cook healthy food

th SEPTEMBER 09:HOW TO COOK HEALTHY FOOD?

a) When cooking, do not pour oil from the bottle. This is because you may tend to
pour more than the required amount. Use a teaspoon or oil spray bottle as you are
able to control the usage of oil and cook healthily.

b) Use a non stick pan when cooking as it does not require lots of oil to cook.

c) Omit coconut milk with yogurt or low fat milk. When cooking this way, use more
ginger, garlic and onions as it gives the same taste when cooking with coconut
milk.

d) Add salt at the last stage of cooking. When making soups, do not add salt before
adding potatoes as potatoes will absorb the salt and leaving the soup tasteless.
To give taste, you will have to add salt again. Therefore add salt at the last stage,
hence less salt will be used.

e) If you were to cook fish or chicken, try to use lime juice. By using lime juice
less salt is needed as lime juice provides taste to the dish. Lime juice is also rich in
Vitamin C and it helps absorb iron.

f) Combine vegetables when cooking meat dishes if you do not like to eat vegetables.
You need not eat oats with milk only. Oats can be toasted and added in soups
and curries. This is a nutritious and healthy method of cooking as oats are rich in
fibre.

Vitamin C

4th SEPTEMBER 09: VITAMIN C

Vitamin C plays a very important role to our skin. We are to take 30mg of vitamin C daily. We can obtain this quantity very easily by just eating fruits every day. Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C. If we were to eat fruits after a meal, the Vitamin C from the fruits will help absorb iron very easily.

Overdose of Vitamin C intake can damage your kidney. Vitamin C is not only beneficial for your beauty but also helps maintain a healthy body. It also helps to heal wounds.

Note: Try not to drink processed fruit juice which is fortified with Vitamin C as it has high calorie content. Omit fortified fruit juice with fresh juice.

B complex

3rd SEPTEMBER 09: VITAMIN B COMPLEX

Vitamin B Complex consists of vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 and B12. The main function of all types of vitamin B is to provide energy to the body.

Symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency are:
a) Fatigue
b) Dry hair
c) Improper blood circulation
d) Anemia

Vitamin B complex is rich in meat products, i.e. fish, chicken, dairy products and taufu and very little in vegetables and fruits

Vegans or vegetarians who do not consume dairy products and eggs are prone to Vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore Vegans are advised to eat foods which have been fortified or added with B12. The equivalent daily intake of B12 is added during manufacturing food products like cereal, bread, diary products and milk.

Some may take B12 in tablet form. Pregnant women or women who are trying to conceive are advised to take Vitamin B Folate. Deficiency of Vitamin B Folate can cause harm to the child.
Note: Before taking any vitamins in tablet form, consult your physician or dietician as taking tablets can cause harm or problems to some.

Potassium

2nd SEPTEMBER 09: POTASSIUM

Potassium is a mineral which helps normalise blood pressure. Potassium is available in bananas, star fruits and green vegetables. Kidney failure patients are strictly advised not to consume too much of potassium as the nutrient can lead to nerve damage. When eating green vegetables, kidney failure patients are advised to soak any types of green vegetables in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

30% of Malaysian Indians suffer form hypertension. Therefore try to consume as much vegetables as you can. Bananas, whole grain products, i.e whole meal bread, atta flour are some of the many types of food rich in potassium.

Potassium chloride is a type of salt, sold in supermarkets which help to control
blood pressure. Try to avoid consuming this type of salt as consuming potassium chloride can cause damage to the heart and kidney. It is better to consume the normal salt, sodium chloride.


Zinc is good for eyes, hair and reproductive system. Deficiency in zinc causes hair loss. Zinc is available in seafood products and fortified milk.

Note: Do not consume seafood everyday just because it has high zinc content. Daily consumption of seafood will increase your cholesterol level. It is best to consume any type of seafood once a week.

Calcium

1st SEPTEMBER 09: CALCIUM

Calcium, the most abundant mineral in our body, needed for healthy bone growth. 50% of Malaysian women suffer from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a sickness related to bones and can be avoided if sufficient intake of calcium is consumed daily.Calcium is not only important for teeth and bones but also plays an important role in muscle contraction. If you were to suffer from cramps or muscle leg pull, it is a symptom of calcium deficiency.

Calcium is found in both, cow's milk and Soya milk. However calcium from soya milk is difficult to be absorbed by the system. The amount of calcium from 1 glass of milk is equivalent to the amount of calcium from 3 glasses of soya milk. Therefore it is a better choice to drink cow's milk than soya milk. Calcium is also found in taufu, broccoli and sardine bones.

Calcium is vital to be consumed by pregnant women. Some pregnant women may experience vomiting sensation when drinking milk. To avoid this, mix/blend fruit juice with milk as it provides good taste and smell.
Note: It is good to drink a glass of milk before you go to bed as milk helps reduce blood pressure and promotes good sleep.

Iron

31st AUGUST 09: IRON

Iron is essential for the formation of red blood cells. Iron also plays a vital role in regulating blood flow or blood circulation.

Iron exists in two different forms:

a) Haem Iron
Available in animal tissues.
Easily absorbed by the body

b) Non haem iron
Available in plant foods
Less easily absorbed by the body
Therefore vegetarians are advised to eat fortified iron food products.

If you are consuming food which contains iron, you should consume with foods rich in vitamin C. This is because vitamin C greatly increases the absorption of iron.

Note: Do not drink coffee or tea while having your meal as tannin found in both beverages will prevent the absorption of iron.

water

WATER

75% of our body consist of water. Water plays many roles in our body.
a) It helps regulate the hormones and
b) helps maintain body temperature

Many of us do not favour drinking plain water. We tend to opt for carbonated, cordial and fruit juices as our daily liquid intake. Plain water has zero calories; where else a glass of syrup consists of 200 calories.If we were to drink syrup three times a day, we will consume 500- 600 extra calories a day.If we were to continue the daily consumption for a week, we will end up gaining � to 1 kg of weight! Therefore try to drink plain water as much as possible.

Children and pregnant women have problem in drinking plain water as it has no taste and causes vomiting sensation. To avoid the bland taste, cut a piece of lemon or lime and add into the plain water before drinking. This not only gives taste but also removes the vomiting sensation.

THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WATER INTAKE
For every kilo of your weight, you should consume 30 ml of water. If your weight is 50 kg, you need to drink 1500ml of water everyday.

This calculation is only applicable to those who are healthy and do not have any health problems. If you are having heart problem or kidney failure, your daily water intake will be different as heart and kidney patients are not advised to drink lots of water.

Note: Do not drink coffee or tea after your meal as it will hinder the absorption of nutrients