Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A FOOD-LOVER TEEN

This article was contributed by Form 3 student, Rou Min, who decided to share her own tips about food after visiting our blog. Never too early (or late!) to start eating right for life-long good health


When we are in our golden years, how we look and feel depends very much on what we ate as a child and as a teenager. So as a growing teenager, I agree that we should eat healthily as health is wealth. Ever so often we get cravings for pastries, chips and all that junk! Here are a few tips I personally have tried when a craving strikes:

1. When you have a craving for sodium (and crunch), switch a bag of potato chips with a handful of roast nuts lightly salted, or better – unsalted! Your energy level will certainly get a boost!

2. Have a craving for M&Ns? Trade a handful of this yummy treat for some researcher wrote how a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate) contain heart-health falconoid.

3. If you are craving for a creamy dish, sauté broccoli in olive oil and dip it in a dollop of nonfat yogurt. Desire something spicy? Sprinkle lemon juice and cayenne pepper on cooked broccoli. It is more nourishing.

4. If you crave for pizza, try topping a whole-grain pita tomato sauce or purée and some mozzarella cheese (if possible, low fat), pop it into the toaster oven and indulge.

5. Eat the real thing – the natural not the processed. Exchange orange soda with a cup of refreshing squeezed orange juice, which is rich in vitamin C. You can get a daily dosage of vitamin C that way and keep cold at bay.

6. Make coke your enemy. I am sure you know that one can of coke contains seven spoons of sugar that equals to seven scoops of ice cream!

7. Love popcorn? Pop some kernels (no butter, sugar or salt, of course!) then sprinkle some cinnamon onto the popcorn and indulge (cinnamon helps to speed up your metabolism). Not a spice lover? Then toss the popcorn in chopped parsley and a little bit of olive oil.

8. Do not forget to drink at least eight glasses of water a day as it helps to detox the body and keep us hydrated.

9. Be sure to take at least three types of fruit a day, especially those that are rich in vitamin C, to help de-tox the internal organs.

10. If you are an ice-cream fan, put a tub of low fat or fat free yogurt into the freezer. You will have the same texture of an ice cream but with good bacteria and a guilty-free treat to enjoy. You will soon develop a taste for it and may even forget what ice-cream really tastes like!

11. There are lots of salad lovers around these days but the dressing they handsomely spread on it, takes away all the goodness of their greens! Do you know that some salad dressings can add up to hundreds of calories! So instead, mix two tablespoons of olive oil with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar per serving. Not only does it taste scrumptious, it is nutritious too!

12. Instead of ice cream pop, stick an ice cream stick into a banana and coat it with melted dark chocolate and roasted, unsalted chopped nuts and pop it into the freezer until the chocolate hardens and enjoy it (banana is rich in vitamin B and gives us energy).

13. When having a craving for cakes, go for a lighter cake as it usually has lower fat content. Go for sponge or angel cake rather than that rich butter cake.

14. Not all breakfast cereals provide a head start for the day as many are high in fat, sugar and sodium. However, cereals are a quick convenient source to power up yourself through the morning, and if you check the label, many provide a low fat, high-complex carbohydrate breakfast.

15. Instead of fried chicken, try grilled or roast chicken - it is not as oily.

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