3 simple steps to read food labels the right way

How can we be a smart consumer? Start by learning how to read the food labels in 3 simple ways.

1. Look for the manufacturer and distributor if they are of the same company.

Choosing a product that is manufactured and distributed by the same company ensures the accountability of the company; steers in the direction towards safe and quality products.

Example: A product is manufactured by ABC company and distributed by DEF company; if you have any query or issues, which company do we look for?

2. Look out for the ingredients

The importance of choosing the right nutrients can nourish and step up our immune system. Hence it is crucial to ensure that the ingredients listed are wholesome over synthetic / man-made vitamins & minerals. The sequential of the ingredients listed also indicates the proportion of the ingredients that goes into the making.

How do we know what's wholesome and what is not?

Let's look at a simple analogy

Which part of the car do you think is the most important? Is it the engine, tyre or steering wheel?

In fact, every part of the car is very important. We cannot simply drive the car with just a steering wheel or an engine.

So let's apply the analogy back to the example.

The top label with wholesome ingredients which is naturally rich in folate and other nutrients; like broccoli, asparagus, carrot which is considered as a whole car.

The bottom label with synthetic supplements like Vitamin C with Ascorbic Acid which is in its supplemental form. Do you even consider them as a whole car?

So which label would you choose?

3. Barcode

Barcode is the identity of the product which bears their manufacturing details and stringent tests that it has gone through.

So now you know how to read the labels the right way in 3 easy steps, let's be a wiser consumer from today and start to look for wholesome food to nourish your body with the right nutrients.

Regards,
Karen Lim
9843-4599

Snack Box for Fruits & Vege Day (wk3'15)

I received a message from the teacher on this Wednesday that effective this week, every Friday is a FRUITIVEGS FRIDAYS. Meaning all the students are encouraged to prepare their snack box with fruits or vegetable to promote healthy lifestyle from young through a wholesome diet.

Last year, when Sher was in Nursery, she was given apples during snack time on every Monday which has been practiced by the school since 2012. This year, they hope to inculcating good eating habits from a young age and foster a bond with family.

Missy was really excited about the coming Friday and was telling me that she can only bring fruits and vegetables, NO Bread, NO Cakes, NO Biscuits.

Ok, here's the convo:

Missy: "I only want Strawberries !"

Being a perfect mom (well, i admit, i'm trying hard to be), I said "Let's have Broccoli too!"

Missy: "No, i only want Strawberries" (Strawberries has always been her favourite since she can talk)

K: "But its Fruits & Vege day....."

and the "NO" "BUT" was going on for a while for the night.....

Here comes Friday morning, we got a small snack box and filled up with..... Tada.... Strawberries & Broccoli !

Some facts about the reds & greens we see here.

Strawberries: has an excellent source of Vitamin C & high anti-oxidant .

Helps to counter free radical, counter inflammation

Rich in Vitamin B complex and folate

ORAC value of about 3577µmol TE per 100 grams (oxygen radical absorbance capacity, a measure of antioxidant strength)

Broccoli: Naturally rich in Vitamin C, B-complex, K

Abundance in Vitamin A, essential for good eye-sight, prevents macular degeneration of the retina.

Excellence source of Folates, which is essential for growing kids to promote cellular growth and regeneration.

ORAC value of 1632µmol TE per 100 grams.

Reference:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/strawberries.html

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/broccoli.html

Thanks,
Karen Lim
9843-4599

What is Nutritional Immunology?

Nutritional Immunology or immunonutrition, is the science that studies the link between the food we eat and our immune system.

Everyone of us are born with the best doctor in the world - our immune system. By nourishing our body with the essential nutrients, we can have a healthy immune system, thereby can prevent or combat diseases like cancer, diabetes, influenza and live longer.

Such foods can help us recover faster without the use of medications when we fall ill.

Our body will also be able to perform the functions of defence, cleanse & repair more effectively.

Nutritional Immunology advocates on prevention is better than cure and focus on strengthening the immune system by consuming wholesome plant based food which is rich in Antioxidants, Phytochemicals & Polysaccharides to protect our body from the harmful effects of the free radicals, unhealthy lifestyle and diets in everyday life.

What are all these nutrients and why are they so important to us?

Antioxidants are compounds that can prevent body cell damages through oxidation and slow down aging and also anti-inflammatory agents to reduce the severity of arthritis and bronchitis.

Phytochemicals gives fruits and vegetables their colour, flavour and aroma. Phytochemicals protect these plants from sunlight and to ensure their survival, processes enormous healing properties to nourish and boost the immune system.

Polysaccharides are long chains of sugars found commonly in mushrooms, increases natural killer  (NK) cells activities by 38 to 49 times, which prevents healthy cells or benign tumours from becoming malignant.

Nutritional Immunology not only supports taking the plant food in their wholesome form, but also how the processes of plant foods like the plant species and parts, harvesting time and processing procedures, plant parts to retain its optimum quality and quantity of antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides.
Examples: ginseng berry has 4 times more immunity supporting ginsenosides as compared to the roots which we are more familiar with? Banana has more nutritious value when they are ripen on the trees rather than we picked them while they are green and get transported to our table? Grape seeds which we always discard has OPC (oligomeric procyanidins) is effective against heart and retinal diseases.

Thanks to Nutritional Immunology, we now have a better understanding of proper nourishing through plant foods, prolonging the length and quality of lives is not impossible but achievable!

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nutritional_immunology
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/122/3_Suppl/591.full.pdf
http://hnrca.tufts.edu/research-laboratories/nutritional-immunology/
Enjoying Health & Longevity with Nutritional Immunology by Jau-Fei Chen, PhD

Thanks,
Karen Lim
9843-4599

Welcome To Super Whole Food

Welcome to Super Whole Food where i will journal about the Science of Nutritional Immunology, how our family has benefit from this wonderful science, Wholesome plant food (Super food) and many more....