Reflection on 3 blogs:

Jolene Tan(31), thepowerpuffdiet.blogspot.com

Jolene's diet, like mine, contains too much sodium, as her food intake assessment shows a high intake of sodium in all three days. sodium intake can be reduced if less seasoning is used when cooking. also, monosodium glutamate(MSG), contains a high percentage of sodium. thus, we should try to reduce our intake of MSG by eating out less often. sodium is also found in sauces and preservatives. thus, we should reduce the amount of sauce we dress our food with and reduce our consumption of preserved food, like canned food. a diet high in sodium can cause diseases like high blood pressure. thus, to maintain good health, we should reduce our sodium intake. when shopping, we can look out for food items with the "less salt" logo, which have specially sodium-decreased levels. also, we can reduce the use of seasoning by using natural taste enhancers, such as lemon juice, garlic and ginger etc.

Vanessa Chong(34), chocolateblobbie.blogspot.com

From Vanessa's blog, i can tell that she tries to make a conscious effort to improve on her diet, by analysing her food intake analysis. for example, during her first day's meal, there were no fruits included in her diet. however, on the second day, she had blueberries as her desert after dinner. in my opinion, this is an extremely effective way to improve a diet as it is gradual and after a longer period of time, her diet would have become very healthy and wholesome.

Beverly Tan(29), food-is-the-love.blogspot.com

For Beverly, her diet seems to be quite healthy, as compared to most others. she tries to adhere within the Recommended Daily Allowances for teenagers our age. as i have mentioned, a healthy body does not only require a good diet, but exercise as well. Beverly also took note of the physical activities assessment, and realised that she does not do enough exercise. this may be because she does not have enough stamina to last for a long period of time doing vigorous activity. therefore, she states that she can break it up into three 10 minute sessions or two 15 minute sessions to make up for the 30 minutes. this shows that she tries to be diligent in including exercise into her daily life.

My Reflections on processes and learning points

I feel that this Performance Task really has given me a deeper understanding of my nutritional levels. I am shocked to know that my diet is usually lacking in calcium and dietary fibre, and containing too much sodium and at times, saturated fat. I was always under the impression that i had a very healthy and nutritious diet, but i have realised that many foods contain different types of "hidden" empty calories, chemicals, preservatives and additives. When i think of all the processed food that i am putting into my body, it makes me want to eat organic food for the rest of my life. for example, even food products like a char siew pao, a simple snack that can be found at any coffeeshop, contains saturated fat, a type of fat that can clog up your arteries, causing Angina pectoris, atherosclerosis, and heart attacks.

I also realise that exercise is of paramount importance if you want a healthy body. Vigorous exercise clears clogged arteries, reduces the chances of fat and plaque build-up in the walls of the arteries. Exercising is also a healthy way of losing weight and burning calories. Thus, exercise is an important part of everyone's life.

Through this PT, i have also learnt that if i want to improve my diet to something healthier, it is not that difficult. the HPB website has many simple and effective ways to improve diets, like looking out for products with the healthier choice symbol. This PT has and will definitely help me in improving my diet.

My One-dish Meal Suggestion

WONTON NOODLES IN IKAN BILIS AND YELLOW BEAN STOCK

-WONTON- FRESH WONTON SKIN, PACKED WITH CHOPPED MEAT, PRAWNS, MUSHROOMS AND WATER CHESTNUT, SEASONED WITH SOYA SAUCE AND PEPPER.

-"MEE POK" EGG NOODLES
-LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES

THE WONTON HAS TO BE INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED, FIRST PLACING THE FILLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WONTON SKIN, THEN FOLDED INTO HALF.

THE SOUP STOCK WITH IKAN BILIS AND YELLOW BEANS IS SLOWLY BROUGHT TO A BOIL, AFTER WHICH THE WONTON AND VEGETABLES ARE ADDED. WHILE THE WONTON COOKS, COOK THE NOODLES SEPARATELY BY BRINGING IT TO A BOIL. AFTER IT HAS COOKED, ADD THE NOODLES INTO THE SOUP STOCK, AND SERVE HOT.

THIS METHOD OF COOKING IS HEALTHY AS NO OIL IS USED. THIS MEAL IS BALANCED AS THERE IS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATES, FROM THE NOODLE, NUTRIENTS FROM THE VEGETABLES, AND PROTEIN FROM THE MEAT IN THE WONTON. THUS, THIS MEAL IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. IT IS ALSO RELATIVELY EASY TO MAKE(:

My Meals For Today- 17 May

breakfast- did not eat

recess- slice of watermelon and papaya

lunch- char siew pao and lor mai kai

snack-milo

dinner- fried rice

desert- whole apple

analysis:

My intake of energy from your diet was more than i needed.

My intake of saturated fat was higher that the recommended amount

My sodium intake was greater than the recommended amounts.

My intake of cholesterol was more than the recommended amount.

My were not getting enough calcium in my diet.

*Taken from HPB's food intake assessment

My meals today-16 may

Breakfast: White Bread with peanut butter
Lunch: Shredded chicken Hor Fun in Gravy Sauce
Snack: Mandarin Orange
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese

Analysis:
- Too much sodium
- Lack of dietary fibre
- Lack of calcium


Taken from food intake assessment by HPB

My Meals For The Day

Breakfast: Banana
Snack before lunch: Char Siew Pao
Lunch: Mee Soto
Dinner: Grilled Pork, lean and fat meat

Analysis:
-Too much sodium found in my diet
-I was not getting enough dietary fibre in my diet.
-My diet was lacking in calcium

*Taken from HPB's Food intake assessment.