddly, kinda curbed my inclination for the afternoon coffee, and even alcohol.

Off Antibiotics Now!

Choya is finally off antibiotics. This is metronidazole Round 2 that began on April 14. I was slowly tapering off, and once we were at June 12, and her poop was solid, I knew it was finally time to call it a day.

I didn't even finish the seven pills for Round 2. When I stopped the dosage, we stood at 5.5 pills. Yayyyy.  

Those darned active clostridium spores should more or less killed. Whatever's left would be balanced out by the usual bacteria in her stomach. All dogs carry clostridium of some sort in their GI tract. That normal amount is okay. An overgrowth of clostridium (whichever strain) is super annoying. It really takes some effort and time to eradicate. 

Doing three rounds of intensive antibiotics is never ideal. Round 1 told me that intensive doesn't quite work. Carpet bombing clostridium spores only meant driving a good chunk into dormancy and they would promptly flare within 48 hours once the pills were done. I prefer to taper. Although I wouldn't do this without checking in with a trusted doctor.

Tapering gives Choya's immune system a chance to recover at an optimal pace, and a better environment for the gut microbiome to get back into balance after Round 1. Keeping a minimal amount of antibiotics in the system allow the clostridium spores to get active, but get eaten up by the good gut bacteria that can still flourish. 

To be honest, I'm nervous of letting go of the antibiotics. They've become my crutch. I gotta have confidence in my hypothesis, backed up by the poop that I've seen over the last two weeks — that Choya's gut is balanced now and is perfectly capable of dealing with mild unwanted bacteria and could produce the solid dense poop that I want. 

Had a celebratory little lunch plate for Choya. Her meals are just fine. Keeping them basic and clean.

May your poop be solid-gold, sweetheart.