Merry Christmas !!

Well I know that I’m a little early with the Christmas wishes….. but today is my last blog for the year. I absolutely love Christmas. I still get as excited as I used to when I was a child. So, I thought I’d share a little bit about what a ‘normal’ Christmas in Australia is [...]

The most offensive 4 Letter word: D.I.E.T

When I hear the word ‘Diet’ it’s almost as painful as hearing fingernails scratch down a blackboard. It’s become the most misunderstood and misused word I can think of.

“I need to go on a Diet” “My diet starts on Monday” as well as all of those rediculous money making schemes: “Lemon Detox Diet, South Beach Diet, Blood Type Diet” blah blah blah blah

Effectively what we’ve been conditioned into thinking is that “Diets” are all about these temporary stages in your life (say 3 – 4 weeks) where the goal is to lose weight in a hurry – eating as little as you can – not caring about energy or nourishment – cutting out important food groups. Of course the outcome for many that go on ‘diets’ is that it’s painful and hard to achieve for any length of time, they’re starving, tired, have no energy, yes they may lose weight but when they return to eating normally again, will gain weight back on. The net result for most is being very disappointed and using the word DIET like it’s an offensively naughty 4-letter word.

The Biggest Loser Asia: Episode 3

I’m going to have another whinge about last nights episode. (Maybe I should give up watching) This time I’m going to have a whinge about the weigh in and scales. There were a number of contestants that had much smaller weight loss on the scales from the previous week and one person unfortunately didn’t lose anything. You can see it on their faces and I can completely empathise with how they feel considering they’ve worked their butts off all week for little to no results. WHICH IS WHY – WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT MORE THAN WHAT YOU WEIGH ON A SET OF SCALES, it’s about your body shape, composition and function.

Outrigger Racing at Sentosa

Took part in my 1st outrigger race at Sentosa. The first race was a 12 km race the length of the island, up and around a few buoys. We got off to a bad start as we got sandwiched inbetween the other Aussie boat and the rookies. The rookies should have moved over to give us some more room – but with currents & waves & rookie drivers – it ended up in a little bit of a crash. Later in the afternoon we then did Mixed team race. I guess the best way to describe it was like a relay.

THE BIGGEST LOSER ASIA: EPISODE 2

I have mixed emotions about episode 2. As an exercise physiologist I saw a few negatives in the show that highlight what not to do if you’re trying to lose weight. I’m sure they have a strong team of medics available to attend to the contestants and of course they have to dramatise things so the show is watchable – but here are some negative things that stuck out for me:

Nutrition Info: Calories in Hainanese Chicken Rice

There is no doubt that Singapore has a diverse and delicious range of food and for Singaporeans, eating is a way of life. A typical greeting is “Have you taken your lunch yet?” or “Lets go makan”. For newbies to the country it can be quite overwhelming and it’s expected that you sample your way [...]

Rum Balls & Apricot Balls – Merry Christmas!!

Well it’s nearly that time of year again…….. and I’m not necessarily referring to Santa Claus arriving – I’m referring to the pain staking task of making Rum Balls & Apricot Balls. All too fast I forget about gummy apricots, how long it takes to chop them, hours of rolling them into little balls, sticky [...]

Singaporean Chilli Crab

The number one thing you must eat in Singapore is Chilli Crab. Uniquely Singaporean, there are many variations of preparation including Steamed, Black Pepper, Butter and Breaded but in my humble opinion Chilli is the best. Look in any cookbook at the recipe and you’ll find that the tangy gravy base is made simply from a bottle of tomato sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Considering one tablespoon of these sugar laden sauces contain about 50 calories, this is yet another calorie loaded Singapore meal.

Read more to find out The Health Guru’s advice how to stop weight gain when eating Chilli Crab.

Dragon Boating: American Thanksgiving Challenge

I took part in my 1st Thanksgiving Challenge over the weekend. A ‘fun’ race was organised in Kallang River where we had to paddle through a set course with stations to complete succesfully in order to collect letters to spell our T.U.R.K.E.Y (now I say ‘fun’ as I’m sure it’s supposed to mean we’re less [...]

How Food IS Killing You: Sugar (Sucrose)

I’m about to tell you something a little controversial. I believe that sugar is the most crippling ‘drug problem’ that the world is currently facing. Yes – I did say drug. Why? Because as the world is now flooded with pre-packaged / manufactured foods and drinks containing mountains of sugar – the harmful effects are [...]

Easy protein snack bars

I am loving the slim secrets protein bars lately…

Such a quick & easy thing to carry with you so if you’re out you don’t have to buy an unhealthy snack if you start to feel a little hungry.

Only 120 – 145 calories.

12 - 13 g of Protein, 7 – 10g Carbs & Less than 4g Fat

They [...]

Penang: The Verdict

Well I survived the weekend in Penang. At the last minute I was assigned a friends parents as tour guides to give me the inside knowledge of the island.

I saw Fort Cornwallis, Clock Tower, Ferringhi Beach, Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Batik Factory, Gurney Plaza, Gurney Drive, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (aka Blue Mansion), Khoo Kongsi [...]

The Biggest Loser Asia: Episode 1

Well I’m sorry to say that I only caught the last 20 minutes of the first episode of The Biggest Loser Asia (already set my alarm for next week) – but my friend ‘K’ has filled me in.

She mentioned that the trainers placed a ‘healthy, portion controlled meal’ in front of the contestants and one [...]

Nutrition Facts: Calories in Cocktails

Let’s face it. Cocktails taste delicious.

They look good, taste delicious and really get the party started. But what alot of people don’t consider is how many unnecessary calories & sugar they are happily drinking.

The average cocktail contains 2 x 30ml pours of liquor (average about 90 calories / 30ml). They are then mixed with either [...]

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Guest_4235 : HI, I started to have Starbucks breakfast recently. the sandwiches and wraps looks much healthier than other fast food joints'. I did research on their official website, where I can only find US breakfast items. SG's food items are slightly different, and their local website did not capture any.Could you please help to get some info on that? I love their egg white redpepper mushroom wrap.

Guest_1550 : i hope you post more articles on the calories! probably the kind of noodles or rice calories, along with the fruit juices!

Guest_124 : «link»
Rid : Like your blog, perhaps a compilation of top 10 hawker stall healthy food. For foreigners who don't completely understand the food, eating out on a diet is often difficult. =)
Guest_262 : YEA!! please advise more of the new year goodies nutriution facts!
Guest_2848 : HI, Nat, can you give some advise on CNY food? Yu Sheng, pork jerks and dumplings. Thanks!!!
Guest_2077 : I hope you can update more often
Guest_218 : Hello! could you do a post on nutritional content of local snacks - for example soon kueh, ang ku kueh, and malay kuehs. Thanks so much!
Fat belly : Hello! I'm confused. I've read protein helps in weight loss, but some articles mention it helps to gain weight! So which is the right one? I don't wan to end up gaining instead of losing. Please help! Thanks!=)
Ri here!!! : I love the article....
Guest_3919 : Hello
belmont : Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the nutrition info articles.
Guest_3506 : how much calories in white wheel shaped pellet snacks
s1190 : Hi there, I read a lot of your articles in one go. Great information, great work ! In a few articles you mention 400-500 calories a meal/dish is considered a lot / almost half of requirement. And the average female only need 1200 calories /day and men 1500 / day. I suppose that's basal metabolic rate right ? So If the person do some sedentary activities, the calories needed is more. It's hard to believe that 1200/1500 is the standard. Minus 500 Kcal to lose weight then all day long i could onl
Guest_2834 : Nat, totally agree with your post on bad PT. My previous PT always texting on his phone, ANNOYING~! and it was very awesome of you to post an artical supporting Pauline~!
Guest_2822 : Hello, I understand you did a post on Mr Bean nutritional content before! I recently visited their website and found out that they have a comprehensive listing of their product nutritional information. Simply go to their website and there is this nutritional information button (in a small balloon) for each of their product category under the "products tab"
Guest_3745 : Hi! Would love to know whether there is a significant difference if we ask for evaporated milk instead of coconut milk in certain desserts, e.g. Chendol, Or is it about the same calories since evaporated milk is fattening too? Thanks!
Sally : Hi Nat. I was wondering if you could do a segment on Pepper Lunch. I love that restaurant, but have heard that it is quite unhealthy. Thanks!
Cheryl : Hi Guru, I was wondering, would it be better to not snack at all, or snack on "healthy snacks that can aid weight loss" for example nuts, certain fruit (in moderation)... Because I have a tendency to snack a lot even when Im not hungry. Recently I did try to cut down on my snacking, but a part of me says that these snacks are healthy so I snack even more -.- so.... Any advice? Healthy snack or no snack at all?
Guest_160 : i love this cite so much!! thank you nat!
Guest_3627 : Update leh
Rachel : @Winnie: TaoKaeNoi's grilled seaweed is pretty low-cal and very yummy, only 15 cals for one whole big sheet! The classic flavour is nice. The other 2 are quite spicy.
Rachel : Hi healthguru, please do up another post on bubble tea! It'd be nice to know the actual calorie counts of at least the basic milk tea with pearls for each different brand (koi, gingcha, each a cup, sweet talk) etc as certain brands are notably less milky and creamy than others. Would really appreciate it xx
Winnie : Hi there! Thanks for your really informative and interesting articles! I wanted to ask you more about healthy snacks other than the ones you've mentioned from xndo. Do you have any tips for simple, cheap, low cal yet healthy snacks that we can get at most supermarkets? Would you recommend popcorn or nata de coco? Thanks!
Guest_120 : i eat pau too, thought its steamed n it shd be less sinful, but seems to gain weight by eating it every snack time in morning though.
Melanthe : Sorry, and all kinds of pau too! As I eat pau every morning and i am extremely curious.
Melanthe : Please do a calorie count for Jollibean pancakes- rounds, normal and crispy ones, with all the flavours: green tea, red bean, peanut butter and cheese!
tommy : Hello, I would like to know what's the daily intake requirements for male, age 34 - calories, fat, carbo, sodium or any important things that i should note in my daily meal plans.
Guest_1826 : Hey, could you do a review of the food in Cedele (especially the cakes and sandwiches)? A lot of Singaporeans tend to think that it's a place for healthy dining, but I am a bit skeptical. After all, cakes still do contain a lot of sugar don't they? How healthy can it be?
Guest_3475 : Hello health guru, I hope you can write a post on jollibean pancakes. Because they sell a variety of pancakes and I don't think they have the same amount of calorie as compared to mr bean. For example they sell peanut roll which is a lot bigger then mr bean's pancake.
Guest_2131 : Do u have a breakdown of all types if pau? (yan, redbean)
Guest_4047 : Hi! I had a bowl of Laksa the other day with fish, shrimp and noodles and it was amazing. However, I reckon there are quite a few calories in such a bowl from all the coconut milk added?
Guest_3664 : Hi, i love fillet o fish frm mcdonald. Always ordered one without tartar sauce, how many calories will that be?
Guest_60 : Hi Health Guru, does belgium waffles have more calorie then a 6 inch waffle?
Guest_682 : Hi, what's the breakdown for Lao Ban tau huay (aka beancurd)?
Guest_4220 : Hi Health guru, i'm curious about the nutritional facts for mc d soft serve ice-cream. how can it be so sweet and nice and only 150kcal? is the info reliable?
Guest_2835 : hey your blog is very informative! is it possible to do a write up for jollibean pancakes like you did for mr bean? thank you!
Guest_1872 : Thanks for answering my enquires regardign waffles.
Guest_1960 : Hi We are a group of NUS students doing a survey on Body Image Perceptions among Singaporeans. Pls take 2 min to fill in this short survey. «link» Thanks!
Guest_3774 : Does 60g of waffle equals to 7 inch of waffle?

The Health Guru

Facts, Hints, Tips, Advice and Inspiration on everything to do about health & weight loss.