The Health Guru

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

Nutrition Info: McDonalds Soft Serve Ice-cream cones

McDonalds Ice-cream cone

Someone recently asked me about the nutrition of a McDonalds soft serve ice-cream aka:  ‘McDonalds cone’ and why it was so sweet and nice and only had 150 calories.  Could that be true?

From my research, this is what McDonalds states as the correct nutrition for their ice-creams.

Nutrition of McDonalds Ice-cream in a cone:  Serving Size:  [...]

Australia – The Fattest Nation

svGRAPHIC-420x0An alarming report has recently highlighted that AUSTRALIA has now become the fattest nation in the world (overtaking the USA).  The statistics have shown 9 millions adults are classed as overweight or obese according to their BMI status.  The question is – ARE YOU ONE OF THESE 9 MILLION PEOPLE?  If you are, there are [...]

Nutrition Info: Calories in Fish Ball Noodles

Fish Ball Noodle "dry"

Fish Ball Noodles is a dish containing fishballs served with noodles of different kinds is an extremely popular Singaporean dish. The dish can be served either in a soup or “dry” with the soup on the side. In the dry variety the noodles are cooked with lard, soya sauce, chilli and/or tomato sauce.

The type of [...]

Nutrition Info: Singapore Economy Rice Meals

Economy Rice Selections

In Singapore one of the cheapest meal deals you can find in the local hawker food centres are the “Economy Rice” stalls.  They consist of pre-prepared dishes such as braised tofu, black pepper chicken, sweet & sour fish / pork / chicken, sambal fish, ommelete and many variations of vegetables just to name a few.

First [...]

Nutrition Info: Soba Noodles

Buckwheat seeds

Soba noodles originate from Japan and are made with at least 30% buckwheat flour and the remainder is wheat flour.  They are similar to spaghetti noodles except light brown in colour.  They are an extremely healthy choice, here’s why:

What is Buckwheat? It is a fruit seed that is gluten free.

Health Benefits of Buckwheat:

Excellent source [...]

The Meat Monster Burger

The Meat Monster Burger.

This is not a promotion… this is an “oh my god” moment.  As if super sizing meals and add-ons (drinks / fries / onion rings / desserts) weren’t enough – Burger King (in Japan only) have launched The Meat Monster Burger.   A burger packed with 2 beef patties, 1 chicken fillet, 3 bacon rashers, 2 [...]

Lose 1kg in 2 Weeks

I believe in being realistic.  So I shout at you: DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN DROP 5+KGS IN 3 WEEKS.  This is outrageous.  If you starve yourself you might achieve this, but the second you eat again that weight is going straight back on. Then what’s the point starving yourself for nothing?

Next question:  Do you [...]

Nutrition Information: Nasi Lemak

nasi-lemak1Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia (that’s an unofficial statement!)  It’s available everywhere you look any time of the day – breakfast, second breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper – I think you get the picture!  Best of all, it’s extremely versatile and can be served with anything and everything from [...]

Plan ahead – Don’t get caught without a healthy snack

When you’re trying to manage your weight or stay healthy it’s accepted that we plan ahead for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner – but alot of people get caught out when they don’t plan a healthy snack or take ‘just incase’ snacks with them on an outing.

For me – it’s shopping.  I always end up shopping [...]

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

I hate the word DietWhen 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.

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:

Rum Balls & Apricot Balls – Merry Christmas!!

Rum Balls & Apricot BallsWell 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 [...]

How Food IS Killing You: Sugar (Sucrose)

Sugar Sugar SugarI’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 [...]


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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?
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