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/  



Start taking an active stance on diabetes
Tuesday, August 29, 2017 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments

Imagine having to rely on these everyday for the rest of your life to control diabetes
(Picture from Pixabay)

It’s quite apparent that diabetes is a serious problem in Singapore when the Prime Minister focuses a major portion of his National Day Rally speech on it, to the point that it almost feels like a health talk. Certainly, I would agree that we have reason to be alarmed when our small nation is only second behind the USA in ranking of incidence of diabetes.

A high incidence of health problems in a country is not only detrimental to productivity when most of our only natural resources are its people. But when many people are requiring medical treatments, the manpower shortage – doctors, nurses and other medical staff will become even more severe than ever. There will be shortage of hospital beds, and there will be long lines of patients everywhere. Naturally, it is also a huge drain on welfare.

Much of the Prime Minister’s advice is very good advice, though they are also not news. Replace white rice with brown rice or mixed grains, drink water instead of sugary sodas, do more exercise and try to achieve at least 10000 steps a day… such advice has been repeatedly advocated by health enthusiasts and medical professionals everywhere in the world. They have also been discussed in one of our blog posts here.  And here is an article on making brown rice more palatable. Sadly, not everyone is willing to compromise their taste buds, until something serious happens, and by then, it may be too late.

Perhaps one of the main problems is that Singaporeans really love our food. It is no news that we have a large variety of dining options, from hawker centres to hipster cafes to fast food to Michelin restaurants. On top of that, there are plenty of food blogs dedicated to reviewing and recommending new eating places and menus. A new menu by Macdonald’s can easily get tongues (or keyboards) wagging as foodies wax lyrical over the good and bad. 

As a member of my neighbours’ WhatsApp group dedicated to food, and not being much of a foodie myself, it is quite sobering to see people across different age groups being so interested in food. It is also evident that many people enjoy eating out, or perhaps, they simply don’t have time or interest to cook, and they so they dine out on a regular basis (one of the things health professionals and enthusiasts discourage due to the inability to control what goes inside the food). Aside from sharing photos featuring meals they had, as well as the opening hours of the elusive wanton mee stall nearby that opens infrequently, another hot topic for them is durians. Thanks to them, I’ve learnt that durian buffets are a thing in Singapore. For fees ranging from $30 to $50, you can enjoy your fill of durians, and not just during the durian season. And durians are absolutely bad news for diabetes.

Singapore, renowned for being a food paradise, is chockfull of temptations. To have the government implement restrictions or bans would not only be considered draconian, but also require resources to enforce. Ultimately, awareness and self-restraint are the best tools to combating diabetes and the related health issues. That also includes going for regular health screenings to detect symptoms and problems that have not become serious enough to make an impact, and are still at a more easily treatable stage. A piece of good news is that from next month onwards, health-screening fees are cut down to $5 for those above the age of 40. Nevertheless, even without a health checkup, I believe most of us, especially the younger generation, are well aware about whether we actually are at a risk of diabetes (sedentary lifestyle, eating out a lot, on the chubby side). It is time to stop living in denial and start making a proactive decision to safeguard one’s health.


Medal-winning para-athlete Jason Chee loses right eye to cancer – what is this cancer and can it be prevented?
Thursday, August 17, 2017 - Posted by SunnyHealth - 0 comments


Image from Pixabay
 
Jason Chee really has it tough. He first made headlines in 2012 when he lost his left arm and both legs in a ship accident while serving in the navy. Subsequently, he trained in table tennis, represented Singapore as a para-athlete and has even won medals. Unfortunately, he has been dealt another setback, this time in the form of eye cancer. Due to the size of the tumour (larger than 1cm), radiotherapy would not work, so his only option was to undergo surgery to have the entire affected eye removed. Nevertheless, the brave man is taking it in stride, and has gone back to training in table tennis with the use of one eye.

Eye cancer, or choroidal melanoma / eye melanoma, is rarely talked about in Singapore, compared to cancers like breast cancer and lung cancer. That is because it’s more common in Westerners, but low risk does not mean no risk, as demonstrated by Jason’s situation.
There are no known specific causes of eye cancer, though as with most cancers, genes play a role. Risk factors include:
o       Light eye colours such as blue and green
o       Being white
o       Increasing age
o       Certain inherited skin disorders
o       Exposure to UV light

Eye cancer usually does not have any symptoms, which unfortunately makes it difficult to diagnose until it gets serious. If there are any symptoms, they usually include:
  • Growing dark spot on the iris
  • Flashing lights sensation
  • Change in the shape of the pupil
  • Poor or blurry vision in one eye
  • Loss of peripheral vision
  • Sensation of flashes and specks of dust (floaters)
These symptoms are also present in other types of eye problems and may not necessarily hint at eye cancer. Nevertheless, you should take immediate steps to seek further diagnosis as it could make a difference to your ability to retain and protect your vision. Regular eye examinations can help detect early abnormalities in the eye.

Eye cancer has the ability to spread to other organs, and so it is certainly important to seek immediate treatment and further examination. As Jason says, “I had a full body check and thankfully the cancer had not spread to my other organs. It was very good news and I felt very happy.”

Often when our loved ones or ourselves come down with a major illness or cancer, the first reaction is usually, and understandably, “Why me?” Often, we question the causes, whether there were signs, was it our own fault for overlooking them or increasing our risk exposure. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the methodologies for detecting and treating cancers and other rare illnesses have been improving rapidly, thanks to investments in research and technology, certain illnesses remain a mystery in some ways. 

If life should deal us a tough hand, the only way is forward, with a positive mindset.
"I'm only left with my right arm. Now, I'm only left with my left eye. You only live once, so I live life to the fullest and be happy day by day."

Certainly, Jason’s grit and determination makes him a role model and inspiration for everyone. Although his surgery was just about three months ago, he is already training hard to adapt to his one-eye vision for the ASEAN Para Games, held in Kuala Lumpur from Sep 17 to Sep 23. I wish him the very best.

Sources: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/jason-chee-medal-winning-para-athlete-loses-right-eye-to-cancer-9129602
https://eyecancer.com/eye-cancer/conditions/choroidal-tumors/choroidal-melanoma/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eye-melanoma/basics/definition/con-20027875