Notes

1.-Drinks with medium-to-high sugar content will have to carry compulsory “unhealthy” labels
(will cover drinks that come in bottles, packets, and can. Includes instant drinks, soft drinks, juices, cultured milk and yoghurt drinks)
-total ban on advertisements of packaged drinks with very high sugar content (extends across all mass media platforms and online channels like TV, internet, newspaper, radio and outdoor ads)
-Measures to encourage informed choices, reduce advertising influence, and to get manufacturers to reduce sugar content in sugary drinks (four measures were: compulsory nutrition labels, advertising regulations, a sugar tax, or a ban of high-sugar drinks. a sugar tax and high-sugar drink ban are still on the table but require more careful study as these measures need to be sustainable for the long-term.)
-graded and colour-coded nutrient summary label will show if a drink is healthy, neutral or unhealthy. It will also show the sugar level and percentage ratio of sugar in a drink.
-Diabetes is becoming increasingly problematic in Singapore. A survey last year found that Singaporeans consumed an average of 12 teaspoons (or 60g) of sugar daily, of which more than half comes from sweet drinks.
Tong said that: “This is a concern, because as on average, an additional 250ml serving of SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) per day would increase the risk of diabetes by up to 26 per cent”.
2.-brown rice has almost 5x fiber,2x iron than white rice
-can mix brown rice w white rice
3.-The National Health Survey 2010 showed that 1 in 9 Singaporeans aged 18 to 69 is obese; a 57% increase from 2004.
-Singaporeans are facing an increased risk of chronic ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer
-due to a diet containing mostly refined carbohydrates and bad fats and oils with few fruit and vegetables
-My Healthy Plate shows you what a healthy, well-balanced meal looks like, by visually representing the correct proportions of different food groups you should eat on a simple plate. makes it easier to pick up healthy eating habits that can help you better manage weight and ward off chronic diseases.
-Fruit and vegetables are naturally low in saturated and trans fat, and rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. They can help lower your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer.
Fruit and vegetables also add delightful colours, textures and flavours to your diet. In fact, different colour pigments they contain serve up unique health benefits.
prep methods eg.: Stir-frying, Sautéing, In soup, Roasting, Steaming
As for fruits, have them whole rather than as juices to get the best of their nutrients
-Wholegrain foods such as brown rice, wholemeal bread and rolled oats contain vitamins (vitamins B and E), minerals (iron, zinc and magnesium), phytochemicals (lignans, phytosterols) and inulin (a type of dietary fibre); all of which are good for a healthier you.
Refined grains such as white rice or white bread have been processed, so valuable nutrients have been lost.
Choosing whole-grains over refined grains means you get all the goodness that reduces the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, while helping with weight management since you’ll feel full for longer.
- meat and others includes poultry (e.g. chicken, duck and turkey), meats (e.g. beef, mutton and pork), seafood, eggs, nuts, bean products and low-fat dairy products.
Aim for 2 servings of fish per week. Oily fish (e.g. tuna, mackerel, tenggiri batang and ikan tenggiri papan) contain omega-3 fatty acids – a beneficial fat that supports overall heart health
-Not only does calcium strengthen bones and teeth, an adequate lifelong intake also reduces your risk of osteoporosis. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are great sources of calcium. Pick low-fat or non-fat dairy products over full-fat dairy products to help maintain a healthy weight
-Other calcium-rich sources are fish with edible bones (e.g. sardines and ikan bilis), tofu made with calcium salts, lentils, green leafy vegetables and calcium-fortified foods (e.g. bread, biscuits and soybean milk). Eat a variety of these foods to meet your daily calcium requirement.
-Pay special attention to selecting healthier unsaturated fats and oils (such as canola oil, soybean oil or olive oil), while limiting saturated and trans fat intake. But do remember, even healthier oils should be consumed in moderation.
-Make water your drink of choice. It quenches thirst better than sugar-sweetened beverages. Besides, drinking too many sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to weight gain.
Don’t forget: adding white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, honey or any other type of sugar to any drink makes it a sugar-sweetened one!
- in addition to eating healthy, being physically active is essential to maintaining good health. Adults should aim for 150 minutes of physical activity every week
-Try snacking on healthy options like wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables, dairy or calcium-rich foods.
Eg. Whole-grains:
Whole wheat crackers and biscuits, wholemeal bread, wholegrain corn tortilla chips
Meat and others:
Cheese, lean chicken, hard boiled egg, low-fat milk, a handful of unsalted peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios or pumpkin seeds
Fruits and vegetables:
Apple, pear, banana, grapes, edamame (under-ripe green soybean), cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, celery sticks or cauliflower with white bean dip or hummus
Dairy & calcium-rich foods:
Skimmed/low-fat milk, non/low-fat yogurt, smoothies
-Go light on salt
Limit your daily intake of salt to 1 teaspoonful (5 grams or 2000 mg of sodium) daily, whether from sauces, table salt or processed foods.
-Limit intake of sugar
Limit your daily intake of added sugar to 8 – 11 teaspoons (40 – 55 grams). Added sugar can be found in sweetened drinks, fruit juices, honey, jam and processed foods like sweets.
-serving sizes and number of servings help you figure out if the total amount of food you eat from each food group fulfils the daily recommended caloric intake every day.
-HOW MANY SERVINGS OF EACH FOOD GROUP SHOULD I HAVE DAILY?
Brown rice & wholemeal bread:5-7 servings
Fruit:2 servings
Vegetables:2 servings
Meat & others:2-3 servings
4.-HCS was first started in 1998 as an initiative by the government in collaboration with food corporations to improve nutrition labelling and to encourage a healthier food supply for the public. Food manufacturers are able to display the HCS logo on their products if they meet HPB’s nutritional criteria. Products that contain the HCS are generally:
Lower in fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar
Higher in calcium and dietary fibre
-now 10 new taglines to help you when you go grocery shopping. Up to 2 taglines can be found on the HCS logo, for example, “Lower in Sugar” together with “Higher in Wholegrains”.
-Wholegrains have been all the rage recently, with the “Let’s Beat Diabetes” campaign launched just last year, educating the public to eat right by filling a quarter of the plate with wholegrains to help manage chronic diseases.
5.-most diets focus on limiting sugar, preservatives and processed foods replacing them with more whole food nutrient-dense options. (eg. Ketogenic Diet “Keto”,The Ancestor Diet “Paleo”, The Alkaline Diet , Whole 30 ,Intermittent Fasting,Carb Cycling)
6.-When followed consistently, a well-balanced, plant-based diet that focuses on wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds may provide health benefits. These include a lower body mass index (BMI), lower cholesterol levels and a reduced incidence of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even protection from some cancers including prostate and breast cancer.
-People following plant-based diets and consuming a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and pulses are likely to find it easier to meet their five-a-day target. Due to this, they are also likely to have good intakes of fibre and the vitamins and minerals that are present in fruit and vegetables, including folate, vitamin C and potassium, all of which are important for good health.
7.- a plant-based diet can boost physical health and emotional well-being, and revealed that an 18-week dietary intervention program boosted employee productivity. participants experienced a boost in overall productivity and measurable improvements in anxiety, depression, fatigue and general health, based on their responses to a questionnaire. They opted for carbohydrate-rich foods like brown rice, steel cut oats and rye bread, which the study notes helps regulate serotonin levels in the brain.
-can help make a difference in our personal health and the health of our planet
8.-it was more important for people to simply eat more fruits and vegetables, whether the produce is organic or not, if they want to prevent cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends consuming a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of refined grains, and limited amounts of red meat, processed meat and added sugars.
9.-Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile up,if you don't eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with healthy organic food for about the same price.
- organic foods( organic means without pesticides, antibiotics or hormones) do contain more of certain nutrients - almost twice as many, in the case of organic tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
10.-Meal prepping can save you time and money since you're buying and preparing home-cooked food ahead of time. Many people meal prep by shopping and cooking on the weekends, which may work better with your schedule than cramming it in during a weekday. Meal prepping can also make it easier to eat healthier (and lose weight, if that's your goal) since the menu gets set in advance. You're less likely to choose a not-so-great option when you've already have a healthy dinner at home, ready to go.
-reusable, airtight food storage containers that will make your prepared ingredients or meals stay fresh longer and taste better by locking bacteria and odors out.
meal prep app:Anylist,Mealime,Yummly