You may have seen the ads in the MRT and other public places encouraging Singaporeans to get 150 minutes of exercise a week for good health. While this is definitely a step in the right direction towards getting people to be more physically active, there are potential weaknesses in the message which the masses may [...]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a new dietary guideline communication concept know as MyPlate (http://www.choosemyplate.gov/) to replace the previous MyPyramid. Compared to MyPyramid, MyPlate is a lot simpler to understand and implement in real life eating. The basic message is that if you were to fill up half your plate with fruit and [...]

I am sure many would have heard of Omega fatty acids and their confusing numeric would have triggered doubts regarding differences and health-related functions. Three frequently discussed are Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. These numbers designate differences in each Omega fatty acid’s molecular structure, resulting in a significant respective function that contributes positively [...]

I like to eat sour foods, be it vinegar, yoghurt or citrus fruits like mandarin oranges. Sour foods tend to be acidic, which in itself, has health benefits. For example, sour foods like grapefruit and sourdough bread tend to have a lower glycemic index (GI) than their non-sour equivalents, which means that it is more [...]

… it would be Omega-3. While it’s still debatable whether or not we really need to take multi-vitamin/mineral or anti-oxidant supplements, it’s clear that our average Singaporean diet doesn’t supply enough Omega-3 fatty acids that we need for good health.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a class of polyunsaturated fatty acids which are essential to our bodies [...]

I often get asked about what’s the healthiest oil which should be used for cooking. The answer depends pretty much on the type of cooking which you are doing. The key things to look out for are (1) the fatty acid profile of the oil and (2) the ability of the oil to withstand high [...]

I often get asked about ‘super foods’ and whether there are any that I would recommend. Generally, I don’t do that as all foods have some nutritional benefit and it’s the combination of different foods in balanced proportion that creates ‘super diets’. However, there are some foods which I find packed with nutrients that are [...]

Durian is a favourite fruit amongst many Singaporeans, and I often get asked about whether it’s ok for people with diabetes or those trying to lose weight to eat this ‘King of the Fruits’. In general, I never forbid a particular food because it’s deprivational and takes the enjoyment out of life and eating. Moderation [...]

Many countries formulate dietary guidelines for their populations and seek to communicate the details through visual educational tools like the Food Pyramid. Singapore is similar in this respect with our Healthy Diet Pyramid (http://www.hpb.gov.sg/foodforhealth/article.aspx?id=2638). Grains make up the base of the pyramid, which suggests that rice, noodles, bread, oats, chappati and similar foods ought [...]

Ever so often I get asked questions about timing of meals and what should or shouldn’t be eaten before main meals or bedtime. Such questions normally stem from misconceptions about nutrition that I’d like to spend some time debunking:
Myth: Fruits should be taken before meals. If you take fruits after meals, this will cause ‘fermentation’ [...]