Health And Food

Do you know that men need to eat more fruits and vegetables than women?

2008-03-24T09:21:00.005+08:00

The National 5 A Day program is encouraging men, who have greater health risks than women for some diseases, to shoot for nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day and women to aim for seven servings a day.

Fruits and vegetables contain many powerful and important nutrients such as;

vitamins ,minerals, fiber and disease-fighting phytochemicals, and that helps reduce the risk of many cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

5 ways to create healthy recipes

2008-03-08T21:44:00.003+08:00

Techniques to make your recipes — including your time-honored family favorites — healthier.

1. Change the method of preparationHealthy cooking techniques — such as braising, broiling, grilling and steaming — can capture the flavor and nutrients of your food without adding excessive amounts of fat, oil or sodium. If your recipe calls for frying the ingredients in oil or butter, try baking, broiling or poaching the food instead. If the directions say to baste the meat or vegetables in oil or drippings, use wine, fruit juice, vegetable juice or fat-free vegetable broth instead. Using nonstick pans or spraying pans with nonstick cooking spray will further reduce the amount of fat and calories added to your meals.

2. Change the portion size.
No matter how much you reduce, switch or omit ingredients, some recipes may still be high in sugar, fat or salt. In these cases, reduce the amount of that food you eat. Smaller portions have less fat, calories and sodium and allow you to eat a wider variety of foods during a meal. Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you get all the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber you need.

3.Reduce the amount of fat, sugar and sodium
With most recipes, you can reduce the amount of fat, sugar and sodium without losing the flavor. By cutting fat and sugar, you also cut calories. How much can you leave out without affecting the flavor and consistency of the food? Apply the following general guidelines:

* Fat. For baked goods, use half the butter, shortening or oil and replace the other half with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or prune puree. You can also use commercially prepared fruit-based fat replacers found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.

* Sugar. Reduce the amount of sugar by one-third to one-half. When you use less sugar, add spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg or flavorings such as vanilla extract or almond flavoring to enhance the sweetness of the food.

* Sodium. Reduce salt by one-half in baked goods that don't require yeast. For foods that require yeast, don't reduce the amount of salt, which is necessary for leavening. Without salt, the foods may become dense and flat. For most main dishes, salads, soups and other foods, however, you can reduce the salt by one-half or eliminate it completely.
Other ingredients may contain sugar, fat and sodium, and you can decrease them as well. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, use 1/2 cup instead. Or use less soy sauce than is indicated to decrease the amount of sodium in the food.

4.Make a healthy substitution
Healthy substitutions not only reduce the amount of fat, calories and sodium in your recipes, but also can boost the nutritional content. For example, use whole-wheat pasta in place of enriched pasta. You'll triple the fiber and reduce the number of calories. Prepare a dessert with fat-free milk instead of whole milk to save 63 calories and almost 8 grams of fat per cup.

5. Delete an ingredient
In some recipes, you can delete an ingredient altogether; likely candidates include items you add out of habit or for appearance, such as frosting, coconut or nuts, which are high in fat and calories. Other possibilities include optional condiments, such as pickles, olives, butter, mayonnaise, syrup, jelly and mustard, which can have large amounts of sodium, sugar, fat and calories.

Healthy Hotpot

2007-12-20T11:39:00.000+08:00

Stay safe while enjoying good food

Hotpot dining, the popular pastime of eating meals such as seafood or meat soup from a shared pot, is a fun way of socialising. But the Hong Kong Department of Health warns that if precautions are not taken, it can lead to serious illness such as food poisoning. The department has a few suggestion to keep everyone dipping into the hotpot healthy.

Make sure the seafood in your hotpot is fresh, thoroughly cooked and doesn't have a strange smell.
Never use raw egg yolk as a dipping sauce. Uncooked eggs can be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
Meat should be cut into thin slices and cooked thoroughly in the hotpot.
Fresh vegetables should be washed thoroughly to remove any pesticides.
Use different sets of chopsticks to handle raw and cooked meat in order to avoid cross

technorati tags: Healthy Hotpot Hong Kong
icerocket tags: Healthy Hotpot Hong Kong

del.icio.us tags: healthy and good food
keotag tags: healthy and good food

Fact

2007-12-03T10:43:00.000+08:00

People who say they cut carbs eat about 128g of carbs daily. Many low-carb diets suggest 20 to 50g total carbs.
source; NPD Group

Women are more likely than men to eat food that has fallen on the floor
source; Department of Food Science, University of lllinois

66% of women aged 35 to 74 say that they aren't afraid of ageing; 50% say they look forward to getting older and wiser.
From the Ageing Redefined survey

In 2002, 56% of women on HRT tried to quit when it was found to raise heart disease risk. 26% of them are back on it.
source; Obstetrics and Gynaecology

del.icio.us tags: Woman Fact
icerocket tags: Woman Fact

technorati tags: women aged 35 to 74 aren't afraid of ageing
keotag tags: women aged 35 to 74 aren't afraid of ageing

Food And Family

2007-10-29T12:30:00.000+08:00

Want your child to eat well? Set a good example..

If you'd like your kids to eat healthy, start with your own diet. The more fruit and vegetables Mum and Dad eat, the more Junior is likely to consume, according to a study of two-to six-years-old at London's University College. And youngsters who were introduced to these foods earlier tended to reach for them more often. Those who had been breastfed ate fruit and vegetables more frequently than bottle-fed kids.

Speaking of milk, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Penn State University found that girls who met calcium requirements had mums who drank more milk.

Moreover, those who got the minimum recommended amount of calcium at age five (800 mg daily) were nearly five times as likely to do so at age nine (1300 mg daily)

technorati tags: Food And Family
keotag tags: Food And Family

del.icio.us tags: kids eat healthy
icerocket tags: kids eat healthy

Colour Your Diet

2007-09-26T11:53:00.000+08:00

Eating a colourful diet with green, red, blue, white and yellow fruits and vegetables is healthy and can lower the risk of some cancers. But not all foods pack the same punch.

Yellow/Orange
Health benefits:
Protects immune system, vision and hearth health
old standby:Corn, rock melon, mangoes, oranges, grapefruit, carrots, sweet potatoes

Blue/Purple
Health benefits:
Maintains urinary tract health; promotes memory function
old standby:grapes, eggplant, plums, blueberries, blackberries

Red
Health benefits:
sustains memory function and urinary tract health
old standby;Apples, tomatoes,red peepers, strawberries

White
Health benefits:
Maintains heart health and good cholesterol levels
Old standby; Potatoes, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower

Green
Health benefits: Promotes vision, strong bones and teeth
Old standbys; iceberg lettuce, green beans, dark lettuces, spinach, broccoli

technorati tags: Colour Your Diet health food
del.icio.us tags: Colour Your Diet health food
icerocket tags: Colour Your Diet health food
keotag tags: Colour Your Diet health food

HOW KILOJOULES AND FAT SNEAK UP

2007-08-13T20:43:00.000+08:00

You ORDER..

your favourite meal at your local restaurant,
but do you really know what you're eating?
Diners dramatically underestimate kilojoules and fat in many popular dishes.

But when given the nutritional statistics of menu items, most make healthier choices. If nutritional info isn't available, ask your server for lighter choices.

technorati tags: KILOJOULES AND FAT SNEAK UP
keotag tags: KILOJOULES AND FAT SNEAK UP

Shake Your Salt Habit

2007-07-03T10:57:00.000+08:00

Even if you rarely season your food with it, you're probably still consuming too much salt, people at the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the group that recommends nutrient intake levels.

Thanks to processed foods, most of us eat double the upper limit of salt, raising the risk of hypertension, heart attack,stroke, kidney disease and - as a recent study suggests - stomach cancer.

The IOM has issued new guidelines. The per cent daily value of sodium on nutrition labels is based on an upper limit of 2400 mg a day.

The new recommended amount is 1500 mg for health nine- to 50-years old, and even less for others. But food labels may not reflect this change, so look for low-sodium eats, and cut back on foods like processed meat, dressing and canned soups.

technorati tags: Shake Your Salt Habit
keotag tags: Shake Your Salt Habit

del.icio.us tags: hypertension heart attack stroke kidney disease
icerocket tags: hypertension heart attack stroke kidney disease

Beware the Online Quack

2007-06-20T08:17:00.000+08:00

Beware;

Make intelligent Internet health decisions

Here are some of the warning signs to watch out for;

Sweeping claims that most diseases are caused by diet or can be cured with vitamin and mineral supplements.
Pseudo-medical jargon, such as offers to "detoxify" or balance" your body.
Anyone claiming that doctors, drug companies or the government are trying to suppress their find.
"Secret cures"-quacks only keep them secret to stop others proving they don't work.
Products claiming to work against unrelated diseases.
Encouragement to ignore established scientific thinking and " think for yourself."
Testimonial or (often misquoted) scientific references.
Approaches that seem to focus on people whose judgement may be clouded by desperation.

internet health decisions

Technorati Profile

Eat Away at PMT

2007-06-15T12:03:00.000+08:00

No one really knows what causes premenstrual tension, but changes in lifestyle - more exercise, sleep and a healthy diet - have been known to ease the symptoms.
Here are some potential dietary saviours:

MINERALS about 90 per cent of women don't get enough magnesium, which may lead to water retention, anxiety, irritability, cravings and muscle cramps - common PMT symptoms. Whole grains, nuts seeds and beans are good sources. Calcium and zinc may also help.

EVENING PRIMROSE OIL a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid, this anti-inflammatory may help PMT symptoms. Ask your doctor.

AGNUS CASTUS also know as chasteberry, this herb is thought to affect female hormones.

CARBOHYDRATES some doctors believe frequent small meals (up to six a day) high in carbohydrates keep blood sugar up, which can also help to reduce PMT symptoms.

healthy diet healthy diet

Acid Test For Your Teeth

2007-06-13T01:16:00.000+08:00

We think of fruit and yogurt as good for you, but a diet high in these acidic foods, or fruit juice, wine pickled products or fizzy soft drinks, can erode your tooth enamel.

Normally saliva helps restore the ph balance after acidic food, but if you eat a lot the mouth can't keep up and your teeth may suffer. You can help by rinsing your mouth with water for 30 seconds after eating these foods and chewing sugar free gum to stimulate saliva flow.

acid test teeth acid test teeth

Super Soup

2007-06-07T12:21:00.000+08:00

Move over, chicken noodle:

Gazpacho is the real healing soup. A recent Tufts University study found that people who ate soup loaded with raw tomatoes, cucumbers and green capsicums for two weeks had significantly higher levels of vitamin C in their blood.
Vitamin C plays a vital role in protecting the body against oxidative damage.
It helps fight heart disease and high blood pressure by lowering LDL (bad) Cholesterol and boosting HDL (good) cholesterol.
Since cooking reduces the heart-healthy benefits, it may be time to try cold soup.

Start with the recipe:

Gazpacho With Croutons

1/2 cup coarsely red onion
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 can no-salt-added tomatoes
1/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 green capsicums, chopped
2 red capsicums, chopped

Homemade or purchased croutons

1. Pulse onion and garlic in blender. Add half of tomatoes and all juice. Puree. Add next six ingredients. Blend. Pour in nonreactive bowl.

2. Chop remaining tomatoes. Stir into puree with half of cucumbers and half of green and red capsicums. Refrigerate one hour. Ladle into bowls. Top with remaining cucumber and peppers. Garnish with croutons. Serves four.

per serving: 1.04 kilojoules; 5 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 6 g fiber; 8 g protein' 730 mg sodium; 46 g carbohydrate.

technorati tags: healing soup del.icio.us tags: healing soup

Can Coffee Fight Cancer?

2007-05-26T23:42:00.000+08:00

It seems every week they tell us something nice is bad for us. Good news, then for cappuccino addicts;
coffee may actually be good for you. A study at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo found that subjects who drank coffee daily had about half the risk of a particular type of liver cancer as those who did not.

It's early days, though;
another study, in Boston, found no connection between caffeinated coffee or tea and colon or rectal cancer. They did find that those drinking two or more cups of decaffeinated coffee a day had a reduced risk of rectal cancer - though this may just be because decaf drinkers tend to have healthier lifestyle.