Cortisol: The ’stress’ hormone

Are you having trouble sleeping? Finding it hard to lose weight? Putting on weight, especially in your stomach? Feeling stressed? Have increased Blood Pressure and Cholesterol? YES? You could have a cortisol imbalance.

Cortisol is a type of hormone produced by the body. It is referred to as the “stress” hormone since people produce greater levels of [...]

Research: A laugh a day keeps the doctor away!

Researchers at a California University have discovered that laughing is like ‘internal jogging’ and has a positive effect on our body similar to moderate exercise.

The study conducted required volunteers to watch 20 minutes of comedies / stand-up jokes and found after their session a dramatic drop in stress hormones, blood pressure and cholesterol resulted. This [...]

Nutrition Info: Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee is a fried noodle dish popular in Singapore and throughout Malaysia. However – when you order in both countries you are likely to get many different meals! So confusing! Hokkien Mee Singapore style uses a mixture of yellow egg and white rice noodles that are stir fried in lard and served dry (i.e. [...]

Research Findings: Protein dominant breakfasts help you lose weight

In a recent study 21 men ate two different breakfasts on separate days. Day 1 consisted of a protein-dominant breakfast of scrambled eggs and white toast. Day 2 consisted of a carbohydrate-rich breakfast of a plain bagel, low-fat cream cheese and low-fat yoghurt.

Both breakfasts contained exactly the same number of kilojoules.

The study revealed the protein [...]

Digestive Problems: Indigestion

Indigestion is a very common complaint that occurs from digestion. Here’s what’s happening when you experience Indigestion:

For comfortable digestion to occur, the stomach lining should secrete just the right amount of acid at the right time – no more, no less. If the lining pours out acid when the stomach is empty (which can happen [...]

I completed the 43km Outrigger race!

What an amazing experience paddling in the Gold Coast Cup Outrigger race. I just can’t wait to do it all again. As a team we all would have liked to do a little better but there were so many positives to take home from it all.

We finished the race hard & strong
We completed the course [...]

Gold Coast Cup Outrigger Race, 2010.

This weekend I’ll be heading down to Queensland, Australia to take part in the Gold Coast Cup. It’s a 43km paddling race in outrigger canoes. The event begins down on the New South Wales border at Coolangatta and we paddle north up the coast finishing at Surfers Paradise.
Our team has put in a lot of [...]

Digestive Problems: What is Reflux and Heartburn?

Digestion doesn’t always work perfectly. It’s very common for people to experience some issues and complaints at some stage of their life concerning this important function of the body. Here’s what’s happening if you experience Reflux or Heartburn.

Reflux: The circular muscles of the stomach have the job of keeping the food in the stomach long [...]

What is my stomach doing?

Ever wondered what your stomach is doing when it rumbles? When you burp? Or why you vomit?Here’s the answers….
Stomach Rumbles: When your stomach is empty and you are hungry or anticipating eating, the stomach contracts and just squeezes air, making the noise experienced as “rumblings.”
Burping: Most burping occurs due to the swallowing of air. When [...]

Ever wondered how digestion occurs?

It’s probably been a long time since you’ve had to think about what occurs during digestion. So here’s a step-by-step revision for you on how we digest, process and eliminate food.

1. Digestion begins in the brain: Smelling and seeing food prepare digestive juices in the intestines.

2. Chewing: Your teeth break down food into smaller particles, [...]

Listen up people: Fat Doesn’t Just Dissolve

As much as everyone is looking for the easy way out of this problem or just wants a ‘quick fix’ – don’t be fooled by claims by beauty centres, slimming spas or anything similar – Fat doesn’t dissolve and they can’t be zapped away.

These ‘fat dissolving’ procedures called by names such as lipodissolve, mesotherapy, lipozap, [...]

Nutrition Information: Fried Bee Hoon

Fried Bee Hoon is a popular Singaporean meal often taken for Breakfast and is simple enough to be cooked at home and also found in local food courts. ‘Bee Hoon’ is the name given to rice vermicelli or thin noodles made from rice.

This meal consists of the bee hoon as the base and then a [...]

What’s the difference between Prebiotics and Probiotics?

As the competition intensifies to provide healthy food products – more ingredients are being added to modify the profiles of food to promote health.

I frequently get asked: What is the difference between a product containing Prebiotics and Probiotics? Are they the same thing or not? And what do they do?

Both are scientifically recognized as components [...]

Beginner Recipe #3: Healthy Italian Meatballs

Here is another easy to make, healthy, low fat meal. Best of all – they freeze well. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

650g buying online lean beef mince

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

2 x green onions (shallots), chopped

2 x tablespoons chopped oregano (dried is ok to use if you can’t find fresh)

2 x garlic cloves, chopped

2 x 400g cans diced Italian tomatoes

½ [...]

Review your New Years Resolution Goals

By now the New Years Resolution ‘honeymoon’ is over. Most people typically stick to their promise for the first few weeks then gradually return to bad habits. So now is the time to review your goals!

Ask yourself – Have I achieved these goals? If you have – keep going (or set new ones) and [...]

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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.