Health Blog

Vitamin D is D-lightful

  • Dec 04, 2020

Are you a person who is always hiding away from the sun just to keep your fair skin tone? Or are you allergy to milk? You might be facing vitamin D deficiency. As skin exposed to the sun can activate the production of vitamin D within your body and milk is a great source of vitamin D.

Natural sources of vitamin D

  • Fish rich in omega such as sardines, mackerel, tuna and salmon
  • Mushroom
  • Red meat such as beef, lamb and pork
  • Fish liver or beef liver
  • Egg yolk
  • Fortified food products such as milk, cereals, cheese and juice

6 reasons that will lead to Vitamin D deficiency

  • Always staying indoors that limited exposure to sunlight
  • Usage of sunscreen or wearing clothes that cover all of your skin while at outside
  • Have darker skin
  • Babies who are having breastfeeding
  • Having an imbalanced diet which lack of vitamin D
  • People who are in old age

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

  • A decrease in bone mass – Vitamin D helps increase body absorption of calcium. Deficiency of Vitamin D might cause poor absorption of calcium which lead to bone loss.
  • Depression – Vitamin D is required in some brain functions, lack of vitamin D may increase the risk of depression.
  • Osteoporosis – Bone will be fragile and weak due to insufficient intake of Vitamin D which linked to a higher risk of osteoporosis.
  • Muscle pain – Lack of vitamin D in your body will result in muscle pain and weak muscle strength. As vitamin D is involved in muscle development.

Reference: Ods.od.nih.gov. 2020. Office Of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin D. [online] Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h5

Listen to your body, it’s calling for Magnesium

  • Nov 27, 2020

Over 300 of different body enzyme functions require present of magnesium to complete body reactions. Magnesium is a mineral that can be found in a lot of natural food sources. Magnesium helps the control of nerve and muscle function, regulate blood glucose level and protein formation.

Natural sources of magnesium

  • Wholegrain foods: brown rice
  • Quinoa
  • Dark green leafy vegetables: spinach
  • Almond, cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds
  • Soybeans products: tofu
  • Peas and beans
  • Banana
  • Avocado

Benefits to health

Healthy bone: Body needs magnesium to produce new bone cells. Also, magnesium helps in the control of vitamin D and calcium levels which both are important nutrients for the formation of strong and healthy bones.

Prevention of diabetes: Magnesium is involved in regulating of blood glucose level and ensure proper function of insulin which lower the risks of diabetes.

Reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases: As magnesium helps in the control of muscle which including all heart functions like pumping of blood and heart beating. Sufficient amount of magnesium is linked to lower risks of heart diseases.

Treatment for migraines: Magnesium supplement can reduce symptoms of migraines headaches effectively.

Helps in Anti-inflammatory: Magnesium helps cut down on inflammatory indicator cells which prevent your body from inflammation.

Do you know?

Recommended daily intake of magnesium for normal adult age between 19 to 30 year-olds is 400mg for men and 310mg for women by the US Food and Nutrition Board (FNB).

Reference: Ods.od.nih.gov. 2020. Office Of Dietary Supplements – Magnesium. [online] Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

Adventure sports – Your moment is out there!

  • Nov 20, 2020

Adventure sports is any activities or exercises that require you to step out of your comfort zone and face your fears which made you feel pleasure after you had achieved it. Some of the examples of adventure sports are skydiving, mountain cycling, skateboarding and rock climbing. In recent years, more people choose to engage with adventure sports instead of other normal outdoor sports like badminton and basketball. Which very likely linked to adventure sports improve not only your physical health but also mental health.

Health benefits of adventure sport

1. Improve your self-confidence

As most of the adventure sports will be challenging and hard to achieve, thus after finishing of adventure sports will boost your self-confidence level as you achieved something new and difficult.

2. Helps in stress management

Taking part in adventure sports greatly reduce your stress level as it brings you achievement while having a break from your daily tasks which improve your mental health.

3. Maintain a healthy heart

As adventure sports help reduce stress level which is linked to lower blood pressure, hence greatly reduce chances of heart attack.

4. Enhance body-balancing skill

Taking part in adventure sports will surely improve your balancing skills as a lot of tasks need good body-balancing to complete.

5. Work out on different body muscles

Your body will need to use different body muscles to coordinate when you are doing some adventure sports like rock climbing and kayak.

6. High calories-burning

Adventure sports are considered as intensive activities where you will need to use a high level of strength and energy which burns high calories.

7. Promote healthy social interactions

By going to adventure sports with your friends and families, you will develop a stronger bond with them as you will need to overcome tasks and fears together with them.

8. Better concentration skill

High level of focus and concentration is needed throughout adventurous sports as without concentration you might expose yourself to dangerous mistakes.

Our health blog giveaway has ended and we thank you everyone for taking participant! Adventure sports can bring many health benefits to your health, thus we hope we bring not only joys but also good health to the top 3 winners with their entrance tickets to adventure sports! ❤ Do stay tuned to our health blog for more fitness, nutrition tips and of course more surprises!

World Diabetes Day – 14 November 2020

  • Nov 12, 2020

Diabetes is an illness that occurred when your body is unable to control your blood sugar levels. Without proper control of your lifestyle and diet during the early stage of a certain type of diabetes, it will lead to severe complications.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes happens if your body is unable to effectively work with insulin, which is a hormone that is essential for your body to transform glucose(a simple form of sugar) to body energy. In Singapore, most diabetes patients have type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes also commonly known as insulin-dependent diabetes which your body produces no or insufficient insulin. This type of diabetes normally occurs in the time of patient’s adolescence or childhood stage.

Ways to prevent yourself from diabetes

  • Maintain your body weight to achieve Body Mass Index(BMI) in the healthy range
  • Have a balanced and healthy diet lifestyle, always monitor your saturated fats and sugar intake
  • Quit smoking, to reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes
  • Stay active, exercise at least 30 minutes for five days in a week
  • Restrict your alcohol consumption
  • Do medical check-up every year to monitor your body health

To help spread awareness on world diabetes day, all our outlets will have 20
¢ off on Milo kosong, Teh O kosong and Kopi O kosong. Do drop by to our outlets to enjoy this promotion tomorrow!

Reference: Who.int. 2020. Diabetes. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes

Insomnia – All you need is a good sleep

  • Nov 06, 2020

Insomnia happens when you cannot stay asleep or unable to fall asleep regularly and feeling restless the next day when you wake up. However, you can improve your sleep quality and get rid of insomnia simply by changing your sleeping patterns.

Insomnia signs

  • Difficulty to fall asleep
  • Awake more than 2 times at night
  • Feeling restless after a long night sleep
  • Staying awake while resting on the bed for the whole night
  • Loss of concentration due to tiredness
  • Feeling tired, annoyed and moody during the day

You can experiences these signs for more than 3 months regularly or even up to years.

Insomnia causes

  • Depression
  • Loud noise
  • Stress
  • Caffeine drinks
  • Jet lag
  • Room temperature too cold or hot
  • Certain medication
  • Uncertain working schedule (day and night shift)

Ways to improve sleeping habits

  1. Stick to same sleeping and wake up time every day
  2. Avoid taking nap during daytime especially evening
  3. Relax at least an hour before sleep eg. getting a hot shower or drink a cup of warm milk
  4. Do not consume caffeine beverages and alcohol at least six hours before sleep
  5. Turn off all lights and sound devices in your room. You can use earplugs to block loud noises from outside.
  6. Do not force yourself to sleep unless you are tired
  7. Exercise regularly helps improve sleep
  8. Avoid heavy meals during your dinner
  9. Ensure your bed and pillows are comfy and clean to have better sleep
  10. Do not keep checking on time when you cannot fall asleep, try reading a book instead until you feel sleepy

Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤

Reference: nhs.uk. 2020. Insomnia. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/

Organic food – Are they really more nutritious?

  • Oct 30, 2020

Organic food has been getting a lot of attention and hype over the years. However, there are still a lot of myths about organic food. Do organic food worth the price? Are they safer to eat? Most importantly, are they really more nutritious?

How do they classify as “organic” food?

Vegetables, grains, fruits, meat and dairy products that do not grow and process with the use of any pesticides and chemical fertilisers are labelled as organic food. Such as using natural fertilisers eggshell or banana peel for vegetables and fruits to replace chemical fertilisers.

Do organic food worth the price?

Organic food price is higher than conventional food as an organic farmer needs a longer period to grow their products while also following strictly to government regulations on farming processes. Pesticides have been replaced by manual labour to get rid of weeds around the fruits or vegetables which lead to the higher selling price. Thus, you are paying a higher price for knowing the products has been taken under good care.

Are they safer to eat?

Organic food products do contain much lesser herbicides residue than conventional food products. Also, the possibility of organic food contains more than one herbicides leftover is very minor. However, herbicides residue that conventional foods contain is still within the safe range to consume and there is still no evidence of all these small amounts of herbicides residue that consume into the body will bring negative impact to human health.

Are they really more nutritious?

Currently, there is no proof of organic food contain more nutritional value than conventional food. Nutritional value in food products usually depends on how fresh it is and how the products have been stored and cooked. For example, long cooking time of vegetables with high heat will lessen its nutrient level.

As a conclusion, organic food does not have higher nutrient levels than conventional food. Having balanced and healthy meals are more important than focusing on having organic food.

Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤

Reference: C., Health, E., Disease, H., Disease, L., Management, P., Conditions, S., Problems, S., Disorders, S., Checker, S., Blogs, W., Answers, Q., Guide, I., Doctor, F., A-Z, C., A-Z, S., Medications, M., Identifier, P., Interactions, C., Drugs, C., Pregnant, T., Management, D., Obesity, W., Recipes, F., Exercise, F., Beauty, H., Balance, H., Relationships, S., Care, O., Health, W., Health, M., Well, A., Sleep, H., Teens, H., Pregnant, G., Trimester, F., Trimester, S., Trimester, T., Baby, N., Health, C., Vaccines, C., Kids, R., Cats, H., Dogs, H., Here, G., Now, C., Experts, C., Surfaces?, H., Social Distancing, Q., Blogs, W., Center, N., Recipes, F. and Stories, F., 2020. Is Organic Food Better For You?. [online] WebMD. Available at: <https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/organic-food-better#2>

Hypotension – Is your blood pressure too low?

  • Oct 23, 2020

Hypotension is widely known as low blood pressure. Blood pressure reading that is lower than 90/60mmHg is classified as low blood pressure. Not everyone with low blood pressure display symptoms, however, if you experienced symptoms you may need to seek medical advice and treatment.

Signs of low blood pressure:

  • Poor concentration
  • Weakness
  • Blurred vision
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Fainting
  • Pale skin
  • Shallow, fast breathing

Causes of low blood pressure:

  • Lack of nutrition: Diet without folic acid and vitamin B-12 will result in anaemia which caused low blood pressure.
  • Some specified type of medications: Some medicines that used to treat Parkinson’s disease can lead to low blood pressure.
  • Loss of blood: Internal bleeding or severe injury that caused a critical loss of blood will lead to a rapid drop in blood pressure.
  • Pregnancy: Drop of blood pressure during the early stage of pregnancy is common.
  • Continuing rest on the bed for a long period

Ways to lessen signs of low blood pressure yourself:

DO: Drink sufficient water to avoid dehydration

DO: When waking up from bed, change your position slowly from lying to sitting on the bed before standing up

DO: Sleep with your head raise up about 15cm from bed

DO: Eat more frequent with smaller meals

DON’T: Too much of alcohol consumption

DON’T: Sit on a chair or lay on the bed for too long

DON’T: Sudden posture change or bend down

DON’T: Drink tea or coffee after evening hour

Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤

Reference: nhs.uk. 2020. Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension). [online] Available at: <https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/low-blood-pressure-hypotension/>

World Food Day – 16 October 2020

  • Oct 16, 2020

From Caesar salad to salmon poke bowl, peanut butter spread to almond cookies and so many other delicious foods in our daily life, how could we not have a World Food Day on our calendar to celebrate all the joy brought by food? World Food Day fall on every 16th October and was initiated in 1945 to celebrate the first launch of The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).

World Food Day helps to increase global awareness, take action to reduce hunger problems worldwide and ensure healthy and balanced diets are accessible for all. Every year there is a different theme to celebrate World Food Day. In the view of the current crisis this year, the theme for 2020 World Food Day is “Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future.” This theme is to celebrate and thanks to everyone who involved in transport, fish, plant, produce and harvest food to ensure the public has sufficient and healthy foods. You can also celebrate this day by growing some healthy and organic food on your balcony to join this home food production movement.

Healthy foods easily grow in the balcony

1.Strawberries

Strawberries can grow easily in a small hanging pot or containers which does not take up any floor space. Strawberries are a great source of minerals and vitamins while also low in calories.

2. Grapes

Grapes only need a tiny bit of floor space and will grow upward according to the wood support in the pot. Grapes consist of antioxidants which can help your body fight against diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.

3. Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes are similar to grapes which you do not need a lot of space. Eating tomatoes bring health benefits such as the lower risk of cancer and heart diseases as tomatoes provide antioxidant, vitamin C, vitamin K and minerals to your body.

4. Beansprouts

You can definitely grow beansprouts at home without any hassle, as you only need a small container with some beans and you will be enjoying your stirred fried bean sprout fresh from garden within a week. Beansprouts contain a high amount of protein, fibre and vitamin C which is a good alternative source of protein for vegan.

Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤

Reference: One Green Planet. 2020. 8 Foods That Will Happily Grow On Your Apartment Balcony. [online] Available at: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/foods-will-happily-grow-apartment-balcony/

World Food Day 2020: Date, H., 2020. World Food Day 2020: Date, Theme, History And Significance Of The Special Global Event. [online] NDTV Food. Available at: https://food.ndtv.com/news/world-food-day-2020-date-theme-history-and-significance-of-the-special-global-event-2310662

See the face you love light up with Vitamin C

  • Oct 08, 2020

Ascorbic acid which is commonly known as Vitamin C play important roles inside the human body such as essential for body growth, recover and development of all tissues cell. Human body are not able to produce and store vitamin C. Thus, getting a sufficient amount of vitamin C from your diet is important.

Health benefits of Vitamin C

  1. Boost up your body immune system: Vitamin C improve functions of white blood cells efficiently which expedite your body wounds healing process.
  2. Lower risk of heart diseases, chronic diseases and cancer: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your body cells and fight against pollutants such as smoke from fires or cigarette.
  3. Prevent skin ageing: Sufficient intake of Vitamin C are linked with reducing the possibility of wrinkled skin due to its antioxidant characteristics.
  4. Reduce the risk of iron deficiency: Vitamin C promotes iron absorption which prevents your body from iron deficiency.

Good sources of vitamin C

  • Citrus fruits: Lime, orange & grapefruit
  • Peppers: Chilli pepper & bell pepper
  • Blackcurrants
  • Vegetables: Kale, mustard spinach, broccoli
  • Kiwis
  • Strawberries
  • Herbs: Parsley & thyme

Do you know?

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for healthy women aged between 19 and 65-year-olds is 85mg (approximately 1 ¼ medium of kiwi) while for healthy men aged between 19-65 years olds is 105mg (approximately 1 ½ medium of kiwi) by Health Promotion Board.

Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤

Reference:

C., Health, E., Disease, H., Disease, L., Management, P., Conditions, S., Problems, S., Disorders, S., Checker, S., Blogs, W., Answers, Q., Guide, I., Doctor, F., A-Z, C., A-Z, S., Medications, M., Identifier, P., Interactions, C., Drugs, C., Pregnant, T., Management, D., Obesity, W., Recipes, F., Exercise, F., Beauty, H., Balance, H., Relationships, S., Care, O., Health, W., Health, M., Well, A., Sleep, H., Teens, H., Pregnant, G., Trimester, F., Trimester, S., Trimester, T., Baby, N., Health, C., Vaccines, C., Kids, R., Cats, H., Dogs, H., Here, G., Now, C., Experts, C., Surfaces?, H., Know, C., Blogs, W., Center, N., Management, D. and Stories, F., 2020. The Benefits Of Vitamin C. [online] WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c#2

Healthhub.sg.2020.Recommended Dietary Allowances [online] Available at: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/192/recommended_dietary_allowances

Sweet potato chestnut mooncake

  • Oct 01, 2020

Are you worried about the high sugar or calories content by eating mooncake? Bake this recipe at home with your family and enjoy a healthier mooncake while celebrating the mid-autumn festival.

Ingredients (Serves 6 mini mooncake)

Dough
• 90g low-gluten flour
• 12g olive oil
• 65g honey
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of water

Filling
• 6 medium chestnuts
• 300g sweet potato
• 20g honey

Egg wash
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon of water

Preparation

Dough

  1. Filter 60g of low-gluten flour and mix well together with olive oil, honey, salt.
  2. Rest the dough for 60 minutes in a container.
  3. Add another 30g of low-gluten flour to the dough, mix well and rest the dough for another 30 minutes.

Filling

  1. Boil sweet potato in a pot of hot water for 12 minutes or until well cooked.
  2. Peel off the skin of sweet potatoes and add honey while mashing 300g of sweet potatoes.
  3. Cut chestnut into small pieces and set aside into 6 portions.
  4. Weigh 50g of mashed sweet potatoes, add 1 portion of chestnut into the middle of filling and roll into a round shape.

Egg wash

  1. Add egg yolk and water into a small bowl and mix well.

Assemble and shape of mooncakes

  1. Weigh 15g of dough and flatten the dough. Place the filling in the middle and wrap tightly with the dough. Roll into a round shape and coat some low-gluten flour on the ball.
  2. Put the ball into mooncake mould and press to shape.
  3. Brush egg wash on top of mooncake.
  4. Preheat the oven into 180°C and bake for 20 minutes. After cooling down, the mooncake is ready to serve!

Happy mid-autumn festival! Subscribe to our health blog via the green tab on the left of our website so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Join our first health blog lucky draw event now by subscribing to our health blog and tag 3 friends on our Food Canopy Pte Ltd Facebook page giveaway post to win free tickets to treetop adventure park, good luck!❤