Health Blog
Is Saturated Fat Bad for health?
Do you know that there are different types of fat that can have different impacts on your health? Both saturated fat and trans fat are unhealthy fats, which are normally in solid-state while in room temperature. A diet with a high intake of saturated fat will lead to stroke, heart disease and other health issues. This is due to saturated fat will increases ‘bad’ cholesterol level (known as LDL-cholesterol) in your body.
Major intakes of saturated fat are from:
- Animal fat: meats with skin, fatty cut of meat and sausages
- Deep-fried dishes: fries, fried chicken and onion rings
- Coconut: coconut cream, coconut milk and coconut oil
- Full-fat dairy foods: butter, yogurt, cheese, milk and ghee
- Dishes cooks with palm-based oil
- Dessert: chocolate, cake and ice cream
How much saturated fat can you have?
According to Health Promotion Board, the recommended intake of saturated fats is no more than 21g every day for a healthy man aged from 19 to 60 years old while for a healthy woman is no more than 17g a day.
How to reduce saturated fat in your daily intake?
- Read the food nutrition label and pick the option with lowest saturated fat
- Limit your deep-fried food intake, steam, boil or bake your food instead
- Pick the leaner part of meat such as chicken breast or beef tenderloin
- Go for reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products such as non-fat milk or low-fat cheese
- Cook with olive or canola oil rather than butter
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Reference: fats, F., 2020. Facts About Saturated Fats: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000838.htm#:~:text=Saturated%20fat%20is%20a%20type,high%20amounts%20of%20saturated%20fat
Healthhub.sg.2020. Fat Matters [online] Available at: <https://www.healthhub.sg/sites/assets/Assets/Categories/Chronic%20Illness/FatMattersEnglish.pdf>
A dose of positivity a day. Keeps the depression away.
Depression can happen to anyone, from all ages in all countries. It is a mental sickness that will affect people’s daily life. In the worst scenario, depression may lead to suicide. However, depression can be taken care of and treated. Knowing the ways to identify symptoms of depression could help to keep you and the people around you safe.
Signs of Depression
If you are struggling with more than five of these signs daily for more than two weeks, you might be having depression.
- Sleeping too much or struggle to fall asleep or difficult to sleep well throughout the night
- A sudden change in eating habit
- Feeling depressed or moody continuously for a long time
- Overthinking or difficult to stay focus
- Losing interest in previous favourite activities
- Feeling useless, loneliness or guilty
- Low in energy and always feeling tired
- Thoughts about suicide because of hopelessness
Prevention of Depression
- Have enough sleep and eat at the regular time. Maintain good health helps you to fight and prevent depression.
- Know yourself and love yourself. It is important to feel being loved by yourself and your loved one so that your life is full of meaning.
- Plan a daily routine with some activity for yourself. This will encourage you to live a life with daily purpose.
- Speak up to someone if you need helps. With the support and company of your friends and family, you can clear your blues away easily.
- Do not run away from your feelings. Hiding your true feelings will not help you to fight depression but you might be even more depressed. Face and accept it can help in recovery.
- Join your favourite activity even if you lose interest. This can stop you from losing yourself.
Always remember to voice out for support if you think you might suffer in depression. Don’t forget to subscribe to our health blog so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more. Stay tuned for our upcoming lucky draw event ❤
Reference:
Healthhub.sg.2020. How To Identify And Deal With Depression [online] Available at: <https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/1296/how-to-identify-and-deal-with-depression>
Vegan Soup – The Green or The Orange?
Are you bored with the daily question: what to eat? Soup can be your perfect choice for a light meal or when it is rainy weather outside. Both of these recipes are vegan-friendly too!
Green Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 small potatoes
- 300g peas
- 700ml water or vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mixed herbs
Preparation
- Peel and chop potato, garlic and onion.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pot, add garlic and onion and sauté. Add peas, potatoes, water and season with mixed herbs, pepper and salt to taste.
- Cook with low heat for 12minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and mixed it.
- Blend it with the blender to smooth.
- Serve the soup with a slice of sourdough or chopped peanuts on top.
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 360ml vegetable broth
- 400ml coconut cream
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1kg pumpkin
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mixed herbs
Preparation
- Peel and dice garlic, onion and pumpkin.
- Inside a pot, heat the coconut oil, add garlic, onion and ginger, stir-fry gently till fragrant.
- Pour the vegetable stock and coconut cream into the pot and add pumpkin. Heat it till boiling.
- Add pepper and salt to taste.
- Cook with low heat until the pumpkin is soft (about 10minutes).
- Blend it with the blender to smooth.
- Serve the soup with some pumpkin seeds on top or a slice of garlic bread on the side.
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Your cup of inspiration – Coffee
Having a cup of coffee in the morning before starting daily routine is a common habit that can be seen everywhere especially at the workplace. As coffee helps to recharge your body and refresh your mind. However, it has been a long debate on whether coffee is good or bad for health. During the past, coffee intake was linked with heart diseases and hypertension. While in recent years, studies have shown health benefits of coffee consumption.
Is Coffee Good or Bad for your health?
Good: Coffee consist of a high amount of antioxidants which fight against free radicals that are harmful to body cells and associated with health problems.
Good: Coffee is the greatest source of caffeine, which an average cup of coffee has 100mg of caffeine, but it can also range between 30-300mg of caffeine. Caffeine helps improve general cognitive function, energy levels, memory and mood.
Good: Consumption of coffee suggest associate lower risks of dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease in some researches.
Bad: Too much of coffee lead to caffeine overdose which will cause anxiety and disruption of quality sleep.
Bad: Caffeine can cause addiction, people who quit or reduce their coffee intake will experience withdrawal symptoms such as tiredness, irritability and headaches.
Bad: For people who are facing stomach problems, coffee intake might lead to heartburn, acid indigestion and reflux. This is due to coffee causes a rise in stomach acid.
As a conclusion, moderation intake of coffee without the addition of sugar and milk can bring health benefits to your body. 4 cups of coffee a day is recommended for healthy adults, while 1 cup of coffee a day is recommended for adolescents. Children need to avoid or minimize coffee intake.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our health blog so that you can stay updated to our fitness, nutrition tips and many more ❤
Reference:
Healthline. 2020. Coffee — Good Or Bad?. [online] Available at:https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-good-or-bad#section1
Healthhub.sg.2020. Getting Your Caffeine Hit [online] Available at: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/979/i-love-coffee-i-love-tea
Plant Protein VS Animal Protein
Your body is made up of around 20% of protein and protein do not store inside your body. Thus, sufficient daily intake of protein is important to maintain good health. Protein can be obtained from both plant and animal sources. So, for people who are having a vegetarian diet can they get enough protein from only plant sources? What are the pros and cons of plant and animal protein?
Amount and type of amino acid
Protein will be digested into amino acids inside your body. Different type of proteins is build up by different types of amino acids. Animal proteins have a good balance of all types and amount of amino acid that is essential to your body while plant proteins have a low amount of certain essential amino acids.
Nutrients in plant and animal proteins
Protein from animal sources consists of higher amounts of some nutrients (eg. vitamin B12 & D, zinc, iron and omega-3) which are absent in plant-based foods. While on the other hand, plant-based foods consist of antioxidants and nutrients which cannot be found in animal sources.
Risk of diseases from plant and animal proteins
Red meat intake is linked to a higher risk of stroke and heart diseases, especially processed red meat where plant proteins do not link to any risk of disease to the human body.
Health benefits from plant and animal Proteins
Diet rich in plant proteins is linked to a reduced risk of obesity, heart diseases and diabetes. Some animal-based protein (eg. fish, egg and poultry) diet are linked to lower risk of heart diseases, gain in muscle mass, helps in weight loss and maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Well-balanced of plant and animal proteins are important to maintain optimal health. While for vegans and vegetarians, a well-balanced diet with a mix of all variety of foods is a must to make sure that they get sufficient proteins.
Healthline. 2020. Animal Vs Plant Protein – What’s The Difference?. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/animal-vs-plant-protein#section5
Constipation: They just aren’t that easy to pass
Do you poop lesser than 3 times a week? If the answer is yes, then you might be having constipation. This is a common problem that happens to people of all ages especially in women who are pregnant or after giving birth.
Some of the constipation’s symptoms are:
- Poops less than 3 times a week
- Hard or dry stool
- Larger stool than usual
- Difficulty or stressed to push out
- Lesser stool than your normal routine
- Feeling painful when passing stool
- Feeling of have not totally emptied your intestine
- No appetite
What can cause constipation?
- Low fibre diet intake
- Lack of body movement or sitting for a long period
- Not drinking sufficient water
- Ignoring the needs to go toilet
- Changes in lifestyle or diet
- Side effects caused by some medicines
- Depression or stress
- Ageing
Some easy ways of changing your lifestyle and diet to treat constipation at home:
Diet
- Drink lots of water
- Avoid alcohol intake
- Eat more fibre-rich food (eg. vegetables, fruits, oats and chia seeds)
Toilet routine
- Go toilet at a regular time and make sure you have enough time to use the toilet
- Use the toilet immediately when you feel the needs to go toilet
- Put your feet on a low stool or leaning your body slightly forward when going to the toilet
Lifestyle
- Exercise regularly helps to prevent constipation
- Avoid sitting or lying on the bed for a long period
After applying all these changes, it takes a few days to a week to spot a difference. If your constipation problem does not improve or your symptoms become worse, seek medical advice immediately.
Reference: nhs.uk. 2020. Constipation. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/constipation/
Race for Vitamin B
Do you face any numbness in your feet and hands or poor memory problems? It might be your body signalling on Vitamin B deficiency, especially people who are on a vegan or vegetarian diet. As most of the vitamin B sources are from animal products (eg. meat, fish, dairy products and eggs).
There are different type of vitamin B and their functions in your body:
Vitamin B1: Essential to maintain heart function & Keep your body nervous system healthy.
Vitamin B2: Important for body growth and maintenance (eg. hair, skin, and nails) & Helps production of blood cell
Vitamin B3: Maintains good health in the digestive system & Transform calories from food intakes into energy
Vitamin B5: Strengthens immune system & Promotes healthy hair and skin
Vitamin B6: Supports the proper functions of body nervous system & Helps production of blood cell
Vitamin B7: Essential part to build up your DNA & Keeps blood sugar levels healthy
Vitamin B9: Helps in body muscle growth and maintenance & Essential to maintain proper brain function
Vitamin B12: Protect your body against breast cancer & Helps to build up DNA
Great sources of Vitamin B:
- Fruits: Banana, orange, strawberry
- Vegetables: Cabbage, asparagus, broccoli
- Legumes: Pea, kidney bean, lentils
- Nuts: Almond, peanut, walnut
- Whole grains: Brown rice, millet, barley
- Meats: Fish, beef, chicken
- Dairy products and eggs: Cheese, milk
Signs of Vitamin B deficiency:
- Anaemia
- Poor memory
- Skin rashes
- Numbness in feet and hands
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Mouth ulcers, chapped lips
Reference: Healthxchange.sg. 2020. Vitamin B: Why You Need It [online] Available at: <https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/food-tips/vitamin-b-best-food-sources-signs-deficiency>
Sushi makes miso happy – International Sushi Day (June 18, 2020)
Sushi is a popular Japanese food around the world, no one will ever say no when it comes to sushi! It is International Sushi Day on 18th June, let’s discover more about sushi and how to celebrate this day by eating sushi in a healthier way.
Sushi can comes in a different form, such as:
- Sashimi: There are cooked or fresh sashimi (sushi-grade fish) served in slices.
- Nigiri: Sashimi served on top of Japanese rice.
- Maki: Sushi rolls that wrap filling and Japanese rice with seaweed or sesame on the outer layer.
- Temaki: Seaweed made into cone shop with Japanese rice and filling in the middle.
The YES or NO while eating sushi
YES: Fish rich in omega-3 such as tuna and salmon will be a good choice, as omega helps in heart health. 2 serving of oily fish every week is recommended by Health Promotion Board which can be easily achieved while eating sushi.
YES: Avocado, aubergine and cucumber are commonly used vegetables while making sushi. Avocado is rich in ‘good’ fat which helps lower bad cholesterol while aubergine contains high fibre, vitamins and minerals.
YES: Seaweed which is widely used while making sushi is rich in protein and fibre. Also, seaweed is a good source of minerals (eg. iron, zinc and iodine).
YES: Wasabi and pickled ginger which serve along with all sushi dishes have strong antibacterial and mild antiseptic properties which help the body to prevent from catching the flu and colds.
NO: Sushi rice. Too much of sushi rice which made from sugar and vinegar will build up your total daily intake of sugar.
NO: Soy sauce. Which contain a high amount of salt, minimize your intake of soy sauce while eating sushi.
NO: Deep fried foods and sushi with mayonnaise. Both of these foods contribute high calories count and high amount of fats which should be avoided.
NO: Mackerel and swordfish. These foods might contain high mercury which leads to mercury poisoning.
Reference:
BBC Good Food. 2020. Is Sushi Healthy?. [online] Available at: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/sushi-healthy
National Today. 2020. INTERNATIONAL SUSHI DAY – June 18, 2020 | National Today. [online] Available at: https://nationaltoday.com/international-sushi-day/
Healthhub.sg.2020. My Healthy Plate [online] Available at: https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/55/my-healthy-plate
Stressed? Tips to keep stress at bay
Everyone has stress, no matter while you are at home, on the road or at work. Someday, you might feel especially stressed due to overload work, poor interaction with others or having financial issues. Learn how to manage stress in life is important for everyone, it will lead you to a positive and healthier life.
Positive VS Negative ways to cope with stress
Stress Eating
Do you often crave for bubble tea or fast food while you are stressed? At the end of the day after tough work, people tend to release stress by having a lot of comfort foods (eg. bucket of ice cream or whole chocolate bar) when they get home. If you tend to do this often while feeling stressed, you might be a stress eater.
If you are craving for fatty or sweet food while you feel stressed next time, think if you are really hungry before you go for it. Keep an eye on what you are having and think why you needed to can prevent you from stress eating.
Staying Away From Social Interaction
Some people will choose to keep themselves away from their social cycle while they are feeling stressed.
Actually, talking to your family and friends about it or hanging out with them will help you to de-stress which will be a better way of isolating yourself.
Stay Active
Exercise might be the first thing off your list when you are stressed as you have low or no motivation.
But, this is a bad move. As exercise actually help release stress and make you feel better. By taking a walk in the park help de-stress too.
Smoking or Drinking
For some people, drinking or smoking is like having a “break time” from stress. Obviously, this is unhelpful. Smoking or drinking will not help to solve your problems either in the short or long run.
A deep breath, a short nap or taking a shower is a better way of dealing with stress without negative impacts to your health.
Reference: Healthhub.sg.(2020). Stress-O-S! How to Cope With Stress? [online] Available at: <https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/1782/stress-o-s-how-do-you-cope-with-stress>
We carrot about you!
Have your parents ever told you that eating carrots will help you to see while in the dark when you was a kid? Is this real? Apart from this, are there any other additional health benefits by eating carrots?
Health Benefits
Healthy Eyes
Carrots contain a high amount of vitamin A which help to increase your vision when the light is dim or prevent night blindness. So, carrots do help you to see while in the dark in some way. But, if you do not face any vitamin A deficiency, your vision may not be improved by eating carrots.
Prevent Cancer
The orange pigment of carrots is known as carotenoid which helps your body fight against various types of cancer such as stomach and colon cancers.
Reduce Blood Cholesterol Level
Potassium and fibre found in carrots may be able to maintain good blood cholesterol and blood pressure level. Thus, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Improve Digestive Health
High amount of fibre in carrots prevent constipation and keep your digestive system in good health.
How do you not love carrot while there are so many health benefits that you can get from it? It is International Carrot Day (4th April 2020) tomorrow, remember to pick some carrots in your meal as part of the celebration! Eat healthily and stay safe everyone ♥
Reference: Healthline. 2020. Carrots 101: Nutrition Facts And Health Benefits. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/carrots#organic