Non-alcoholic drinks that are perfect for the festive season
Friday, December 29, 2017 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments
Image from Pixabay

The year-end is a time to drink and make merry, but we shouldn’t exclude the friends and guests who don’t drink due to health or religious reasons. Non-alcoholic drinks can be a healthier alternative, yet festive for the season, and they’re popular even in the restaurant holiday menus as well! Here are 3 easy ones for the upcoming New Year party. Now that you can toast all night without worrying about that beer belly or the health implications on your liver!

The following recipes are courtesy of BBC Good Food and Tania Glyde.

Fruity cranberry concoctions

The bright red colour cranberry resonates well with the festive mood. Cranberry is also a very tasty and nutritious fruit and would be the perfect holiday punch when mixed with other fruit juices!

Orange and cranberry spritz.
Mix together 500ml of orange juice and 500ml of cranberry juice in a large jug. Pour in sparkling elderflower drink to fizz it up. Mix together and serve in tall glasses with ice. If you can’t find elderflower drink, any other mildly sweet sparkling fruit drinks will do as well.

Driver’s punch
You will need 100g of cranberries, 100ml of cranberry juice, 500ml blood orange juice, 600ml sparkling apple juice, 1 lime, thin wedges of orange and some mint sprigs. Place the cranberry in a freezer container, cover with water (by about 2.5cm) and freeze till solid. Mix cranberry juice with blood orange juice. Juice a lime and add the juice in. To serve, smash the sheet of frozen cranberries into shards and put in the bottom of tall glasses. There should be about enough for eight. Put a wedge of lime and orange and a mint sprig in each glass, then pour in the fruit juices and top up with sparkling apple juice.

Something warm, sweet and cozy

Hot chocolate reminds one of winter and snow. It is a wonderful and cozy feeling to sit around a fireplace with mugs of delicious hot chocolate to warm your hands and insides. In Singapore, we have neither cold nor snow, but hot chocolate is still a very yummy drink that’s perfect for a party.

Peppermint hot chocolate
You will need 200g bar plain chocolate, broken into chunks, 600ml milk, 150ml pot single or double cream, Sugar to taste, 6 peppermint candy canes, a handful of marshmallows, to serve

Put the chocolate in a pan with the milk. Gently heat, stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Continue heating until the milk is steaming, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Divide the hot chocolate between 6 mugs, add sugar to taste and hang a candy cane on the edge of each. Pass the mugs round and let everyone stir their hot chocolate with their candy cane – letting as much of the sweet peppermint dissolve as they fancy. Put some marshmallows for a fuzzy feeling.

For the non-sweet tooths, here is another alternative for a rich, hot drink.

Hot apple pie punch
You will need: 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, a good pinch ground cloves, ½ whole grated nutmeg, 2 litres of apple juice, 2 tablespoon vanilla extract, 6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Place the cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, apple juice and vanilla extract in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer.  When the apple juice has warmed through, add the vanilla ice cream and whisk vigorously with a balloon whisk until melted and combined with the hot apple juice – the ice cream should make a frothy top on the juice.

Faux alcohol is better than no alcohol

You can make your own non-alcoholic “mulled wine” with the follow recipe.

You will need: 2 litres apple juice, 2 litres cranberry juice, 1 stick cinnamon, 2 oranges, 1 lemon (unwaxed), 1 teaspoon honey, Quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg, about 20 cloves

Slice the oranges into halves. Scrape the rind off about half of the lemon and then quarter the lemon. Stud the orange and lemon rinds with the cloves – it looks great and will infuse wonderfully.
Pour one of each of the cartons of apple juice and cranberry drink into a large pan with all the other ingredients and put over the lowest heat you can get. Leave it to heat slowly until it reaches the point where it is starting to steam, then three minutes longer. This takes about 10 to 20 minutes in total – it should not boil at any point. Switch off the heat and serve into small glasses.

Have a very Happy New Year!


Do we have a case for free flu vaccinations?
Thursday, November 09, 2017 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments


 
Source: Pixabay

There has been plenty of debate about the necessity of vaccinations, with some arguing that vaccinations weaken the body’s immunity system and inborn ability to protect itself against viruses. Then there are those who question the effectiveness, as viral strains often mutate and change, possibly rendering some vaccines to be ineffective. Yet local doctors are suggesting that flu vaccines should be made free in Singapore to boost adult immunisation rates. Are flu vaccines really important?

Many of us have caught the flu bug, and for most healthy adults, we ride it over unscathed. However, there are many strains of influenza virus, some more serious than others. While previously, the flu tends to make us feel sick for up to two weeks, I have been hearing of increasing numbers of accounts suffering from symptoms of the flu for three weeks to even a month or more. Fevers, chills, body aches, sore throat, coughs and fatigue are among the common symptoms, and they cause great discomfort, affecting productivity for a prolonged period of time. Worst of all, flu is highly contagious.

Moreover, the flu, or influenza can cause fatal complications to certain groups of people, and these people would certainly benefit from annual vaccinations. They include the elderly who are 65 years old and above, those with a chronic health condition like asthma, diabetes or heart disease, those who have a weak immune system, and those in the healthcare sector who interact with patients on a regular basis.

Even those who are healthy may not be spared. If you have the flu and continue to stress yourself out with work and activities instead of resting, it can get fatal, as in the case of a 38-year-old woman who almost died from a heart failuretriggered by the flu. She had to seek treatment for 6 months.
Additionally, certain types of flu viruses can enter the heart muscle and cause infection, a condition known as myocarditis. This will lead to complications like heart failure, and heartbeat irregularities that lead to sudden death.

Pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers are also encouraged to get the vaccination, For pregnant women, changes in the heart, lungs and immune system make flu symptoms more dangerous for both Mum and the fetus. It also increases the risk of premature delivery. There are flu vaccines which are safe for pregnant women and those in doubt may consult their obstetrician. In breastfeeding mothers, the flu vaccine not only protects Mum, but the protective antibodies will get passed on to the baby, protecting him or her until they are old enough to get the vaccine themselves.

According to the World Health Organisation, seasonal flu outbreaks result in about three to five million cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths annually. In Singapore, annual influenza-related deaths occur in about 15 out of 100,000 people. It warrants concern indeed, and certainly, doctors are right to push for greater awareness and even for important vaccinations to be made free of charge. In the meantime, for those who can afford it, we should get our annual flu jab, which is available at polyclinics at $25, and most GPs. 

Sources:

http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/health/when-flu-turns-fatal
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/boost-adult-immunisation-rates-doctors-suggest-free-flu-vaccines-and-targeting-patients


Healthy mooncakes, are they for real?
Thursday, October 05, 2017 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments


Picture from Pixabay

Mooncakes are among one of the most sinful delicacies around. Containing generous amounts of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, lard and egg yolks, it is ideally avoided by those who are combating weight gain, and those who have existing chronic ailments like diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Yet Autumn Moon Festival, widely celebrated by Chinese around the world, just doesn’t feel complete without mooncakes. These are a staple at gatherings and are often used as gifts. It would be quite a challenge to completely abstain from it, not to mention, a downer.

Fortunately, over the years, people have become more health-conscious, and there has been an increasing demand for healthier alternatives. What would make a mooncake healthier?

Vegetarian and vegan mooncakes: Free of lard, eggs and animal by-product, your body will feel more forgiving towards them.

Using raw sugar instead of sugar: This should be taken with a pinch of salt because the nutritional value of raw sugar and sugar is in fact not much different, although it is a common assumption that sugar is unhealthy because it is processed. Low-sugar would be a better option, though some may still use an equally unhealthy substitute for sugar.

No egg yolks: Egg yolks are very high in sodium, it’s simply best to do without them.

Beware of these common myths:
Snowskin is healthier than pastry crust: Snowskin may seem healthier because it doesn’t have lard, but it is still filled with sugar, and contains about the same amount of calories as a traditional pastry crust mooncake of similar size.

Green tea / fruit flavour mooncakes are healthier than traditional mooncakes: It really depends, as sometimes, only artificial flavouring is used to produce the taste. Even if real fruits are used, they will be processed and likely have large amounts of sugar added to them. It’s almost akin to saying that orange syrup is healthy because it contains orange, but nothing can be further from the truth. It is important to find out what are the exact ingredients that go into it, rather than take the information at face value.

Drinking Green tea or Chinese tea will neutralise fattening / unhealthy effects of mooncakes: Not at all. Hot tea does help to get rid of that oily or over-sweet feeling in the mouth, which gives the illusion that you can eat more.   

In a nutshell, there are no truly healthy mooncakes, but slightly healthier versions would exist.  After all a moon cake isn’t a mooncake without its sweet fillings and crust, so a mooncake can't possibly be devoid of unhealthy ingredients. Rather than deluding oneself and indulging over a supposedly healthier mooncake, it is much more practical to go with the smallest mooncake, and cut it up for sharing!

References: 
 http://www.healthguru.sg/learn-about-food/nutrition-info-pastry-mooncake-crust-vs-snowskin-crust-which-is-healthier/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/272191-sugar-vs-sugar-in-the-raw/