October 2009

VEGETARIANISM Most Indians tend to observe vegetarian diet at least two to three times a week. Some are life long vegetarians. There are many types of vegetarian: a) lacto vegetarian : Diet includes dairy products but not eggsb) vegan: Only plant based products are consumedc) lacto- ovo vegetarian: Diet includes dairy products and egg. No […]

BONE HEALTH Bones are very important. Lots of people, when they enter old age tend to suffer from broken bones. This could be due to lack of certain nutrients. Healthy bones require calcium and phosphorous. Calcium is found in milk, sardines, soya milk and yogurt while Phosphorous is found in milk and other types of

FOOD AND SICKNESS It is important to eat good food when we are ill as nutrients from the food will help strengthen our body. When we have fever, we normally eat porridge. This is not a good diet as rice porridge has high content of carbohydrate and less protein, vitamins and minerals. When preparing rice

FOOD SUITABLE FOR ADULTS Many old people who are 65 years and above suffer from malnourishment as they believe that they should eat less due to their old age. This is a wrong thinking as old people must consume lots of protein food, i.e. chicken, fish etc. Some old people have various types of sickness

OBESITY AND KIDS It is common for children to suffer from excess weight. Children who are obese have great tendency to suffer from hypertension and sugar related problems. There are many causes for a child to suffer from obesity.a) Medical reasonsb) The types of food they eat andc) lack of physical activity If your child

SUITABLE FOODS FOR BABIES (10 -12 MONTHS OLD) Babies who are between 6 to 8 months old should be given blended food.Babies between 8- 10 months should be given mashed and babies from 10 months onwards can be given solid food. However the solid food should be cut into small tiny pieces. Feed and introduce

SUITABLE FOODS FOR BABIES (8 -10 MONTHS OLD) As previously mentioned, food should be blended when given to babies who are between 8 to 10 months old. Babies who are 8 months and above should be given mashed food. Egg white should not be fed to babies who are below one year old. You can

SUITABLE FOODS FOR BABIES (6 – 8 MONTHS OLD) How do you feed your baby and what are the types of food you can feed your baby who has reached 6 months old? a) Babies who are at this stage can start eating rice, vegetables and fruits. Vegetables are to be steamed and blended. Fruits

COMPLIMENTARY FOOD FOR BABIES Many parents make lots of mistakes when preparing food for their babies. When the food they prepare is tasteless, they tend to season the food with Soya sauce or salt. It is very important to avoid the use of sugar and salt when preparing food for infants who are below the

SUITABLE FOOD FOR BABIES A new born baby should be given mother’s milk continuously for 6 months. After 6 months, you can slowly introduce various type of food. Some mothers may get confused on determining the right type of food to be given to their baby. After the 6th month, it is important to give

CONFINEMENT PERIOD Many cultures have various types of beliefs and restrictions for women who are in their confinement period. Some cultures believe newly delivered women should not eat vegetables, drink lots of water, eat cooling foods or heaty foods. If we were to analyse from the scientific perspective, some beliefs are true and some as

BREASTFEEDING It is important for a newly delivered mother to breast feed her baby as it provided lots of benefits to both mother and child. Benefits to the mother:a) By breast feeding, the mother’s excess fat will be burnt. Excess fat gained during pregnancy will be easily burnt when breast feeding. This is because the

FOOD AND PREGANT WOMAN Some pregnant women have the wrong perception of the need to eat more and consume more nutrients during their pregnancy period. In order to gain more nutrients, they tend to purchase various types of vitamin supplements. However we have to have the awareness that not all types of vitamins are suitable

MORNING SICKNESS Morning Sickness is very common among women who are from her first to third month of pregnancy. Morning sickness could be due to hormonal changes or the type of food that is consumed. Those who suffer from morning sickness or nausea are advised to eat small frequent meals. By eating this way, morning

It is important for pregnant women to pay attention on the types of food they eat as the nutrient from the food will also be absorbed by the baby. Within 9 months of pregnancy, women will put on weight from 9 to 13 kilos. This extra weight is an indirect way of determining the baby’s

HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHY PROCESSED FOOD Besides checking the expiry date, we should also place importance in checking the food label. Food label is very important as it provides vital information whether the food is nutritious or high in calorie. If you are not able to read and understand the nutrient content displayed on the