Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Evaluation

YongQing's blog

link to her blog: cookandeat-healthy.blogspot.com

I find YongQing's blog really detailed because she found out the different nutritional values of each and every meal. That would make her understand what is healthier and what is not as healthy. It would make her have an easier time comparing and thinking of a healthy meal for her PT. However, I think she should put pictures on what she was planning to cook, so I can have an idea how her dish will turn out like.

Ningchen's blog
link to her blog: ningchenfoodnutritionpt.wo​rdpress.com

I find Ningchen's blog quite limited in terms of content because it has little reflections. However I feel that it was good that she put the exact mehods she was going to cook her dish on the blog. I could see that she tried her best to make her dish more healthy. It could have been better if she added more details and maybe a photo of her food!

Shiwei's blog
link to her blog: ebrowa.blogspot.com
I personally feel that Shi Wei's blog was one of the best I read. Her reflections were in depth and convinving. She referred to many sources for her blog posts, like the food pyramid, and the bloomer's tools.
What I found best about Shiwei's blog was that she added the consequences she might have if she were to continue with her diet. It shows me that she thinks further ahead of how unhealthy diets would affect her in the long run. It would benefit her a lot, because with such thinking and reflections, she would succeed in having a healthier diet! Just like the other three blogs, her blog could have been better if she had added pictures of her meal, so that I can have an idea on what she was going to cook.

All in all, I think the blogs were generally good because I can see the reflection, analysis and comparison in all the blogs :)

Reflection

I have learnt that my eating habits are not as healthy as I what I thought to be. I realised that my diet had too much junk food that were high in cholestrol, high in sugar and were too fattening. I also found out that my diet had too little vegetables, calcium and fruits. To improve my diet, I have started eating more salads and fruits for meals. Also, I am trying my best to have regular meals and a balanced diet

I find the website (bloom's comprehension) very useful as it helps me to analyse my diet. As a growing teenager, I need to have the correct amount of food and to meet the required nutritional value so that I can grow tall and have stronger immunity . It helped me understand more about what is healthy and what is not, so that I can alter and change my diet a little so that I can have a healthier diet. Other than that, bloom's comprehension helped me in my PT because it gave me ideas on food that are slightly unhealthy and ingredients as well as methods of cooking that would make the meal much healthier.

According to my last blog post, I was going to cook meat sauce macaroni and with a few changes in ingredients and methods of cooking, make the meal healthier. The new recipe that I changed has a large variety of vegetables, including mixed vegetables, peas, cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes. It has decorations of the shape of hello kitty, thus attracting the attention of many young ones that are fussy over food. I hope that my dish will meet the standards of a healthy meal and have good decorations :)

Food I'm going to cook

The meal I am going to prepare for 16 May's Food and nutrition Performance task is Marcaroni with meat sauce. I obtainied the original copy of recipe from a newspaper cutting but I slightly altered the ingredients and cooking methods so as to make it more healthy and appetising at the same time.
Here is the original recipe (serves 2):

Ingredients required:
250g lean mince meat
250g elbow macaroni, cooked
1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
50g edamame (shelled soy beans)
1 teaspoon soy sauce or oyster sauce
1 teaspoon corn flour
Salt and paper to taste


There were some problems in the recipe. Firstly, there is too little vegetables.50g of edamame is much less than one cup of vegetables that is required for a day's consumption. Secondly , it is too salty because of the sauces and pepper and salt. I think the amount of sauces added should not be as much as the recipes stated because it is too high in cholestrol and is extremely unhealthy. I personally feel that using natural spices and food to flavourise the macaroni. Lastly, the marcaroni looks very plain because it has only dull colours including green, brown and red. I have decided to add more colours to make the meal look more pleasant. I will also decorate and present the meal nicely, using different ingredients to make faces on the marcaroni, so that people who are fussy over food will be attracted to the meal and eat it.

Here is the edited version of my recipe:

Ingredients to cook:
200g of lean mince meat
200g elbow macaroni, cooked
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup-full of mixed vegetables and edamame
soy sauce, herbs,oyster sauce, salt and pepper ( enough to flaviourise the food)
1 teaspoon of cornflour

Ingredients to decorate:
2 Baby carrots, cut in flower shapes
1 piece of ham
1/4 peice of melted cheese
cabbage and brocoli
1/2 piece seaweed

Here is a picture of the macaroni I cooked for practice!



Monday, May 7, 2012

Reflection on my food intake



Why I chose this scope for analysis?:
I chose this period of time ( 4th May 2012, Friday to 6th May 2012, Sunday) is because I wanted to be able to compare my diet between a weekday and a weekend. I understand that during weekends, we have more time and are not limited to when we can eat because of school, thus we tend to eat more and eat more unhealthily. Hence, I took up the chance to see if it also applies to me and examine which lifestyle is more healthy and would enable me to meet my daily requirements ( eg. calcium, protein, carbohydrates).

Comparing my diet to the food pyramid!!!:



Vegetables
The recommended diet requirement is 7-13 servings. However for my average daily diet in the 3 days is only 3-4 servings. I know that vegetables can lower the risk of and prevent a number of serious illnesses and health problems, such as cancer, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, so after reflecting, I understand that I should eat more vegetables even though it might not be as tasty as before.

Carbohydrates
The recommended diet requirement is 7-13 servings. However for my average daily diet in the 3 days is around 6 servings. I know that carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our bodies to work well. Without enough carbohydrates, my body will be easily tired out and I would have poor concentration skills, poor stamina and poor determination. I have decided to eat slightly more rice or snacks rich with carbohydrates to keep me awake and lively throughout the day.


Fruits
The recommended diet requirement is 2-4 servings. I am proud to say that my average daily diet in the 3 days have fufilled that. I understand that fruits help us to strenghten our immune system and fight angainst the diseases as well as retain the moisture in our body due to the useful vitamins, enzymes and minerals. I love eating fruits because most of the time they are sweet and juicy (not like vegetables) and I eat them every night before I go to sleep. I should continue eating fruits to keep my body strong!

Calcium
The recommended diet requirement is 2-4 servings. I comsume approximately 2 servings of calcium rich food a day in the 3 days. I understand that calcium helps to keep our bones strong and helps us grow taller. As I am still a growing teenageer, I have to consume more milk in order to reach my potential height as well as to keep my bones strong so that when I grow older my bones will not grow brittle. After reflecting I have decided to drink a cup of milk before I sleep every night to increase my calcium intake!

Omega 3 Food
The recommended diet requirement is 0-3 servings. I consume approximately 1 serving a day in the 3 days. I have learnt that omega 3 food helps to boost heart health and reduce inflammation throughout the body. I hope that I can increase my intake so that I will have a healthier body.

Poultry
The recommeded diet requirement is 0-7 servings. I consume approximately 3 servings a day in the 3 days. I love eating meat because they are often seasoned with delicious sauces and are palatable. However I also understand the bad things about poultry. They are high in fat and cholestrol, thus play a risk in terms of heart health and the overall health of the body. I should reduce the amount of fatty and unhealthy meat I eat in a day ( or become a vegetarian!!!) and also try to consume the lean meat.

Sweets
The recommended diet requirement is 0-3 servings. I consume approximately 1 serving a day in the 3 days. I love eating sweets, just like any other human on earth because I got an extremely sweet tooth. I do know the consequences of eating too much sweets, which include diabetes and tooth decay. Thus, I will try my best to reduce my intake of sweets.

In conclusion
I have decided to increase my carbohydrate, omega 3 food intake slightly, increase my vegetable intake tremendously, eat the same amount of fruits, and decrease my poultry and sweet intake slightly. I also will try my best to have balanced and regular meals because skipping meals would result in gastric problems. I know understant the importace of breakfast and make sure that I have enough energy to fact the remaining day ahead of me. I have learnt to look out for what I am eating and make sure that I maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthily and exercising regularly~!!

Food Intake Analysis



According to the food intake website,
I consume 53% total carbohydrates while the recommended diet requires 55-60% total carbohydrates.
I consume 12% total protein while the recommended diet requires 10-15% total protein.
I consume 35& total fat while the recommended diet requires 25-30% total fat.

This is what the website said:
Nutrition messages based on results

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.

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.




credits:http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/ere/ere070301.asp