Thursday, March 4, 2010

5: Evaluation and Feedback for Other Blogs!

1) Wenxin [Index Number 9]
Wenxin and I are close friends. Very, veeeeeryyy close friends. We share a love of Kris Allen, creative writing and - most importantly - FAST FOOD. Wenxin and I have been over to each other's houses countless times (okay I've only been to her house once but still!) and we have recess and lunch together regularly, so we know pretty well what the other usually eats.

1 immediately noticeable thing about Wenxin's diet is...the familiar names of KFC and Pizza Hut, the latter being something you would find on my list of food as well. Though cheap and convenient, fast food is significantly unhealthier than other kinds of food, in that it contains high amounts of salt and oil and is usually processed, this being one of the reasons everything can be prepared so "quickly", but also something that would contribute to high cholesterol levels. I would advise her to cut back on the fast food. I think it's good that she eats fruits and drinks fruit juice and tea often, as this is cleansing for the body. It's also good that she eats tofu, which is healthy. Oh and I think miso soup is nice too, but probably contains loads of MSG, which makes your cheeks swell up and burn (not literally).

2) Yen Siang [Index Number 21]
Yen Siang and I are good friends too - we bond through our mutual love of coke, potato chips and keeping late nights. I've been cutting down on the potato chips lately (too salty! too oily! too...everything. after a while you just kind of get tired of it) but I do remember a certain period last year when my mum and I would drink coke zero every. single. day...with every. single. meal. Coke Zero, a diet drink, claims to be healthier than regular Coca-Cola, but you never know - and besides, it's still COKE, and you'd be better off drinking hot tea or just plain water in any case. Which is what I'd like to advise Yen Siang to do. As our class chairperson, she often has to do a lot of shouti- I mean, making announcements. Too much coke and potato chips, especially when combined with not enough rest, can be immensely bad for your throat! I speak from experience. Yen Siang should try to eat more healthy food - come on, even -I- think some fruits are really tasty - and at regular timings. And you could always have a soup or something - I think ANYTHING would be better than her current diet! :( She also has to make a conscious effort to consume foods and beverages that will help to increase her carbohydrate and energy intake to a healthy level.

3) Yee Ting [Index Number 17]
Yee Ting's regular consumption of bread and rice, found in Level 4 of the food pyramid as something that should be consumed in large quantities of 5-7 servings daily, is admirable. She also drinks milk daily; the calcium in which will help her to develop strong bones and teeth! At a glance, Yee Ting's diet looks interesting and balanced - I take note of fish, meat, pastry, fruits and vegetables, as well as snacks, with nothing in particular standing out to me in an alarming way. Still, I think her diet could be improved on, as according to her analysis, she still has high levels of everything, especially sodium, apart from 67 per cent calcium intake. Apart from drinking milk she could consume other foods with calcium in them, such as cheese! I think she should try to eat more greens as well since sometimes she has merely one serving a day. Perhaps she could try cutting down on the unhealthy snacks, such as cookies, chocolate and jelly, and also exercise regularly. Yee Ting is very very very skinny, like a stick (I mean a very pretty stick!). She is also very tall. We are all growing and Yee Ting could definitely use the extra weight.

DEAR FRIENDS, LET US ALL TRY TO IMPROVE OUR DIETARY HABITS AND LIFESTYLES TOGETHER!

4: Reflections!

1) What have you learnt about your eating habits?
2) Do you consider your diet a healthy one? Why?
3) Are the suggested nutritional tools useful? How?
4) Why is your suggested one-dish meal healthy?

I have learnt that I eat very unhealthily and I am almost perpetually hungry or eating something. I always have candy and chocolate in my room and sometimes I end up subconsciously finishing packets and packets of snacks within a short amount of time, while barely realising that I'm actually doing something other than using the computer. (I eat while I watch TV, I eat while I read, I eat while I use the computer - I think I sound like a really fat couch potato now but trust me, I am not. At least not yet.) Looking at the completed record of my diet as well as the results of my dietary analysis was shocking. I always knew I was unhealthy, but I never thought I would have a percentage of...900 per cent sodium. Or that I was getting more energy than I needed. In the process of completing this Performance Task, I not only confirmed my state of unhealthiness and unbalanced nutrition but further found out exactly how unhealthy I am, right down to the exact percentage of nutrient intake.

I definitely do not consider my diet as healthy right now. Ever since I was a child, I have had bad habits like picking at my food and refusing to eat vegetables. I eat a lot of fruits and I suppose the home-cooked dinners I have are rather balanced, but it remains that if I don't like something, I will barely look at it, but if I like it, I might end up finishing the whole plate by myself. Even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. It's important to know the ideal balance of nutrients and different kinds of foods we should consume in order to live healthily and happily and avoid the risk of terrible diseases and illnesses, which according to my analysis, I am very susceptible to. Lately I have been trying to control my eating habits better and eat healthier, more nutritious meals. Once I stopped eating junk food like chips for a long while, and started going down to my neighborhood Cold Storage really often to purchase food that needs to be refrigerated but can be eaten straight away, like cold ham and smoked salmon that came in slices. I was soooo amazed at how "healthy" I was becoming - especially the salmon because it was FISH, something that is known to be healthy - until one day my mum told me that it actually wasn't good to eat so much PROCESSED food. I haven't eaten either for a few months now. And I guess I'm saving money too, looking at how expensive Cold Storage food is.

The suggested nutritional tools are helpful in that they help us to calculate our nutritional intake and then compare it to an official standard set by the governmental authorities, whom we know for sure are a trusted and experienced/knowledgeable source. Their advice on what to eat and how much to eat will help us to keep healthy. Seeing the exact values (I still can't believe my sodium intake is more than 900 per cent), calculated in as scientific and appropriate a manner as possible, could really be the one thing that jolts people with more severe diseases (e.g. obesity) and even more extreme diets out of their unhealthy lifestyles. The nutritional tools also give plausible suggestions on what we can do to improve our diets. We can gauge how far we are from the recommended intake and work towards that.

My suggested dish is healthy as it cuts down on the use of condiments such as salt and oil, too much of which could be very harmful to us. In general, the entire dish contains less fats and oil. I did not have many suggestions on how to make it "more healthy" per se, but rather "less UNhealthy", by cutting down on elements known to be unhealthy, such as chicken skin and fats.

As an afternote, I feel that the results of my analysis may not be completely accurate for various reasons - firstly, the HPB websites's Food Intake Assessment and Energy & Nutrient Compositions of Foods both do not have a very comprehensive list of possible foods and beverages consumed. As a result, I had to choose items that I felt were similar, but not exactly the same, as what I had actually consumed. The levels of nutrients in the different foods may vary largely or even slightly, which would have been magnified as I increased the serving size. Another thing is that I guessed the serving size for some meals and may have underestimated or overestimated how much I actually ate.

More prominently, this diet was recorded over the weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - during which my lifestyle and diet become much more unhealthy. When I am in school, for example, I pack a healthy lunch (Kinder Bueno and apples) or purchase food from the school cafeteria, which is regulated so as to ensure that the food sold to students is not too unhealthy. I come home late from school and then eat dinner straight away. Dinner from Monday to Thursday night is ALWAYS decided upon by my mum and home-cooked by my maid: one plate of rice, one vegetable dish, one meat dish, one seafood dish (usually fish but sometimes squid, prawns or abalone) and one clear soup with vegetables (winter melon, carrots, corn, lotus root) inside, followed by a serving of fruits. During the school week, I don't have a lot of free time and usually only have one meal at home; that is, a well-rounded Chinese dinner approved by my parents. During weekends and holidays, however, I adopt bad habits like sleeping late and waking up really late, skipping meals and having snacks throughout the day and late at night - sometimes because...I just FEEL like eating even though I'm not really hungry, and also because fried food and processed food is so readily available in my home.

In conclusion, I would like to improve my dietary habits and learn to take note of what I eat and its nutritional value. I would like to work towards a healthier lifestyle - that is, eating nutritious and well-balanced meals at regular timings. I will try to eat as many fruits as possible and try not to subtlely push all the beansprouts off the plate the next time I eat kway teow. I will try to cut down on fried and processed foods. I don't exactly enjoy sports, but I will try to exercise more too. I will try to moderate my intake of nutrients like fats, cholesterol and ESPECIALLY SODIUM!!!, and also try to ensure that I can increase my calcium intake such that it is at a higher yet healthier level. I will try to increase my intake of vitamins and minerals so as to improve my physical health and consequently mental and emotional wellbeing in future.

3: A Healthy One-Dish Meal!

I have decided to modify one of the meals I had on Day 3 - that is, my lunch on Sunday, 28 February. My grandmother cooked her world-renowned chicken and potato curry for me. It tasted delicious but I already felt unhealthy eating it because of the huuuge red layer of oil I had neglected to remove before I started eating and all the chicken skin, which I really really love and hate to remove.



Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how I could keep myself from exploding or dying of clogged arteries at age fourteen:

1) Don't deep fry the potatoes before cooking them with the curry. It makes them taste better but is very unhealthy.

2) Use less condiments such as oil and salt.

3) Replace the coconut milk with low-fat evaporated milk. This will also enable you to leave it out or store it for a longer period of time before it goes bad, as compared to coconut milk.

4) Try to eat more white meat and less red meat. Use chicken breast instead of chicken drumstick and remove the fats and chicken skin. :(

I hope this works.

2: Analyse Your Diet!

1) Food Intake Assessment

Based on the information you have provided, your daily energy requirement is estimated to be 1,919 kcal. This energy requirement is the level of calorie intake from food that will balance the calories your body burns, thus maintaining your weight. For weight loss, you should consume fewer calories and be more active. If you need to gain weight, consume more calories than your body requires.





Nutrition messages based on results

Energy
Your intake of energy from your diet was more than you need. Frequently eating above your energy needs can contribute to excess calories, which will be stored as body fat if it is not being used for physical activities. Excessive body fat leads to blood pressure, stroke diabetes and even certain cancers.

Energy in the foods we eat comes from three categories of nutrients - carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Fat is the most concentrated source of energy. Gram for gram, fat (9 kcal/g) has more than twice the energy of carbohydrate (4 kcal/g) or protein (4 kcal/g). Hence, foods high in fat are generally high in calories. Alcohol also supplies more calories (7 kcal/g) than carbohydrate or protein.

Know your daily energy allowance, and balance the energy from the food you eat with the energy your body uses for physical activities.

Total Fat
Your total fat intake was more than the recommended amount. A diet high in fat is associated with overweight, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and other related health problems.

To reduce total fat in your diet, use less oil or fats when cooking and use fat spreads sparingly. Use lean cuts of meat and poultry, and remove visible fat and skin. When eating out, ask for less fat or oil in your food. As extras add up, make your food choices wisely. Choose reduced fat or skimmed milk and dairy products instead of full cream varieties. Choose plain rice over flavoured rice, and cut down on the use of sweetened condensed milk or creamers.

Saturated Fat
Your intake of saturated fat was higher that the recommended amount. An excess of saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol, subsequently increasing your risk of heart disease.

The main sources of fat in our diet are also the sources of saturated fat! These include coconut-milk based foods, blended oil (usually used in commercial cooking), flavoured rice (e.g. chicken rice, nasi lemak, nasi briyani) and creamer/whitener/condensed and evaporated milk in beverages. Cutting down or limiting such sources of fat will also help to reduce saturated fat intake.

Sodium
Your sodium intake was greater than the recommended amounts. Sodium acts like a sponge, holding water in our body. Excess sodium increases the blood volume, which then raises the pressure in our blood vessels. Hypertension or high blood pressure increases the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

The main source of sodium in our diet comes from salt (sodium chloride) and sauces added during cooking or at the table. To cut down on sodium intake, gradually reduce the use of salt and sauces when preparing or cooking food so that your taste buds have the chance to adjust. Try flavouring foods with natural seasonings like lemon juice or herbs and spices. Choose fresh food over processed foods over processed foods and enjoy the natural taste of foods. When eating out, ask for less sauces or gravy in dishes.

Cholesterol
Your intake of cholesterol was more than the recommended amount. Excessive cholesterol intake, especially as part of a high fat diet, can increase blood cholesterol level and put you at risk of heart diseases.

To cut down the intake of cholesterol, replace meat with beans, peas, lentils or bean products 3 times a week. For healthy adults and adolescents, limit eggs to 4 per week. In recipes, try to replace part of the use of whole eggs with just the egg white. Shellfish, prawns, shrimps, crabs, cuttlefish etc as well as organ meats should be eaten no more than twice a week and in small portions.

Calcium
You were not getting enough calcium in your diet. Without adequate calcium, you may be at risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition where your bones become weak and brittle. If left untreated, osteoporosis can worsen until a fracture (crack or break in the bone) occurs.

Increase your calcium intake from a variety of sources. Consume calcium-enriched breads and biscuits, green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified juices, high-calcium soya bean milk, ikan bilis, sardines (with bones), tofu, as well as milk and other dairy products. Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium. Your body can make this vitamin after sunlight hits your skin. You can easily obtain enough by getting at least 30-60 minutes of sunlight a day.

Aside from eating wisely, remember to make exercise a part of your life. Exercise helps to burn fat, tone your muscles, improve your stamina, relax and sleep better, as well as keep you alert and study better! Exercise at least 20 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week, until you sweat and breathe deeply without getting breathless. Choose an exercise that you enjoy, and try a variety so that you don’t get bored. Keep your exercise routine simple, fun and interesting.

When shopping for food, look out for products with the Healthier Choice Symbol. These products are lower in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and/or dietary fibre content compared to other products in the same category.

2) Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances (RDDA)



3) Healthy Diet Pyramid


Tips:
  • Use the Healthy Diet Pyramid to achieve a balanced diet that provides all the nutrients you need each day.
  • For better nourishment, eat a wide variety of food and remember to include wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and calcium-rich food.
  • Select healthier food choices that are lower in salt, added sugar and fat (especially saturated and trans fat). Limit alcohol intake as well.
  • ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    MY ANALYSIS:

    Basically, I consume way too much of everything, save for calcium, at which my actual intake falls at 70 per cent or 699.7mg per day on average, as compared to the RDA of 1000 for healthy girls of my age. My cholesterol percentages are the second-highest at 381 per cent, whereas my sodium levels are a shocking 907 per cent - 11,609.7mg per day on average as compared to the RDA of 1,279.7. I apparently have too much energy - I don't know what this energy is supposed to be since I fall asleep so often in class - with fat taking up 40 per cent of it. My excess energy intake could be stored as calories and body fats, which could lead to numerous complications - even cancer. I am at risk of many diseases and illnesses and am advised to monitor my nutrient intake and exercise often. I eat food that is high in fat and other undesirable things, but I don't eat as many vegetables as I should. Interestingly, I have fulfilled my ideal height and weight by 100 per cent and am not of particularly heavy weight. My mum thinks I have worms.

    1: Trace Your 3-day Diet!

    -each day's record is a separate image; click to enlarge!-


    welcome!

    Hello!

    Welcome to my groovy blog for the groovy Food & Nutrition Performance Task 2010!

    Please find the following groovy components in this blog:

    1) Trace Your 3-day Diet
    2) Analyse Your Diet
    3) A Healthy One-Dish Meal
    4) Reflections
    5) Evaluation and Feedback for Other Blogs

    I hope you enjoy reading this groovy blog!

    Live Long and Prosper.

    Sinead Tan Jia Na (23)
    Class 209

    P S I am not responsible for any heart attacks caused after looking at the magnificently long record of my 3-day diet.

    P P S Neither am I responsible for any heart attacks caused by clogged arteries if you are perpetually hungry (AND GROOVY!) like me.