The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.114).

2019 • 09 58 ellness A Cooling Treat to Beat the Heat The total sugar and calorie content of a serving of frozen yoghurt will inevitably increase – but not its nutritional value – when condiments with high sugar and calorie content are piled onto it. Most consumers often overlook the fact that the trap lies in the lure of additional condiments, which contribute to a higher calorie count. Translated by Goh Hwe Yong E very day, I would fetch my daughter from school under the sweltering mid-day sun. A few days ago, I stood waiting outside the school gate in the scorching heat, absorbed in Taiwanese author Zhang Man-juan’s latest title, Fleeting Moments of Happiness . In one of the articles in the book, the author described the satisfying delight of savouring shaved ice on a hot day, transporting me back in time to my carefree childhood growing up in a village in Taiping, Perak. Ice-cream is a ubiquitous confection found in the refrigerators of most households nowadays. But back when I was a child, my family did not even own a fridge. Whenever I heard the ice-cream seller ringing his bell on his rounds, particularly on insufferably hot days, I would holler excitedly, “Mum, I want ice-cream!” My mother would retrieve a glass jar filled with loose change from the top shelf of the wooden kitchen cabinet and hand me some money for the ice-cream. There were only limited options of iced treats to choose from; my favourites were red bean popsicles and ice-cream on a cone. I could barely contain my anticipation as I watched the ice-cream seller scoop out a block of ice-cream from a tub and fill it into a wafer cone for me. It was difficult to make up my mind; as much as I wished to hold on to the ice-cream for as long as possible, I had to polish it off in haste before it melted into a cloying, flowing mess. Besides mobile ice-cream vendors plying the streets on their bikes, roadside stalls selling ais kacang or ABC (shaved ice topped with various condiments) were a common sight in my childhood days. I recall an elderly ais kacang seller who kept a perennially straight face and avoided eye contact. His version of ais kacang was simple: shaved ice heaped with two large tablespoons of red kidney beans, one large tablespoon of corn kernels and a handful of chendol strands, drizzled with palm sugar syrup and evaporated milk. Despite the ais kacang seller’s cold attitude, I was drawn to his ais kacang as it was loaded with my favourite condiments. I would favour ais kacang over ice-cream anytime – probably due to my preference for corn and beans since young. Studying for a degree in Nutrition has made me realize that my favourite childhood dessert turned out to be rich in fibre and protein. Yet, how times have changed. Frozen yoghurt is now the most popular dessert among the younger generation of today. If we cared to scrutinize the nutrition facts label on the packaging of ice-cream and frozen yoghurt respectively, the calorie and fat content