Salted duck egg

Net Weight: 97g
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 93kcal
Fat:6.9g
Protein:6.8g
Carbohydrate:1g
Fiber:0g

Sodium: 249mg


Summary: 
The sodium content in fresh eggs is usually quite low.  Do you notice that the sodium content in salted duck egg is almost 4 times higher?  If you are looking for low sodium foods, aim for foods that has less than 140mg of sodium per serving....

Duck Egg

I was a bit surprised when some of my Indonesian patients told me that they actually eat duck eggs routinely. 





Net Weight: 73g
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 119kcal
Fat:8.8g
Protein:8.9g
Carbohydrate:0.9g
Fiber:0g
Cholesterol:243mg 
Sodium: 69mg


Summary: 
The cholesterol content is highest among other eggs.

Century egg

Do you like porridge with century eggs? Do you know the cholesterol content in it?

Net Weight: 115g
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 97kcal
Fat:5.5g
Protein:8.2g
Carbohydrate:3.8g
Fiber:0g
Cholesterol:191mg 
Sodium:226mg

Summary: 
Compared to hen eggs, century egg has a higher cholesterol content.

Quail egg

Net Weight: 60g
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 85kcal
Fat:6.4g
Protein:6.2g
Carbohydrate:0.6g
Fiber:0g
Cholesterol:188mg 
Sodium:57mg
Summary: 
The cholesterol content in quail egg is higher than hen eggs.

Hen Egg

If you have high cholesterol, you should beware of the foods high in cholesterol like eggs.


Net Weight: 53g
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 71kcal
Fat:5.1g
Protein:5.9g
Carbohydrate:0.4g
Fiber:0g
Cholesterol:141mg 
Sodium: 56mg


Summary: 
Recommended cholesterol intake for Type 2 Diabetes is 300mg/day and for those with high cholesterol will be <200mg/day.  So, limit to 1-2 egg yolks a week.

My 450 kcal Lunch

I used to bring my own lunch and usually there will be one vegetable and one main dish.

Menu:
Plain rice with stirfried green mustard and breast meat cooked in herbal soup.
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 447kcal
Fat:14g
Protein:23.3g
Carbohydrate:58.4g
Fiber:1g



Summary: 
The chicken that I cooked is kampung chicken but the soup still looks a bit oily....

Belgium Almonds Chocolate

My colleague brought some almonds chocolate the other day.  Hmmmm....delicious.  Craving for some chocolates? Beware of the high calories content ya...

Net Weight: 180g
Servings per packet: 9 servings
Serving size : 20g or 3 chocolates.
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 115kcal
Fat:7g
Protein:3g
Carbohydrate:9g (Sugars: 8g)
Fiber:2g
Sodium:19mg


Ingredients:
Almonds, cocoa powder, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, hardened vegetable fat, sugar, etc

Summary: 
6 almonds chocolates are equivalent to a bowl of rice.  I had 3 of it.  How about you?

New Malaysian Food Pyramid

I don't really understand why the food pyramid keeps on changing.  The USDA food pyramid has changed and now Malaysian Food Pyramid also changed.  The suggested servings are different now.  I had a hard time teaching my athletes about the old pyramid and the serving size.  Now, I have to start all over again.  It is very confusing....

OLD USDA FOOD PYRAMID

NEW USDA FOOD PYRAMID

 

OLD MALAYSIAN FOOD PYRAMID

New Malaysian Food Guide Pyramid

TAI SUN Roasted Cashew Nuts

Nuts are usually high in monounsaturated fatty acid which is good for heart.  But please be reminded that all kinds of fats (good or bad) will provides 9 kcal/g which is 2 times higher than carbohydrate and protein.  The cholesterol free sign on the package is actually quite misleading as cholesterol only comes from animals.

Net Weight: 130g
Servings per packet: 4.4 servings
Serving size : 30g or 20 nuts
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 185.4kcal
Fat:14.1g
Protein:4.5g
Carbohydrate:10.5g
Fiber:2.6g
Sodium:93mg


Ingredients:
Cashew nuts, palm oil and salt

Summary: 
Around 25 cashew nuts will provide energy as much as 1 bowl of rice.  So nuts are very high in calories. If 1 teaspoon of oil provides 5g of fat, than the amount of fat in 20 nuts are almost 3 teaspoons of oil.  However for those who are underweight, this is consider a good choice of snacks compare to other titbits which do not provide much nutrition.

Banana

Banana for constipation? High in potassium? Good for depression? I will discuss mainly about its nutrient content here....

Net Weight: 110g
Serving Suggestion: 1 whole
Serving size : 1 serving
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 61kcal
Fat:0.3g
Protein:1g
Carbohydrate:13.6g
Fiber: 0.4g
Vitamin C: 3.1g
Potassium: 241mg

Summary:
A chinese bowl of rice will provides you with 3 servings of cabohydrate (45g).  So 3 bananas is about a chinese bowl of rice in terms of the carbohydrate content.

Apple

I used to advice those who want to lose weight to have  a fruit before meals 3 times a day (except for diabetics). 

Net Weight: 124g
Serving size : 1 whole
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 63kcal
Fat:0.4g
Protein:0.2g
Carbohydrate:14.7g
Fiber: 0.3g
Vitamin C: 5.5g

Summary:
They later found that this is actually quite practical as they consume less foods than usual.  This is because fruit actually provides satiety and will prevent you from overeating. However, I found that the fiber content in apple is not as high as I expected....

Fragrant pear

Net Weight: 110g
Serving suggestion: 1 fruit
Serving size : 1 serving
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 70.7kcal
Fat:0.2g
Protein:0.4g
Carbohydrate:17.2g
Fiber: 1.9g
Vitamin C: 8.1g

Summary:
When I suggest one serving of fruit, I am looking at roughly 15g of carbohydrate in that fruit.

Pear (Yellow)

Net Weight: 169g
Serving suggestion: 1 whole
Serving size : 1 serving
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 53kcal
Fat:0.3g
Protein:0.8g
Carbohydrate:11.9g
Fiber: 2.5g
Vitamin C: 9.6g

Summary:
The daily fiber recommendation for us is 25-30g a day.

Pear (Green)

Net Weight: 207g
Serving suggestion: 1/2 fruit
Serving size: about 2 servings
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 133kcal
Fat:0g
Protein:0.8g
Carbohydrate:32.3g
Fiber: 3.6g
Vitamin C: 15.3g

Summary: 
The fiber content is higher than orange but the vitamin C content is half of the orange.

Orange

Net Weight: 134g
Serving suggestion: 2 fruits
Serving size : 0.5 serving
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 38kcal
Fat:0.4g
Protein:0.5g
Carbohydrate:8.1g
Fiber: 0.6g
Vitamin C: 30.7g

Summary: 
The Vitamin C requirement for adolescents is 65mg and for adults is 70mg.  And orange is a good source of vitamin C. Consuming 2-3 serving of fruits a day will be able to meet your needs.

Mita's eight grain bread

I love this bread for it's high fiber content.  Normally I will have 2 slices for my breakfast.  It cost me for RM 4.20 per loaf.

Net Weight: 430g
Servings per packet: 6 servings
Serving size : 2 slices
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 192kcal
Fat:3g
Protein:7.6g
Carbohydrate:33.6g

Ingredients:
Wheat flour, sugar, salt, margarine, butter, milk powder, yeast, vitamins, egg.


Summary: 
2 slices is almost a bowl of rice.  They should display the information on the fiber content as this is an advantage to them.  And I think the vitamins come mainly from the grain. It can only last for 3 days so I guess the additives should be very minimal....

ANGLIA Shandy

Do you like to hangout with your gangs and drinking at least half a dozen of Shandy like everyone else? Shandy contain less than 1% of alcohol so it does not count as an alcoholic drink. But, have you ever wonder how much calorie does it provides per can?

Net Content: 320ml X 6 cans
Servings per packet: 6 servings
Serving size : 320ml or 1 can
Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 134.4kcal
Fat:0g
Protein:0g
Carbohydrate:28.8g (25.6g of sugars)

Ingredients:
Water, beer, sugar, carbon dioxide, citric acid, lemonade flavoring, caramel caloring and permitted additives.


Summary:
Finishing half a dozen will gives you calories which is equivalent to 3.5 bowls of rice....This is one of the reasons for my athlete to fail her weight loss program after Chinese New Year.....

Life is short if you don't know how to value it.

Why shall we bother about calories in the foods?
This can not eat, that also can not eat, I rather die now?
All of us will die one day, then why don't we enjoy life now?
Why can't we eat whatever we want as long as we are happy?

When I go out to have meals with friends and colleagues, sometime they will ask me these questions....How shall I answer them?

Here comes another.....You are a dietitian, why are you eating this?

Yes, I always enjoy my foods and I eat all kinds of foods.  But I don't indulge in them.  You can just simply name me one of those unhealthy hawkers' foods.  And I also remember the last time that I had Pizza with my colleagues was in March 2010....Dear friends and colleagues, being health conscious doesn't mean that we can't enjoy our life.  Beside foods, there are many other ways to enjoy our life, isn't it? Healthy eating just helps to keep us away from unnecessary sufferings due to the diet related diseases so that we can enjoy our life longer.....

Summary:  
Portion and frequency are the two main things that I emphasize while enjoying my foods.  Balance, variety and moderation in everything are the keys to a healthy lifestyle. So, friends, enjoy life to the fullest.

Tips for today: slow down

Have you ever wonder why slow eater are usually quite thin?  Now this is the answer.....

 

When I was a teenager, I used to spend about an hour to finish my dinner in front of the TV.  My mum used to scold me, but it was just fun to chew the food over and over again.  My foods were left unfinished most of the time.  And that's why I remained underweight for many years before I went to University.  I was then forced myself to finish the foods on my table within 10 minutes to catch up a lecture.  Since then I managed to put on some weight and maintain it till now.....

Summary:
Learn to slow down when you eat if you are really determine to lose some weight...

NESCAFE 3 in 1 regular

When we talk about caffeine, it always reminds us about Nescafe.  No doubt the good smell of Nescafe is very tempting.  I used to take 1-2 cups a day.  But I had been stop taking it for the pass 6 years since it started to cause palpitation to me. Whenever my hubby is drinking it, I will lift up the cup and bring it close to my nose....and take a deep breath just to satisfy my desire...

Net Weight: 20g X 30 stick packs
Servings per packet: 30 servings
Serving size : 20g or 1 stick pack

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 89kcal
Fat:2.3g
Protein:0.6g
Carbohydrate:16.4g



Ingredients:
Sugar, Creamer and instant coffee

Ingredients for creamer:
Glucose syrup, Palm kernel oil, sodium caseinate (milk protein), salt, etc


Summary:
3 stick packs are equivalent to more than a bowl of rice. I will stick to my previous recommendation which is 2 cups a day.

Caffeine Intake

Is that your routine to start off you day with a cup of coffee? Do you know the caffeine contents in your drinks?

Summary: 
Moderate caffeine intake is not harmful to healthy adults. Only regular large amounts (over 350mg/day) may cause dependency and adversely affect our health.  My advice is, limit coffee to 2 cups a day.  Moderation is the key.

 

Tips for today: Salt Intake

Do you know that our daily requirement for Sodium (Salt) range from a minimum 500mg/day to a maximum of 2400mg/day which is equivalent to a teaspoon of salt?  

So, are you consuming too much salt?

IBUMIE (previous INDOMEE) dried noodles

A lots of my athletes like to eat instant noodles after their training especially at night. For your information, most of them have excess body fat % too.....
 

Net Weight: 80g
Servings per packet: 1 servings
Serving size : 80g or 1 packet

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 378kcal
Fat:15.6g
Protein:7.2g
Carbohydrate:50.2g(2g of sugars)
Sodium: 160mg 
Fiber: 1.9g


Ingredients:
Wheat Flour, Palm Olein Oil, Salt, Guar Gum,sodium polyphosphate, potassium carbonate, potassium carbonate..


Summary: 
Hmm...1 packet is about 1.5 bowl of rice. My athletes like to have at least 2 packets at one time. So, that is 3 bowls of rice oh....I doubt the sodium content is correct. Only 160mg??? May be it refers to the noodles only excluding the seasoning powders and soy sauce.  They should provides the information of the seasoning as well....by the way, the seasoning oils will give you extra calories if they don't include this in their food label.

Chupa Chups Lollipops

Lollipops sometime can be very contagious.  When you saw someone is lollipoping....you also feel like having it, haha.

Net Weight: 120g
Servings per packet: 10 servings
Serving size : 1 pc/12g

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 46kcal
Fat: <0.1g
Protein:0.1g
Carbohydrate:11.4g(9.2g of sugars)
Sodium: 20mg


Ingredient:
Sugars, glucose syrup, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, inulin, etc.


Summary:
About 5 lollipops are equivalent to a bowl of rice.  So, don't over lollipoping, ok?

KitKat

Do you like KitKat? Hubby loves it very much...He can easily finishes one big packet.  I will not stop him as he is underweight and provided that he finished the foods that I cooked for him first....

Net Weight: 102g (6 single packets)
Servings per packet: 6 servings
Serving size: 17g/packet

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 88kcal
Fat: 4.8g
Protein:1.2g
Carbohydrate:9.9g(8g sugars)
Sodium: 15g


Ingredient:
Sugars, Full Cream Milk powder, Wheat flour, Cocoa butter, cocoa mass, etc


Summary: 
If you are really fancy about KitKat just like my hubby, 6 single packets will provides you 528kcal (2.5 bowls of rice) and 29g of fat....Hmm....quite fattening...However, you may have a single pack occasionally to 'KitKat' up your life....cheers.

Osborne Crackers

When I was working in one of the private hospital as a clinical dietitian, quite a numbers of my diabetic patients like this crackers especially the older generation.  It is a bit shameful to tell you that i have never tried it before.  Last week, my parent came to visit me and they brought a packet of Osborne crackers all the way from my hometown....I am wondering, what is so special about this crackers?

Net Weight: 410g
Servings per packet: about 13 servings
Serving size: 10 pc/32g

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 172kcal
Fat: 10.1g
Protein:3.6g
Carbohydrate:16.7g


Ingredient:
Flour, Full Cream Milk, Sugars, palm oils and ammonia bicarbonate.


Summary:
Nothing much special about the taste.  Just that it is more handy than the ordinary square crackers and my patients can easily finish 20pc during tea breaks....I am unsure of its Glycemic Index. The fat content is quite high.  But if you really like it, I would suggest to keep it at not more than one serving at snacks time if you are diabetics.

Pringles Potatoes Chips

I guess all of us like it very much especially the children.  My client told me that he can finish 1 can at one go....Well, do you know that is equivalent to how many bowls of rice, sir?  Let's take a look....

Net Weight: 110g/can
Servings per packet: about 4 servings
Serving size: 17 chips/25g

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 130kcal
Fat: 6g
Protein:1g
Carbohydrate:16g (23.3g of sugars)
Sodium: 100mg


Summary: 
If you can finish one whole can, it will gives you 572kcal which is equivalent to almost 2.5 bowls of rice....You told me that you only eat 2 tablespoons of rice for lunch and dinner, but do you realize where your calories come from? This is one of the example for empty calories snacks which does not provides much nutrition other than calories...Besides, the sodium (salt) content is high too (440mg/can). 

OMLG, my lung age is 52 years old....

I did a Lung Function Test at one of the booths as listed below at the Sarawak Health and Wellness Expo 2010.  And i was told that my lung age is 52 years old.  Oh My Lady Gaga, how could it be? My doubt is how can they calculate it just from a small device? Is this accurate or not?  Hmmm....interesting.

I was told that I am not doing enough exercise, which is quite true. So, the gentleman from the booth taught me to do a simple breathing exercise to help my lungs to expand.  And thanks for his advice to ask me to go for swimming.  I like it when I told him I don't swim and he answered me, "Then, learn...".Ya, we shouldn't stop learning.....Gotta find where I put my swimming suit now ;p

Sarawak Health & Wellness Expo 2010

The theme of the EXPO is Healthy Lifestyle, Wealthy Lifestyle.  I went there yesterday and took a quick round at all the booths. Hmmm...quite interesting.

There are lots of booths selling all kinds of products and services.   Most of them are supplements and organic products.  I am impressed on the variety of supplements in the market.  Does it really helps?  All I can say is that we only need supplements when we are not getting enough or can't get enough from our daily intake....So, I gathered some information on the supplements and will share with all of you one day.  It's good to learn more about supplements too.  Feel free to visit the booths and have fun.  By the way, I am not one of the organizers nor the exhibitors, I am just a visitor.

GoFresh Pink Guava juice

I went to MSAM with hubby the other day and found this at one of the booths.  So hubby bought the pineapple juice and I bought the Pink Guava juice for RM 4 each.

Net Content: 1 Liter
Servings per packet: 4 servings
Serving size: 250ml

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 98kcal
Fat: 0g
Protein:0g
Carbohydrate:25g (23.3g of sugars)

Ingredients:
Water, pink guava puree, apple juice concentrate, permitted natural flavoring substance.

Other information:
Contains Lycopene, vitamin C and B.
Lycopene is an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables.  Like any other antioxidants, it helps to fight against the damage caused by the free radicals.

Summary: 

I prefer the pink guava rather than the pineapple.  A bit regret that I didn't buy more during the EXPO because it is much cheaper as later on we found out E-MART at Matang is selling them for RM 6.30 each (Pineapple).  Anyway, the actual fruit is always better than the juices in terms of the freshness and nutrition especially its fiber contents. The processing normally causes the lost of vitamins which is again added back to improve its nutrition values.  And I couldn't find any information on the fiber contents on the label.

Drinho Soya Bean Milk

Previously I have posted the nutrient contents of YEO's Soya bean milk.  So, today I just want to share bout another brand and see how can we compare these two items.

Net Content: 250ml
Serving per packet: 1 serving
Serving size: 250ml

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 118kcal
Fat: 2.5g
Protein:5g
Carbohydrate:18.8g (18.5g of sugars)

Ingredients:
Soy bean extract, water and cane sugar.

Summary: 
The calories, fats and the sugars content in this drinks is slightly lower than YEO's.  Protein amount is the same.  Personally, I prefer YEO's.  So, enjoy your drinks.

A friend's request

A request from my colleague to analyze her lunch for today.

Lunch Menu:
Tuna sandwiches with an apple

Ingredients:
White bread: 4 slices
Tuna Spreads: 2 tablespoons
Tomato: 1 whole
Apple: 1 whole

Summary:
Dear friend, your lunch will provide you with 445kcal. I would encourage you to have only 3 slices of tuna sandwiches (350kcal) for lunch. Next time, try to go for wholemeal breads with more tomatoes and salad to increase your fiber intake, ok?

Jacob's Hi-Cal Vegetable Crackers

I saw my friend was having this for her lunch as she claimed that she is on diet. She had 3 sachets and some tuna spreads in can. So I volunteered to have a look at its contents.

Net weight: 180g
Serving per packet: 9 servings
Serving size: 20g (1 sachet)

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 81kcal
Fat:2.9g
Protein:1.3g
Carbohydrate:12.6g
Calcium: 138mg
Iron:0.8g
Also contains Vitamin A, B, D, E

5 main Ingredients:
Wheat flour, vegetable /palm oil, sugar, glucose syrup, skimmed milk power, etc.

Summary:
My dear friend, taking 3 sachets is equivalent to a Chinese bowl of rice. Plus your 3 teaspoons of Tuna spreads, your intake is estimated to be around 350kcal (or 1.5 bowl of rice). As you mentioned that you got hungry again after a short while of eating that, my dear, why don't you just eat rice with vegetables, dishes and fruits? It is more balance and nutritious oh.....

My 350kcal breakfast

This is one of my favorite rice crackers which I bought for RM 6 at CCK. At first I thought it was made from brown rice. After I read its label, it was actually colored brown by using the natural caramel. I love the nice smell and the occasionally sweet taste from the honey stripes.
Net Weight: 167g (23 pieces)
Serving per packet:6 servings
Serving Size: 28g (4 pieces)

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 144kcal
Fat: 6.9g
Protein:2.9g
Carbohydrate:17.8g

Ingredient:
Honey, Sesame, Rice, Caramel, sugar, salt and palm oil.

I had it with a packet of YEO's soy milk. As I am rushing to work today.


Net Content: 250ml
Serving per packet: 1 serving
Serving size: 250ml

Nutrient content per serving:
Calories: 135kcal
Fat: 3g
Protein:5g
Carbohydrate:22.3g (19g of sugars)

Ingredients:
Soy bean extract, cane sugar, permitted flavoring.

Summary:
6 pieces (1.5 serving) of the rice crackers and a packet of soy bean milk will give you 350kcal. That's all I had for my breakfast.

My daily calories distribution

To maintain my weight, i am targeting at below 1500kcal a day. As I used to get hungry frequently, i need small and frequent meals e.g. 3 main meals and 2 snacks. So this will be my daily calories distribution.

Breakfast: 400kcal

Morning Tea: 150kcal

Lunch:400cal

Afternoon Tea:150kcal

Dinner:400kcal

Supper: nil

Now...I have to decide how much I should eat and what I should put on my plate.....

Oreo (original)

Net Weight=137g (13 pieces per pack)
Serving per pack: 4.5
Serving Size: 29g (3 pieces)


Nutrient Contents Per serving:
Calories: 140kcal
Fat: 6g
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 20g (1g Fiber, 11g sugars)
Sodium: 140mg

Summary:
If you can finish the whole pack at one time, it means that you have consume 630 kcal or approximately 2.5 bowls of rice.....

Recommendation:
During snacks time, I will eat 1 serving only which is equivalent to 3 pieces.