The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.113)

2019 • 08 56 ellness e Elusive Pursuit of Perfection Pairing mismatched outfits might lead others to question our fashion sense at worst, but making misguided food choices is likely to cause considerable harm to our health in the long run. Translated by Chang Yii Yong R ecently, a close friend of mine brought along her mother and child to my house for tea. “Looks like you’ve converted your kitchen into your study!” exclaimed my friend’s mother, an elderly lady of 70, while admiring the two large bookcases standing in my kitchen. “Feel free to bring home any book that suits your taste,” I offered eagerly out of excitement over the senior’s apparent love for reading. I even selected several books on nutrition and dietary advice for the elderly and laid them on the dining table, before proceeding to introduce the contents of each title. To my surprise, the old lady was drawn to books on nutrition for children instead. As if to explain her less conventional choice of reading materials, she admitted with a timid smile, “I cook for my grandchild every day, but I’m stumped when it comes to getting food choices right, as I couldn’t differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food. By equipping myself with knowledge on children’s nutrition, I’ll be able to prepare healthy meals for my grandchild.” I could relate to the old lady’s dilemma. We are inundatedwith endless choices on a daily basis, from the moment we open our eyes till the time we retire for the day. It goes without saying that the more clothes we store in our wardrobe, the more time we spend deciding on an outfit. Likewise, we are spoilt for choice when confronted with a dizzying array of food items at the supermarket. Pairing mismatched outfits might lead others to question our fashion sense at worst, but making misguided food choices is likely to cause considerable harm to our health in the long run. As we were chatting in the kitchen, the old lady caught a glimpse of my bottle of cooking oil. “I’ve never seen this cooking oil variant before. I shall buy the same type of cooking oil as yours in the future. You’re a nutritionist; I believe you’ll only buy food that are healthy,” she surmised, and promptly whipped out her phone to snap a photo of said bottle of cooking oil. I then shared with her an amusing anecdote of a personal encounter. Almost two years ago, my husband travelled to the Philippines to assist in a local medical outreach mission and returned with plenty of dried mangoes, courtesy of the local volunteers. We would snack on dried fruits occasionally, save for the dried version of fruits that are widely available locally, such as dried bananas and mangoes. Local produce is easily accessible, hence we would opt for their fresh, unprocessed counterparts instead. Dried mangoes are excessively sweet due to the large amount of sugar added in the manufacturing process. But since the dried mangoes were gifted to us, we allowed our daughter to bring them along as snacks when she went out to play. Once, a friend chanced upon my daughter snacking on the dried mangoes and later bought an identical packet at a supermarket. Upon tasting the dried mangoes, my friend’s partner wondered aloud in disbelief: “You usually stick to healthy food choices. Why would you end up buying dried mangoes that taste this sweet?” My friend was equally perplexed and defended herself. “I bought it because I saw Hui Ling’s daughter snacking on the same brand of dried mangoes! I assumed that as a nutritionist, she