Friday, October 01, 2010

everything in moderation

just as we were ranting about 3-in-1 coffee, today's papers came out with a report, with an advocate for healthy living no less than the CAP. (read here)

they offered good advice except that i disagreed with the part about soya milk & fruit juices being healthier alternatives. these drinks that come in packets actually contain a lot of sugar as well. 3 brands of soya milk have between 20-22g (= 5 teaspoons) of sugar per 250ml packet while a popular brand of fruit juice has 18g of sugar per 250ml serving, all of which i have at home.

however, i don't drink these everyday - at most, probably twice a week. but that's the issue - no matter how sweet or salty, everything in moderation is fine, including alcohol. even that super-sweet ice-kacang or cendol with gula melaka is ok, if consumed in moderation, which i would arbitrarily put as about once a week at most. even better is soya milk or freshly squeezed fruit juices without added sugar.

however, i thought CAP's suggestion to the health ministry to take action on this matter was ridiculous. the govt can't even stop people from cheating & killing each other, how are they going to stop people from consuming heaps of sugar?

i can only think of self-discipline.

PS. i also wonder how effective are the gory pictures on the cigarette packets in deterring people from smoking?

20 comments:

Jo said...

I hardly buy sugar now that I have no maid at home. She has a really sweet tooth.

doc said...

Jo,

i bet before you knew about her sweet tooth, you wondered where all the sugar went!!

stay-at-home mum said...

Even when taken only "once a week" can spell trouble.
Imagine having all these stuff only once a week,every week but it works out to loading our system with it everyday, only in different forms.
Laksa, char kway teow, chye tow kuay, kambing soup, curry, bubur chacha, kway chap.
I think the only way, like you said is self-discipline!!

savante said...

Maybe they'll print disturbing pics of diabetic foots on the sugar packets :)

Yvonne Foong said...

Soya milk and fruit juices? The advocates must be vegan! It sounds so cliche to promote soya milk and fruit juices like how people promote vegetables as the remedy for everything.

But you also seem to pay special attention to sugar. :)

I agree with you that we should eat and drink with moderation.

ilene said...

Aiyo DOC, all those gory pictures and increased in tax on cigarettes doesn't make any difference at all! In fact, it has encouraged more people to rob just for a stick of cigarette!! They should nip the main source and not imposed onto consumers. Make all public areas non-smoking. But at the end of the day, our law enforcement here stinks!! :(

missyc said...

I met this guy from a EastCoast* state, who said sugar is a necessity for every dish, meal or drink. No one told how harmful sugar was till he became diabetic. So now we know each time there is sugar shortage these people go into a "hoarding mode". 1kg of brown sugar lasts max 6mths for the 2of us, No 2in1 or 3in1. For them 1week habis !

Unicorn Girl said...

Yup doc . Read about this too. I think practically everything that goes inside of us ( our bodies ) has it's shares of pro's and con's .....rite ? Including natural growing vegetables.......

Medie007 said...

lol. apparently ppl still smoke, even with those gory pictures on one side of the ciggie box...

doc said...

SAHM,

i agree sometimes even once a week, every week is too much, but sometimes we need to enjoy our lives a bit.

depends how much & for how long each of us is prepared to abstain.

doc said...

Savante,

good try but they already did that for cigarette packs & do you know of any smoker who gave up smoking from that?

we all should know how life works - we reap what we sow.

doc said...

Yvonnes,

i've read a few reports about the role of sugar in the pathogenesis of heart, hypertensive & kidney diseases; that's why i'm a lot more cautious about sugar than i am over cholesterol or salt or even red meat.

doc said...

Ilene,

i'm afraid banning smoking in public places just won't do - the smokers will just do it in the privacy of their rooms, etc.

the smokers will just have to bear the consequences for their actions.

doc said...

MissyC,

this guy is definitely on the fast-track to a whole spectrum of organ damage. it's just a matter of time.

doc said...

UG,

do you you mean organically-grown veggies? those are supposed to contain no pesticides.

or, do you mean genetically-modified ones?

doc said...

Medie,

old habits die hard la!

Yvonne Foong said...

Ah, my dad has everything.

- hybertension since i could remember.
- an enlarged heart and irregular heart beats.
- now kidneys are deteriorating.

Sugar? He has diabetes.

But then my dad is 69. Coincidentally, I have been wondering whether his present kidney deteriorating was brought on by the weakness of his other organs or a problem on its own... and whether it could have been detected earlier since he has had issues with urination for years. But the body is also aging naturally.

So many of his symptoms overlap.

Hello Kitty said...

I am glad my body has been conditioned to simply say no to certain things like fruit juices loaded with sugar, KFC skin and coke. I do enjoy stuff like char kwai teow and nasi lemak and hokkien mee once in a while - in moderation, of course! Yummy ...

I have friends who are smokers. No, the gory pictures have no effect on them, they said. They know smoking is bad, but can't give it up somehow. One said she managed to forget the ciggies while on holiday with her family, but started puffing away on her way to the office after she came back from holiday. There are true stories of people who managed to kick the habit after a stroke or heart attack or major near death situations. I guess some might not be so lucky.

On cutting sugar intake - there are people who resort to artificial sugar. Do you think they are harmful? I remember trying 'Equal' years ago and found that it triggered heart palpitation.

doc said...

Yvonne,

hypertension & diabetes could certainly account for your dad's other problems - every other organ damage can be traced to these 2 pre-existing conditions.

also, a prostate problem can lead to kidney disease as well.

doc said...

Hello Kitty,

it's been said that you are what you eat & so far, that has remain true.

continue on your "moderate" diet & you will not regret it. the fear of death is a great motivator to quit unhealthy habits but i guess some will remain stubborn.

artificial sugar, eg. aspartame, has its own set of problems. read here: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56064

but it's always safer just to cut down on the amount of sugar. going sugarless is an acquired taste & not many can stomach that!!