The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.116)

TZU CHI 116 59 Ng Hui Ling A nutritionist with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Sports Science, who served at the Singapore Heart Foundation before becoming self-employed, providing dietary consultations to vegetarians and writing a nutrition column for a health magazine. who stay glued to their phones until the wee hours of the morning would trust the article’s claims enough to stuff themselves with brinjal every day in a bid to reverse the adverse effects of their unhealthy lifestyles. My friend’s uneasiness was palpable, prompting me to consider the possibility of having spared her from unnecessary emotional stress had I known about her dilemma earlier. Alas, my powers are limited. The least I could do was to share my knowledge whenever possible. Therefore, I decided to save the idle talk for later and shift the focus of our conversation to a dialogue on nutrition. I patiently explained to my friend that although traces of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide are detectable in coffee, drinking coffee does not necessarily cause cancer. Many studies have proven that certain compounds in coffee are beneficial to our health, such as polyphenols, which expel free radicals from the body and lower the risk of certain types of cancer. Yet, the article conveniently neglected the advantages of coffee and highlighted the health hazards of the caffeinated beverage. This instance illustrates one of the pitfalls of low-quality articles originating from content farms. I discouraged my friend from circulating such articles on social media, as the authenticity of their content is difficult to discern to the untrained eye. For the past 20 years or so, I would unwind at nightfall and reflect on the day that was. My late-night contemplations have alerted me to my occasional lapses in judgement in dietary choices – inevitable, for I am but a mere mortal. Throughout the time I was busy caring for my mother, I had to adapt my dietary habits as inconvenient access to public transportation restricted my meal options, resulting in a compromise on nutrition: I had inadvertently consumed excessive amounts of salt and oil from takeout meals as well as high levels of sugar from sweetened beverages. Meanwhile, my vegetable intake was lacking. Furthermore, soy milk had been absent from my diet since my search for the ideal brand of calcium-fortified soy milk was futile. Instead, I had consumed coffee at a greater frequency than usual. I realized that I had to resume a healthy diet soonest possible. As I write, a scenario came to mind: my mother was fast asleep in the hospital ward; I, on the other hand, was famished, having stayed up all night watching over my mother. I left the ward and headed to a restaurant, tookmy seat and placed my order. When my plate of char kuey teow finally arrived, I was about to dig into the stir-fried noodles – high in fat and salt content and cholesterol-inducing – when an old acquaintance appeared from nowhere and chided, “Indulging in char kuey teow so early in the morning? Wait till you suffer from heart disease.” From now on, I resolve to make the most of the limited resources available under any circumstances to arrive at the best possible dietary choices.