The month of May is the squid season in Terengganu. My cousin, Effy is all excited to go on a trip this weekend to 'mencandat sotong'. That is what the activity to catch squids is called in Malay. I remember going on a similar trip to Langkawi with Effy's family years ago. We did not catch a single squid as the current was too strong. We enjoyed the quality time spent with family, though. So, good luck to Effy and her parents whom I call Chak and Pak Chaq. Enjoy the trip and come back with fresh squids!
I also remember the wonderful fried fresh squids we had at Pantai Batu Buruk in Terengganu in 1988. I had never experienced such exquisite taste of squids fried in batter before that.
As I had a lot of squids in the fridge, I thought I would try a new recipe using the English 'Fish and Chips' batter as a base.
I prepared the 'Fish and Chips' batter substituting black pepper with 1 tablespoon of chilli paste and adding 1cm cuts of fresh chives ( daun kuchai).To make the batter taste better, I added 1cm of anchovy stock cube.
(See batter recipe in previous post; labelled under seafood, dated 2/07/2009). I let the batter stand for one hour while I did other things.
Next I washed and skin some fresh prawns and squids. The head of the squid I return to the fridge as frying them would be hazardous. Frying squids too can be dangerous as the oil would tend to spit. So you have to be extra careful when frying squids.
After heating up some cooking oil, I mixed the prawns one at a time with the batter and fried them. The squids in batter were fried last as I was afraid of the 'spitting'.
I was not able to take the photographs of my new creation as the fritters were immediately served to my hungry loved one who could not wait a moment longer.
P.S: Forgot to inform that you dip the fritters in hot chilli sauce before you eat them.Yummy!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cancer is top Killer but many shy from being an Oncologist
Star 25052010
Direct Quote from today's STAR newspaper:
PETALING JAYA: Many doctors shy away from taking up oncology as a specialist discipline.
But the sight of cancer patients huddled in the crowded oncology department of Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) inspired a young medical officer to specialise in the field.
“Patients had to wait long hours to see the specialist because there were so few oncologists,” recalled Dr Chong Kwang Jeat, who decided to specialise in oncology after his two-year stint in the department.
Dr Chong has written a book My Journey With Patients and now has a private practice in Malacca.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) senior lecturer and oncologist Dr Daniel Wong Wai Yan, 38, said the common view of oncology - that it is a depressing field - has turned away many medical students from specialising in the discipline.
“Some doctors do not like the uncertainty of not knowing whether their patients will be cured, but unfortunately this happens in oncology, especially in advanced cases.”
Dr Wong, who worked as an oncologist in Britain for eight years before returning to Malaysia in 2008, pointed out that oncology had evolved to be an “exciting field” over the last decade.
Dr Wong said new graduates only spent half their time doing general medicine. “Only eight weeks are spent in the oncology department, and many do not train in radiotherapy because only 27 cancer centres in both private and government hospitals have the facility.”
Currently, there are only 60 oncologists in both private and public sectors and the number needs to be doubled due to the high number of cancer patients in the country.
Seventy per cent of the 50,000 newly-detected cancer patients in Malaysia each year need care from oncologists.
Limited opportunities for postgraduate training in oncology has compounded the shortage.
“In our country, we only have the Masters in Clinical Oncology programme at Universiti Malaya,” he said.
The four-year programme, which started in 2002, is modelled after the British Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists.
“So far, 34 candidates have enrolled in the programme, and seven have graduated and are working as oncologists,” said Dr Wong, adding that 21 were still undergoing the course.
Direct Quote from today's STAR newspaper:
PETALING JAYA: Many doctors shy away from taking up oncology as a specialist discipline.
But the sight of cancer patients huddled in the crowded oncology department of Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) inspired a young medical officer to specialise in the field.
“Patients had to wait long hours to see the specialist because there were so few oncologists,” recalled Dr Chong Kwang Jeat, who decided to specialise in oncology after his two-year stint in the department.
Dr Chong has written a book My Journey With Patients and now has a private practice in Malacca.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) senior lecturer and oncologist Dr Daniel Wong Wai Yan, 38, said the common view of oncology - that it is a depressing field - has turned away many medical students from specialising in the discipline.
“Some doctors do not like the uncertainty of not knowing whether their patients will be cured, but unfortunately this happens in oncology, especially in advanced cases.”
Dr Wong, who worked as an oncologist in Britain for eight years before returning to Malaysia in 2008, pointed out that oncology had evolved to be an “exciting field” over the last decade.
Dr Wong said new graduates only spent half their time doing general medicine. “Only eight weeks are spent in the oncology department, and many do not train in radiotherapy because only 27 cancer centres in both private and government hospitals have the facility.”
Currently, there are only 60 oncologists in both private and public sectors and the number needs to be doubled due to the high number of cancer patients in the country.
Seventy per cent of the 50,000 newly-detected cancer patients in Malaysia each year need care from oncologists.
Limited opportunities for postgraduate training in oncology has compounded the shortage.
“In our country, we only have the Masters in Clinical Oncology programme at Universiti Malaya,” he said.
The four-year programme, which started in 2002, is modelled after the British Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists.
“So far, 34 candidates have enrolled in the programme, and seven have graduated and are working as oncologists,” said Dr Wong, adding that 21 were still undergoing the course.
SEAFOOD, MUSHROOM AND SWEETCORN PIZZA
Makes one 30cm pizza
450g mixed cooked seafood ( such as squids, clams, mussels, white fish fillets and prawns. I don't fancy cockles mixed with the other seafood, thus I am not recommending that you add cockles)
Marinate the seafood for 1/2 hour with the following:
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tabsp cooking oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Basic Pizza Dough Mix (see previous post)
Tomato sauce (see previous post)
6 button mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup cooked sweet corn
6 tabsp grated Parmesan cheese
basil leaves to garnish
Brush rolled pizza dough with oil and spread with tomato sauce. Bake in a preheated oven @ 240degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven , arrange the seafood on top, Add the mushroom and sweetcorn. Sprinkle with 4 tabsp of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 7-10 minutes more, until seafood are heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, garnish with basil leaves and serve at once.
450g mixed cooked seafood ( such as squids, clams, mussels, white fish fillets and prawns. I don't fancy cockles mixed with the other seafood, thus I am not recommending that you add cockles)
Marinate the seafood for 1/2 hour with the following:
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tabsp cooking oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Basic Pizza Dough Mix (see previous post)
Tomato sauce (see previous post)
6 button mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup cooked sweet corn
6 tabsp grated Parmesan cheese
basil leaves to garnish
Brush rolled pizza dough with oil and spread with tomato sauce. Bake in a preheated oven @ 240degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven , arrange the seafood on top, Add the mushroom and sweetcorn. Sprinkle with 4 tabsp of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 7-10 minutes more, until seafood are heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, garnish with basil leaves and serve at once.
SPICY PRAWN PIZZA
Makes 2X20cm pizzas.
INGREDIENTS:
12 large shelled prawns
2 tablespoon lime juice and 3 tablespoon cooking oil-sprinkle on prawns
Combine the following ingredients to a paste:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped.
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Basic Pizza Dough Mix (see previous post)
coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
METHOD:
Heat the remaining oil and fry onion till brown. Add the spicy paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and remaining lime juice. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick.
Roll out the dough to 2 20cm circular pieces. Place on greased perforated pizza pans.Brush with cooking oil, spread with the tomato mixture and sprinkle with oil.
Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Arrange the prawns on top and bake for 4-5 minutes or until the prawns are heated through. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Unlike normal pizza, this is not a typical pizza as it does not use any cheese. The next prawn pizza recipe will feature the normal cheesy pizza.
INGREDIENTS:
12 large shelled prawns
2 tablespoon lime juice and 3 tablespoon cooking oil-sprinkle on prawns
Combine the following ingredients to a paste:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped.
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Basic Pizza Dough Mix (see previous post)
coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
METHOD:
Heat the remaining oil and fry onion till brown. Add the spicy paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and remaining lime juice. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick.
Roll out the dough to 2 20cm circular pieces. Place on greased perforated pizza pans.Brush with cooking oil, spread with the tomato mixture and sprinkle with oil.
Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Arrange the prawns on top and bake for 4-5 minutes or until the prawns are heated through. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Unlike normal pizza, this is not a typical pizza as it does not use any cheese. The next prawn pizza recipe will feature the normal cheesy pizza.
Monday, May 24, 2010
BARBEQUED CHICKEN PIZZA
Makes one 30cm pizza
INGREDIENTS:
350g boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2cm pieces
175 ml barbecue sauce
2 tabsp cooking oil
1 Basic Pizza Dough mix ( see previous post)
75g Cheddar cheese, grated
100g Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 small red onion , very thinly sliced into rings
marjoram leaves, to garnish
METHOD:
Marinate the chicken with half of the barbecue sauce. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Heat the oil in a pan and stir fry the chicken for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and leave aside to cool.
Roll out the pizza dough to a 30cm circle. Transfer the rolled dough to a greased perforated pizza pan. Spread the rolled dough with the remaining barbecue sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses. Arrange the chicken and the onion rings on top, and sprinkle with a little oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with marjoram and serve immediately.
INGREDIENTS:
350g boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2cm pieces
175 ml barbecue sauce
2 tabsp cooking oil
1 Basic Pizza Dough mix ( see previous post)
75g Cheddar cheese, grated
100g Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 small red onion , very thinly sliced into rings
marjoram leaves, to garnish
METHOD:
Marinate the chicken with half of the barbecue sauce. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Heat the oil in a pan and stir fry the chicken for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and leave aside to cool.
Roll out the pizza dough to a 30cm circle. Transfer the rolled dough to a greased perforated pizza pan. Spread the rolled dough with the remaining barbecue sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses. Arrange the chicken and the onion rings on top, and sprinkle with a little oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with marjoram and serve immediately.
SPICY CHICKEN PIZZA
Makes one 30cm Pizza
Ingredients:
350g boneless skinless chicken, preferably from the breasts; cut into 2cm pieces
2 tabsp cooking oil
salt and freshly ground back pepper
1 Basic Pizza Dough mix (See previous post)
Chilli Oil for brushing
Tomato sauce
4 tabsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves
75g feta cheese, crumbled
Marinade:
100ml yoghourt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Cover marinade over chicken and leave in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. or overnight.
Heat the oil and stir fry the chicken for 3 minutes. Roll out the dough to a 30cm diameter circle.Transfer to a greased perforated pizza pan. Brush with chilli oil and spread with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 3 tabsp of the cilantro leaves. Top with the chicken, followed by the feta cheese. Drizzle with chilli oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve immediately.
Note:
Tomato sauce for pizza (See previous post)
Chilli Oil
Mix 1 tsp chilli powder or 1-2 grounded roasted fresh chillies, with 150ml of good quality olive oil.
Ingredients:
350g boneless skinless chicken, preferably from the breasts; cut into 2cm pieces
2 tabsp cooking oil
salt and freshly ground back pepper
1 Basic Pizza Dough mix (See previous post)
Chilli Oil for brushing
Tomato sauce
4 tabsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves
75g feta cheese, crumbled
Marinade:
100ml yoghourt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Cover marinade over chicken and leave in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. or overnight.
Heat the oil and stir fry the chicken for 3 minutes. Roll out the dough to a 30cm diameter circle.Transfer to a greased perforated pizza pan. Brush with chilli oil and spread with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 3 tabsp of the cilantro leaves. Top with the chicken, followed by the feta cheese. Drizzle with chilli oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve immediately.
Note:
Tomato sauce for pizza (See previous post)
Chilli Oil
Mix 1 tsp chilli powder or 1-2 grounded roasted fresh chillies, with 150ml of good quality olive oil.
PEPPERONI AND MUSHROOM PIZZA
INGREDIENTS:
3 tabsp cooking oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic glove, finely chopped
400g chopped canned plum tomatoes1 tabsp chopped mixed dried herbs
1 tabsp tomato puree
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Basic Pizza Dough mix (see previous post)
100g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
175g mozzarella cheese, grated
100g pepperoni, thinly sliced
METHOD:
Roll out the pizza dough to a 25x35 cm rectangle Transfer to a greased Swiss roll tin.Spoon the tomato mixture evenly over the dough, scatter with mushrooms. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese and arrange the pepperoni on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 240 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
(Photos taken from flickr.com)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
CHICKEN PIZZA MEXICANA
INGREDIENTS:
300g boneless chicken, preferably from the breasts; cut into 2cm pieces
finely grated zest of 2 limes
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 quantity Basic Pizza Dough (see previous post)
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
75g smoked cheese, grated
75g canned red kidney beans
75g frozen sweetcorn kernels, defrosted
1 fresh chilli, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish
METHOD:
Rub chicken with lime zest and coriander seeds, then stir fry in oil for 3 minutes
Roll out the dough to 30 cm diameter. Transfer to a greased perforated pizza pan. Sprinkle with half the cheeses, then add the drained kidney beans, sweetcorn and chilli. Arrange the onion and pepper slices on top along with the chicken, season to taste and sprinkle with the balance of the cheeses.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 240 Celcius for 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
You can substitute the kidney beans with drained and chopped, canned pineapple cubes,if you prefer.
300g boneless chicken, preferably from the breasts; cut into 2cm pieces
finely grated zest of 2 limes
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 quantity Basic Pizza Dough (see previous post)
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
75g smoked cheese, grated
75g canned red kidney beans
75g frozen sweetcorn kernels, defrosted
1 fresh chilli, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish
METHOD:
Rub chicken with lime zest and coriander seeds, then stir fry in oil for 3 minutes
Roll out the dough to 30 cm diameter. Transfer to a greased perforated pizza pan. Sprinkle with half the cheeses, then add the drained kidney beans, sweetcorn and chilli. Arrange the onion and pepper slices on top along with the chicken, season to taste and sprinkle with the balance of the cheeses.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 240 Celcius for 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
You can substitute the kidney beans with drained and chopped, canned pineapple cubes,if you prefer.
Tomato Sauce/Paste for Pizza Filling
3 tbsp cooking oil
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
freshly grounded black pepper
Place all ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil.
Simmer briskly for 20-25 minutes until very thick.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Pizza Anyone?
It has been quite a while since we had pizza. As it was offering a 30% discount for a certain credit card, tonight we headed for the neighbourhood pizzahut store to try the new pizza. Surprisingly it tasted refreshingly good. It does not have the normal tomato flavour of pizzas.The fish also tasted different from the normal Dory they like to dish out in our local 'fish and chips'.The fish pizza consisted of fish fingers made from the Alaskan Pollock. Initially I thought it would cost a bomb but it was affordable and the price was not much different from that of the the other pizzas on sale.
When the children were in school, I used to prepare quick pizza meals for lunch. I made my own filling usually from chicken breast meat lightly cooked and mixed with mixed vegetables (diced carrots, peas, corn, beans, etc), seasoned with a little salt and pepper. The tomato base I would buy from a supermarket. Nowadays, I cannot find the pizza base anymore as that supermarket has closed. For the cheese toppings I used cheddar cheese instead of the more expensive mozarella. Instead of making my own pizza dough, I would use pita bread. I had quite forgotten about my cheap pizza recipe until recently one of my daughter's friends commented how she enjoyed my pizzas then.
For those keen to try your hand at making the pizza dough, here is the recipe:
Basic Pizza Dough
225g unbleached strong flour
1 tsp easy blend dried yeast (1/2 sachet)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil
125-150 ml tepid water (As yeast contains living organisms, using cold water would not do any good. On the other hand, hot water will kill the yeast).
Method:
Sift the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil and water. Stir vigorously, graduallyy drawing in the flour to form a soft dough. Knead for at least 10 minutes or until the dough feels silky smooth and springy.
Place in an oiled bowl, turning once so the surface is coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size.
If in Malaysia, I would place the dough near the window as it is a warm place. During my days in England, I would place my rising dough in a slightly warm oven (turned to minimum heat), or somewhere not to far from the room heater.
It is important not to place the dough on a very hot place as this would kill the yeast organisms and leave you with hard dough.
If you wish to diversify your pizza dough you can vary the ingredients as below and use the same method to knead the dough.
For a rich pizza dough the ingredients are:
225g unbleached strong plain flour
1 sachet easy blend dried yeast
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp tepid water
1 large egg, beaten
4 tbsp cooking oil
Wholemeal Pizza Dough
150g strong wholemeal flour
75g unbleached strong plain flour
1 tsp easy blend dried yeast (1/2 sachet)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil
125-150ml tepid water
That's all for today. I will teach you how to make the tomato base for your pizza in the next post. Aslo in the next few posts, I will help you prepare some yummy chicken and pepperoni pizzas at home.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
APATHY OR IGNORANCE
My children commented that my 'supposed to be a source for recipes' blog has turned into something else.Well, I feel I have enough recipes to choose from.Recipes alone could make my blog a bore.Therefore I have added comments and quotes on current affairs which I think are somewhat of interest to my readers.
Parenting and other issues are also of importance to young people. In whatever we embark to do, it is best that we gain some knowledge from the experience of others. That would make our learning curve less steep.
Today I would like to comment on my observation at the Accident and Emergency Deparment of a large hospital today. I was accompanying my husband and was sitting at the end of the ward. A young Indian man was in a bed beside another older Indian man some 3 beds away. The former tried to sit up but failed. He tried to call for help but no words came. I thought he wanted to ease himself and couldn't get down from the bed as he was on a drip. The older Indian man's wife noticed and tried to tell the nurse. But neither the nurse nor the lady did anything to help the younger man.
One minute later, the younger man was in a fit. His arms were 'dancing' in the air. No one noticed or pretended not to notice except busybody me. I quickly walked to the nurses in front of the ward, with my husband telling me not to touch the patient; and informed them that the patient was having fits. Only then, did a nurse rushed to the patient's bed, asking her fellow nurses what the patient's name was.
Another incident I experienced recently was in a prayer room in a shopping mall. I had just finished my dzohor prayers when I noticed that a young lady was starting to pray in the opposite direction as opposed to everybody else. I touched her shoulders and said in Malay,' You are praying in the wrong direction'. I was ignored. I nudged her shoulders again. No response. 'How come the others was not doing anything?' I silently asked myself. No, it is not alright to silently observe somebody doing something wrong. I went forward and stood in front of her on the prayer mat. Normally, it is rude to stand in front of a person who is praying to God but I had to correct her.I told her, 'The kiblat on the other side'.Only then did she stop and turn the other way and start her prayers again.
I still do not understand what made her pray in the opposite direction. But what I really can't understand why the others let her do so!
This mature woman feels that she has reached a certain age that gives her the privilege to correct what is wrong. Some people do not like to be told they are wrong. But that does not deter me. I do what I do because I CARE and I am a PERFECTIONIST, always wanting to do the right thing, the right way.
Parenting and other issues are also of importance to young people. In whatever we embark to do, it is best that we gain some knowledge from the experience of others. That would make our learning curve less steep.
Today I would like to comment on my observation at the Accident and Emergency Deparment of a large hospital today. I was accompanying my husband and was sitting at the end of the ward. A young Indian man was in a bed beside another older Indian man some 3 beds away. The former tried to sit up but failed. He tried to call for help but no words came. I thought he wanted to ease himself and couldn't get down from the bed as he was on a drip. The older Indian man's wife noticed and tried to tell the nurse. But neither the nurse nor the lady did anything to help the younger man.
One minute later, the younger man was in a fit. His arms were 'dancing' in the air. No one noticed or pretended not to notice except busybody me. I quickly walked to the nurses in front of the ward, with my husband telling me not to touch the patient; and informed them that the patient was having fits. Only then, did a nurse rushed to the patient's bed, asking her fellow nurses what the patient's name was.
Another incident I experienced recently was in a prayer room in a shopping mall. I had just finished my dzohor prayers when I noticed that a young lady was starting to pray in the opposite direction as opposed to everybody else. I touched her shoulders and said in Malay,' You are praying in the wrong direction'. I was ignored. I nudged her shoulders again. No response. 'How come the others was not doing anything?' I silently asked myself. No, it is not alright to silently observe somebody doing something wrong. I went forward and stood in front of her on the prayer mat. Normally, it is rude to stand in front of a person who is praying to God but I had to correct her.I told her, 'The kiblat on the other side'.Only then did she stop and turn the other way and start her prayers again.
I still do not understand what made her pray in the opposite direction. But what I really can't understand why the others let her do so!
This mature woman feels that she has reached a certain age that gives her the privilege to correct what is wrong. Some people do not like to be told they are wrong. But that does not deter me. I do what I do because I CARE and I am a PERFECTIONIST, always wanting to do the right thing, the right way.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Compulsory Service for New Doctors Reduced to 2 Years with immediate effect
STAR16042010
The compulsory service period for medical practitioners has been reduced from three years to two years with immediate effect, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said this was in accordance with the longer internship training from one year to two years.
“The move to shorten the compulsory service would encourage doctors to remain in the country,” he said, adding that it would indirectly discourage a brain drain.
Liow also announced that Malaysian doctors working overseas and who had pursued their studies abroad at their own expense were exempted from compulsory service.
“However, they must have documented clinical experience of more than 10 years,” he said at the launch of a healthy lifestyle campaign here yesterday.
Previously, Liow had announced that doctors above 45 years would get total exemption.
For those below 45 years, exemption will be given if they possess a rare sub-specialty as determined by a committee on exemption of compulsory service or if they had served in public or private universities or military hospitals for a continuous period of two years.
The compulsory service period for medical practitioners has been reduced from three years to two years with immediate effect, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said this was in accordance with the longer internship training from one year to two years.
“The move to shorten the compulsory service would encourage doctors to remain in the country,” he said, adding that it would indirectly discourage a brain drain.
Liow also announced that Malaysian doctors working overseas and who had pursued their studies abroad at their own expense were exempted from compulsory service.
“However, they must have documented clinical experience of more than 10 years,” he said at the launch of a healthy lifestyle campaign here yesterday.
Previously, Liow had announced that doctors above 45 years would get total exemption.
For those below 45 years, exemption will be given if they possess a rare sub-specialty as determined by a committee on exemption of compulsory service or if they had served in public or private universities or military hospitals for a continuous period of two years.
Safer health devices can make a difference
STAR/2010/4/16/
The article below is taken from the STAR newspaper.
Associate professor Dr Lisa Black (pic) was infected with HIV in 1997 while attending to a patient. The accident would not have occurred if she had used a safer device.
As part of her nursing duties, she had inserted a syringe needle into the intravenous port of an advanced stage AIDS patient to draw out blood that was blocking his intravenous line.
The patient jerked and the needle with his blood came off the port and jabbed her on the left palm.
“I was terrified,” said Dr Black, 39, of the incident that occurred at a Nevada hospital.
She had repeated blood tests and found out nine months later she had been infected with HIV and Hepatitis C.
“Although my HIV infection was treated early, the viral count in my body was not detectable and my T-cell count was still good, life was never the same again,” said Black.
Her injury was 100% preventable if a safer device had been used, said Black.
Coincidentally, such a device was officially launched on the day of Dr Black’s accident.
The new device is safer as it only requires a syringe - without a needle - to be linked to the tubing port.
The hospital pays for her medical bills for life. “So far, it has paid US$1mil (RM3.4mil) over 12 years,” she said during the Safety in Healthcare Conference yesterday.
Dr Black also expressed her concern for her daughter Rebecca who is studying nursing at the University of Nevada.
“It is important we make sure that healthcare is safe for Rebecca and for everyone else’s children who works in the healthcare sector,” she said.
Head and senior infectious disease consultant at the Sungai Buloh Hospital Dr Christopher Lee said the World Health Report 2002 revealed that 2.5% of HIV cases and 40% of Hepatitis B and C cases among healthcare workers were the result of occupational exposure.
For all my children who have chosen to be in the medical line, please remember to take precautions when handling high risk patients.
The article below is taken from the STAR newspaper.
Associate professor Dr Lisa Black (pic) was infected with HIV in 1997 while attending to a patient. The accident would not have occurred if she had used a safer device.
As part of her nursing duties, she had inserted a syringe needle into the intravenous port of an advanced stage AIDS patient to draw out blood that was blocking his intravenous line.
The patient jerked and the needle with his blood came off the port and jabbed her on the left palm.
“I was terrified,” said Dr Black, 39, of the incident that occurred at a Nevada hospital.
She had repeated blood tests and found out nine months later she had been infected with HIV and Hepatitis C.
“Although my HIV infection was treated early, the viral count in my body was not detectable and my T-cell count was still good, life was never the same again,” said Black.
Her injury was 100% preventable if a safer device had been used, said Black.
Coincidentally, such a device was officially launched on the day of Dr Black’s accident.
The new device is safer as it only requires a syringe - without a needle - to be linked to the tubing port.
The hospital pays for her medical bills for life. “So far, it has paid US$1mil (RM3.4mil) over 12 years,” she said during the Safety in Healthcare Conference yesterday.
Dr Black also expressed her concern for her daughter Rebecca who is studying nursing at the University of Nevada.
“It is important we make sure that healthcare is safe for Rebecca and for everyone else’s children who works in the healthcare sector,” she said.
Head and senior infectious disease consultant at the Sungai Buloh Hospital Dr Christopher Lee said the World Health Report 2002 revealed that 2.5% of HIV cases and 40% of Hepatitis B and C cases among healthcare workers were the result of occupational exposure.
For all my children who have chosen to be in the medical line, please remember to take precautions when handling high risk patients.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
A Life Wasted
Tonight I witnessed a death. This is the second time in my life that I saw someone actually breathed his last.I met this young man for the first time many years ago when he visited us during Eid with his late Mum.He was maybe two or three years old then. I remember that his Mum mentioned that he only drank plain boiled water.
His parents were divorced and later both remarried different spouses. He was an only child. After his Mum died about three years ago, this boy found himself without a base and subsequently then lost his way in life. As his father lives far away and never actually cared for him, he spent his time with either of his aged grandmothers.The poor old ladies simply were not up to it in caring for him as they treated him as an adult, assuming that he could take care of himself. Alas, someone else took him under his wings. Except that it was not for his wellbeing and advantage.He was then introduced to the world of shabu. Whatever money, his Mum left him went into the drug business. That lead to his downfall. Tonight I met his former school friends who cared about him but stopped being his friends when he started doing drugs. Tonight was too late, his organs were gone. As he was admitted to the hospital without any identification, he was first registered as an unknown. He was kept alive by the life supporting respirator and given medication to sustain him till the hospital authorities sorted out his identity with his next-of-kin. He died within 30 minutes after the doctors pull the plug.
Now, that sets me thinking and asking. Who could be held responsible when a child becomes a drug addict? Is it the parents, drug pushers,his peers ,other family members or the boy himself for not being able to say no to what is not good for him. Is society at fault? Is the social structure too brittle that more amd more young lives are wasted. I know for sure that there is a certain graveyard in Kuala Lumpur that is reserved for unclaimed bodies of drug addicts and HIV positive corpses.
Drugs kills the body slowly but surely.Once a persons becomes an addict, he or she loses all self respect. They will do anything in order to get their daily puff. Girls would sell their bodies. Becoming pregnant outsided marriage leads to the ever increasing number of babies being abandoned or killed at birth. The boys will be lured to traffic the drugs in order to get their supply for themselves. The drug problem is the root of all evil. Snatch thieves could be drug addicts. Petty burglaries are caused by drug addicts.From petty thefts they later become murderers and robbers. When they are high on drugs, they could do anything, even murder their own parents.
The boy who died tonight was born in 1988, the same year as my son Afif. I pray that my own children will be kept safe from unhealthy elements. Stay away from nocturnal outdoor activities. They say that the underworld business thrives at night.Kids either get into trouble when there happen to be in the middle of rival gang clashes or get into trouble with the police when they fail to stop at police road blocks.
Nobody wants their children to be drug addicts. But what would you do if someone in your family becomes one?
His parents were divorced and later both remarried different spouses. He was an only child. After his Mum died about three years ago, this boy found himself without a base and subsequently then lost his way in life. As his father lives far away and never actually cared for him, he spent his time with either of his aged grandmothers.The poor old ladies simply were not up to it in caring for him as they treated him as an adult, assuming that he could take care of himself. Alas, someone else took him under his wings. Except that it was not for his wellbeing and advantage.He was then introduced to the world of shabu. Whatever money, his Mum left him went into the drug business. That lead to his downfall. Tonight I met his former school friends who cared about him but stopped being his friends when he started doing drugs. Tonight was too late, his organs were gone. As he was admitted to the hospital without any identification, he was first registered as an unknown. He was kept alive by the life supporting respirator and given medication to sustain him till the hospital authorities sorted out his identity with his next-of-kin. He died within 30 minutes after the doctors pull the plug.
Now, that sets me thinking and asking. Who could be held responsible when a child becomes a drug addict? Is it the parents, drug pushers,his peers ,other family members or the boy himself for not being able to say no to what is not good for him. Is society at fault? Is the social structure too brittle that more amd more young lives are wasted. I know for sure that there is a certain graveyard in Kuala Lumpur that is reserved for unclaimed bodies of drug addicts and HIV positive corpses.
Drugs kills the body slowly but surely.Once a persons becomes an addict, he or she loses all self respect. They will do anything in order to get their daily puff. Girls would sell their bodies. Becoming pregnant outsided marriage leads to the ever increasing number of babies being abandoned or killed at birth. The boys will be lured to traffic the drugs in order to get their supply for themselves. The drug problem is the root of all evil. Snatch thieves could be drug addicts. Petty burglaries are caused by drug addicts.From petty thefts they later become murderers and robbers. When they are high on drugs, they could do anything, even murder their own parents.
The boy who died tonight was born in 1988, the same year as my son Afif. I pray that my own children will be kept safe from unhealthy elements. Stay away from nocturnal outdoor activities. They say that the underworld business thrives at night.Kids either get into trouble when there happen to be in the middle of rival gang clashes or get into trouble with the police when they fail to stop at police road blocks.
Nobody wants their children to be drug addicts. But what would you do if someone in your family becomes one?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
BEEF MILANO
Beef Milano Ingredients:
15g butter
180g onion, skinned and sliced
1 small clove garlic, skinned and finely chopped or crushed
2 level tabsps tomato paste
1/2 level tsp salt
1/2 level tsp pepper
450g raw minced beef
110g short macaroni, cooked
225g tomatoes, skinned and sliced
280 ml cheese sauce
Garnishing:
2 large tomatoes, sliced
small bunch of parsley or watercress
To Make:
Heat the butter in a pan, add the onion and fry slowly until soft and lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Add the salt and pepper and beef and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mince has separated and coloured. Lightly grease a 450g loaf tin.Divide the beef and macaroni in half. Place half the pasta on the base of the tin and cover with half the mince. Place the sliced tomatoes in a layer on top, covering with the remainder of the mince. Next, add the remaining pasta to the cheese sauce and pour over the top of the meat.
Place in an oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 Centigrade. Turn out on to a serving dish and garnish with sliced parsley or watercress and a few extra tomato slices.
To Make the Cheese Sauce:
280 ml milk
1/4 carrot, peeled and roughly cut
1/4 onion, studded with a clove
1/2 small sprig parsley
bouquet garni
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground black pepper
60g butter
60g plain flour
60g grated Cheddar cheese
Method:
Heat the milk with the carrot, cloved studded onion, parsley, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring the milk almost to the boil, remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a large pan but do not overheat. Remove from the heat, add the flour and blend well together. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, remove from the heat and gradually add the warm, strained milk. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring . Add the grated cheese.
Cooking the Macaroni:
Most outer packaging of pasta has instructions on how to cook them. In case, you have thrown the packaging away, this is how you cook pasta. Put some clean water into a deep saucepan. The water level should cover the pasta. Add 1 tabsp of cooking oil in to the water. Put the saucepan on the heat and add in the pasta. Cook till the water boils.The pasta is cooked in about 7-8 minutes.Drain tthe water and toss tha pasta.
(The oil is added to prevent the pasta from sticking together)
15g butter
180g onion, skinned and sliced
1 small clove garlic, skinned and finely chopped or crushed
2 level tabsps tomato paste
1/2 level tsp salt
1/2 level tsp pepper
450g raw minced beef
110g short macaroni, cooked
225g tomatoes, skinned and sliced
280 ml cheese sauce
Garnishing:
2 large tomatoes, sliced
small bunch of parsley or watercress
To Make:
Heat the butter in a pan, add the onion and fry slowly until soft and lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Add the salt and pepper and beef and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mince has separated and coloured. Lightly grease a 450g loaf tin.Divide the beef and macaroni in half. Place half the pasta on the base of the tin and cover with half the mince. Place the sliced tomatoes in a layer on top, covering with the remainder of the mince. Next, add the remaining pasta to the cheese sauce and pour over the top of the meat.
Place in an oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 Centigrade. Turn out on to a serving dish and garnish with sliced parsley or watercress and a few extra tomato slices.
To Make the Cheese Sauce:
280 ml milk
1/4 carrot, peeled and roughly cut
1/4 onion, studded with a clove
1/2 small sprig parsley
bouquet garni
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground black pepper
60g butter
60g plain flour
60g grated Cheddar cheese
Method:
Heat the milk with the carrot, cloved studded onion, parsley, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring the milk almost to the boil, remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a large pan but do not overheat. Remove from the heat, add the flour and blend well together. Cook the roux for 3 minutes, remove from the heat and gradually add the warm, strained milk. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring . Add the grated cheese.
Cooking the Macaroni:
Most outer packaging of pasta has instructions on how to cook them. In case, you have thrown the packaging away, this is how you cook pasta. Put some clean water into a deep saucepan. The water level should cover the pasta. Add 1 tabsp of cooking oil in to the water. Put the saucepan on the heat and add in the pasta. Cook till the water boils.The pasta is cooked in about 7-8 minutes.Drain tthe water and toss tha pasta.
(The oil is added to prevent the pasta from sticking together)
Basic Beef Casserole
Stews are made from tougher cuts of meat and cooked for at least more than one hour to tenderise the meat. Meat tenderizers can be used to help speed up the tendering process. Wherever, available the leaf of the jackfruit tree can be added to the stew as a tenderizer. A more scientific method I learn from a cousin is to put 2 steel tablespoons into the pot. The reason being the metal spoon increases the temperature of the liquid and hence helps hasten the cooking. Sounds logical but I have never tried it.
Today I am going to post the basic beef casserole recipe. Casseroles are different from stews as everything that needs cooking is placed in a dish (called the casserole) and cooked in the oven. No stirring is required, only a low to medium oven temperature. However, it is similar to stewing in the sense that it needs a longer time to cook.
BASIC BEEF CASSEROLE
1 1/2 lbs (or 700g) stewing beef steak
a scoop of seasoned flour, or flour mixed with a soup base
1 tablespoon butter
100g onions, skinned and chopped
210ml stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
bouquet garni.( You can use kaffir lime leaf or curry leaves as alternatives to bouquet garni.)
(makes 1 casserole, serves 4)
TO MAKE:
Cut the meat into 1 cm to 1 1/2 cm cubes, and toss into seasoned flour.Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onions until beginning to brown. Remove from the pan, draining well. Fry the meat a little at a time until brown all over. Place the meat and and oniuons in a casserole. Sprinkle the remaining flour into the fat left in the pan, stir in the stock and bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, add bouquet garni and pour over the meat. Cover and cook in the oven at 190 degrees C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
To make the casserole a wholesome meal, you may add potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and radish.
The casserole is best eaten with hard crust bread, or unleavened bread such as chapatti or parathas.
Today I am going to post the basic beef casserole recipe. Casseroles are different from stews as everything that needs cooking is placed in a dish (called the casserole) and cooked in the oven. No stirring is required, only a low to medium oven temperature. However, it is similar to stewing in the sense that it needs a longer time to cook.
BASIC BEEF CASSEROLE
1 1/2 lbs (or 700g) stewing beef steak
a scoop of seasoned flour, or flour mixed with a soup base
1 tablespoon butter
100g onions, skinned and chopped
210ml stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
bouquet garni.( You can use kaffir lime leaf or curry leaves as alternatives to bouquet garni.)
(makes 1 casserole, serves 4)
TO MAKE:
Cut the meat into 1 cm to 1 1/2 cm cubes, and toss into seasoned flour.Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onions until beginning to brown. Remove from the pan, draining well. Fry the meat a little at a time until brown all over. Place the meat and and oniuons in a casserole. Sprinkle the remaining flour into the fat left in the pan, stir in the stock and bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, add bouquet garni and pour over the meat. Cover and cook in the oven at 190 degrees C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
To make the casserole a wholesome meal, you may add potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and radish.
The casserole is best eaten with hard crust bread, or unleavened bread such as chapatti or parathas.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Time to Reduce Sugar Consumption Too
This article is also adapted from articles appearing in the Sunday Star.It is a public message from CAP, the Consumers' Association of Penang.
Malaysians consume an average of 26 teaspoons of sugar per person daily, revealed a 2005 survey. And early this year, 2010, the country was ranked the world’s eighth highest sugar user. It is typical of Malaysians to want to top all the world statistics whether positively but more negatively!
In the 70s, Malaysians only consumed 17 teaspoons of sugar per person per day.
Malaysians consumed sugar in the form of, among others, soft drinks, condensed milk, flavoured drinks, junk food and even breakfast cereals. A CAP survey revealed that some drinks and food contained 10 teaspoons of sugar in one serving.
A brand of orange juice contained 40.8 teaspoons of sugar in a two-litre pack while a brand of cordial syrup had 200 teaspoons in a two-litre bottle
The International Diabetes Institute recorded Malaysia as having the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia with 800,000 cases in 2007, which was expected to increase to 1.3 million in 2010.
Sugar is said to link to over 60 ailments such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart problems, osteoporosis, kidney problems, asthma and allergies.
According to the Health Ministry’s statistics, 11.6 million of the 16 million adults nationwide are sick with a non-communicable disease like diabetes, hypertension or cancer. "Malaysia has the most overweight and obese people in Asia with 54% of the adult population either being obese or overweight," says the CAP president.
CAP also urged the Government to make it a requirement for manufacturers to graphically display the sugar content in their products by the number of teaspoons as well as colour labelling with red, orange and green indicating the sugar level as high, medium or low respectively.
“The Government should also stop advertisements of highly-sugared drinks and food during children’s television viewing hours, and educate schoolchildren and the public on the dangers of excessive sugar intake,” CAP further proposed.
It makes a lot of sense to reduce the high sugar intake in children in order to prevent teeth caries, bad teeth development and obesity in young children. We should realise that being obese is not healthy even among children as obese children make obese adults, and obese people, whether adults or children, certainly face a lot of problems. These problems are not only focused on health issues but also personality and character issues. I have noticed that some obese people tend to have low self esteem and lack confidence and social skills.
It is now time for us to reflect on our sweet habits, as well as the habits of our loved ones,before it is too late. It is wise to cut down on sweet treats, (cakes, sweets and ice-creams); and reduce or refrain from adding too much sugar in our cooking.
I have witnessed an obese boy who tragically died of diabetes at the age of 14. His diet never included plain water. He only consumed sweetened water or canned drinks. So, for parents out there, it pays to teach your offsprings good dietary habits right from when they are in their diapers.
Malaysians consume an average of 26 teaspoons of sugar per person daily, revealed a 2005 survey. And early this year, 2010, the country was ranked the world’s eighth highest sugar user. It is typical of Malaysians to want to top all the world statistics whether positively but more negatively!
In the 70s, Malaysians only consumed 17 teaspoons of sugar per person per day.
Malaysians consumed sugar in the form of, among others, soft drinks, condensed milk, flavoured drinks, junk food and even breakfast cereals. A CAP survey revealed that some drinks and food contained 10 teaspoons of sugar in one serving.
A brand of orange juice contained 40.8 teaspoons of sugar in a two-litre pack while a brand of cordial syrup had 200 teaspoons in a two-litre bottle
The International Diabetes Institute recorded Malaysia as having the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia with 800,000 cases in 2007, which was expected to increase to 1.3 million in 2010.
Sugar is said to link to over 60 ailments such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart problems, osteoporosis, kidney problems, asthma and allergies.
According to the Health Ministry’s statistics, 11.6 million of the 16 million adults nationwide are sick with a non-communicable disease like diabetes, hypertension or cancer. "Malaysia has the most overweight and obese people in Asia with 54% of the adult population either being obese or overweight," says the CAP president.
CAP also urged the Government to make it a requirement for manufacturers to graphically display the sugar content in their products by the number of teaspoons as well as colour labelling with red, orange and green indicating the sugar level as high, medium or low respectively.
“The Government should also stop advertisements of highly-sugared drinks and food during children’s television viewing hours, and educate schoolchildren and the public on the dangers of excessive sugar intake,” CAP further proposed.
It makes a lot of sense to reduce the high sugar intake in children in order to prevent teeth caries, bad teeth development and obesity in young children. We should realise that being obese is not healthy even among children as obese children make obese adults, and obese people, whether adults or children, certainly face a lot of problems. These problems are not only focused on health issues but also personality and character issues. I have noticed that some obese people tend to have low self esteem and lack confidence and social skills.
It is now time for us to reflect on our sweet habits, as well as the habits of our loved ones,before it is too late. It is wise to cut down on sweet treats, (cakes, sweets and ice-creams); and reduce or refrain from adding too much sugar in our cooking.
I have witnessed an obese boy who tragically died of diabetes at the age of 14. His diet never included plain water. He only consumed sweetened water or canned drinks. So, for parents out there, it pays to teach your offsprings good dietary habits right from when they are in their diapers.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Salt- Should we ration it in our diet?
The article below has been adapted from articles appearing the Sunday Star.
It is meant as a reminder to myself and those I care about ,on the dangers of consuming to much salt in our diet.
A survey has indicated that Malaysians not only are sweet -toothed but love salty foods as well. It is no wonder that fried salted fish is the daily diet of most people in the villages and a favorite dish during feasts.We are winners in this category as our salt intake is 25% higher than the standard set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Malaysia Diet Guildlines 2010, recommends that an adult's salt intake should not exceed one teaspoon or 5g, which was equivalent to 2,000mg sodium a day.
However, the Food Intake Among Malaysian Adults Research 2002/2003 showed that the salt intake for Malaysian adults is 2,575mg of sodium a day.This comes to about 28.75% from the Malaysia Diet Guildlines 2010, recommendation of 2,000gm of sodium a day.
The Minister of Health has been recorded to have said that "The National Health and Morbidity survey III (2006) found that the prevalence of hypertension among Malaysian adults to be 43%."
A high salt consumption can be related to various health problems such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, asthma and obesity.
In Malaysia, it is not mandatory to label the salt content in food. However, the Ministry monitors the salt content in processed food and encourage manufacturers to produce low-salt food.
Now for those who have forgotten their Chemistry, you may want to be refreshed as to what constitute the common salt.
Common Salt is the common name for sodium chloride. It is the sodium component of salt that is important. There are about 2.5g of sodium in every 6g of salt. Why do we need salt?
The body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly.Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. It also helps cells to take up nutrients.
Why is too much salt bad?
When levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases.
Many medical practitioners believe this process leads to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Excessive salt can be dangerous for young babies too.While an adult will be able to get rid of salt from the body through the kidneys into the urine, very young babies cannot process large quantities of salt as their kidneys are still immature.When they are given food with a high salt content before they are at least four months old, they may suffer from kidney, liver and brain damage. Therefore, it is best not to add salt to the foods you prepare for your baby before he/she reaches 1 year old, if you want to save your child's young and not-fully developed klidnays, liver and brain. You have to remember that what you feed your child at a young age could determine your child's future intelligence.
How much salt should we eat?
Experts recommend that adults eat 5-6g of salt a day (equivalent to one teaspoonful). It is estimated that if average consumption was cut to 6g a day, it would prevent 70,000 heart attacks and strokes a year.
And this is not just the salt you add to your food; according to many studies around the world, most of the salt we eat is already in our everyday food like bread and meat. Small amounts of sodium can be found naturally in some foods such as eggs and fish. Hence, you really do not need to add salt when cooking fresh marine fish or eggs.
The salt we sprinkle into our cooking and on cooked food accounts for only 10%-15% of our intake.Never, never place a salt condiment bottle on the table.Similarly, the practice of lacing everything you eat with soya sauce is also not encouraged. It is even worse as the soya sauce contains a lot of sugar as well.
Packaged and processed foods are thought to account for around 75% of the average person’s salt intake.
How to reduce salt intake:
How to look out for salt when shopping:
Buying food that is low in salt is one of the best ways to cut down on salt. So, before putting anything into that shopping cart, check the label to see how much salt is in the food per 100g:
Although the labelling of salt content in food is not compulsory in Malaysia, most imported goods state how much salt is in 100g of food.
Most food labels, however, give the sodium, rather than the salt content, of food.
You can still find out the amount of salt in a product by multiplying the sodium content by 2.5.
So folks, the time has come for us to adopt a better diet with less SALT. Who needs dried salted meats or fish when you can get them fresh nowadays with modern freezing and packaging methods!
It is meant as a reminder to myself and those I care about ,on the dangers of consuming to much salt in our diet.
A survey has indicated that Malaysians not only are sweet -toothed but love salty foods as well. It is no wonder that fried salted fish is the daily diet of most people in the villages and a favorite dish during feasts.We are winners in this category as our salt intake is 25% higher than the standard set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Malaysia Diet Guildlines 2010, recommends that an adult's salt intake should not exceed one teaspoon or 5g, which was equivalent to 2,000mg sodium a day.
However, the Food Intake Among Malaysian Adults Research 2002/2003 showed that the salt intake for Malaysian adults is 2,575mg of sodium a day.This comes to about 28.75% from the Malaysia Diet Guildlines 2010, recommendation of 2,000gm of sodium a day.
The Minister of Health has been recorded to have said that "The National Health and Morbidity survey III (2006) found that the prevalence of hypertension among Malaysian adults to be 43%."
A high salt consumption can be related to various health problems such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, asthma and obesity.
In Malaysia, it is not mandatory to label the salt content in food. However, the Ministry monitors the salt content in processed food and encourage manufacturers to produce low-salt food.
Now for those who have forgotten their Chemistry, you may want to be refreshed as to what constitute the common salt.
Common Salt is the common name for sodium chloride. It is the sodium component of salt that is important. There are about 2.5g of sodium in every 6g of salt. Why do we need salt?
The body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly.Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. It also helps cells to take up nutrients.
Why is too much salt bad?
When levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases.
Many medical practitioners believe this process leads to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Excessive salt can be dangerous for young babies too.While an adult will be able to get rid of salt from the body through the kidneys into the urine, very young babies cannot process large quantities of salt as their kidneys are still immature.When they are given food with a high salt content before they are at least four months old, they may suffer from kidney, liver and brain damage. Therefore, it is best not to add salt to the foods you prepare for your baby before he/she reaches 1 year old, if you want to save your child's young and not-fully developed klidnays, liver and brain. You have to remember that what you feed your child at a young age could determine your child's future intelligence.
How much salt should we eat?
Experts recommend that adults eat 5-6g of salt a day (equivalent to one teaspoonful). It is estimated that if average consumption was cut to 6g a day, it would prevent 70,000 heart attacks and strokes a year.
And this is not just the salt you add to your food; according to many studies around the world, most of the salt we eat is already in our everyday food like bread and meat. Small amounts of sodium can be found naturally in some foods such as eggs and fish. Hence, you really do not need to add salt when cooking fresh marine fish or eggs.
The salt we sprinkle into our cooking and on cooked food accounts for only 10%-15% of our intake.Never, never place a salt condiment bottle on the table.Similarly, the practice of lacing everything you eat with soya sauce is also not encouraged. It is even worse as the soya sauce contains a lot of sugar as well.
Packaged and processed foods are thought to account for around 75% of the average person’s salt intake.
How to reduce salt intake:
- Remove or cut down salt in cooking. Use herbs, spices and other seasonings to enhance flavour.
- Carefully monitor the salt content of processed food you consume. Choose products with lower sodium content.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables - they contain potassium which balances the effect of salt on the body.
- When eating out, make smart choices like asking for your food without salt or for dressings or sauces on the side, so you can only have as much as you need.
How to look out for salt when shopping:
Buying food that is low in salt is one of the best ways to cut down on salt. So, before putting anything into that shopping cart, check the label to see how much salt is in the food per 100g:
Although the labelling of salt content in food is not compulsory in Malaysia, most imported goods state how much salt is in 100g of food.
Most food labels, however, give the sodium, rather than the salt content, of food.
You can still find out the amount of salt in a product by multiplying the sodium content by 2.5.
So folks, the time has come for us to adopt a better diet with less SALT. Who needs dried salted meats or fish when you can get them fresh nowadays with modern freezing and packaging methods!
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