Note from Editor:
Happy New Year everyone! It’s the year 2009 and a brand new semester for all. Food Bites has returned with a fresh new look to welcome the new year. As the new editor of Food Bites, I am thankful to be given the chance to take over and run this monthly newsletter.
The new PMSSMP board members for the year 2008/2009 have been selected and this first issue of Food Bites will give you a brief introduction of the new committees. This time, the PMSSMP’s vision is “ To Reach Out!” and to bring about togetherness among the students in UMS.
Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who have helped in making this publication a success, which include the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Pelajar (HEP), secretariats of EXCO Publications and Information, and the new PMSSMP board. Do remember to visit our blog, http://pmssmp.blogspot.com/ and lookout for the next issue of Food Bites!
MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES
Let's usher in the year 2009 with great excitement and anticipation. With the start of a brand new year, "making healthy choices" should be the top of our list on our New Year's resolutions. Below are a few useful tips in making the right food choices and hence, living a healthy lifestyle. As we all know, all food contains one or more nutrients. However, it is important to choose a food which contains more nutritional value.
1. Foods rich in carbohydrates should be given priority as these foods act as source of energy to our daily lives. Examples of food include rice, noodles, bread and tubers.
2. Foods containing vitamins, minerals and fibre are also important to prevent certain diseases. Consume adequate amount of fruits and vegetables daily.
Choose food groups that provide protein, such as fish, chicken, meat and nuts.
Consume foods that are rich in calcium. Examples of food include milk, cheese, yogurt, anchovies and sardines.
Reduce consumption of fats, oil, coconut milk and sugar.
Replace parts of coconut milk in cooking with low fat milk or skim milk.
Reduce consumption of fast foods and snacks.
Choose unprocessed food such as wholemeal cereals.
Tips for fruits and vegetables:
Choose fresh fruit and vegetables.
Buy local fruit and vegetables.
Consume more coloured fruits and green leafy vegetables.
Source: www.nutriweb.org
Caffeine Fans, Caffeine Facts!
How often do you encounter with caffeine? There are plenty of drinks in the market that contain caffeine, with the most popular one—Coffee, which is most often on top of the list.
Some other products like Red Bull and Monster also contain caffeine. If these do not give you enough of a buzz, you may try iced tea, chocolate candy, coffee ice-cream which contain as much caffeine as a 12-ounce soda. Some of us may be surprised that even drinks like tea contains caffeine and wonder whether this amount of caffeine would do harm to us or not.
According to the National Coffee Association of America, there are about more than 50% of the nation that are hooked on coffee. This is due to the need of caffeine that they are craving for in order to get through the day. So what’s the harm? Several studies have shown that there are downsides of caffeine even though some results show that it has its benefits as well.
Let us look at the table below to find out the Caffeine Facts the Caffeine Fans craved for:
Pros
1. Improve short-term memory and reaction times as presented by the Radiological Society of North America.
2. Decrease fatigue.
3. Improve mental-functioning.
Cons
1. Boost blood pressure (temporary rise), if it occurs over and over, it may boost the risk of heart disease (Lane, 2006).
2. Boost blood glucose levels.
3. Bone mineral density may be lowered by daily consumption of soft drinks in women BUT not in men (Nutrition, 2006).
Is Caffeine addictive?
Is caffeine truly addictive? People used to pull your leg and tell you it is not. Griffiths, who is a professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said that caffeine does produce dependence. However, this is still yet another controversial issue as some other professionals disagree.
It is now an emerging danger to those who are caffeine-addicted and especially consuming a great amount of caffeine containing drinks. Caffeine abuse is particularly prevalent among youngsters.
So if you wish not to be one of the ‘drug addicts’, just one simple move and you can have a healthier life which may ensure you longevity. What is it then? —Either cut down or cut out on caffeine! Simple as that. You guys can do it right? For your own sake, please do not risk for that.
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