| TOPIC - Food |
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Are dried blueberries as nutritious as fresh blueberries?
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| Answer |
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If you compare one dried blueberry to one fresh blueberry, the nutrient content is less due to
the dehydration process. In particular, the water-soluble vitamins (such as Vitamin C and the
B vitamins) are lost when the water is removed. However, if you compare 100 gram of dried fruit
to 100 gram of the fresh, you will more nutrients in the dried fruit as there is more blueberries
per gram weight. I understand it takes 6 to 7 lbs of fresh blueberries to make 1 lb of dried
blueberries. Dried blueberries are a good way to get your fruit in as they are convenient and
readily available. Blueberries, in general, are rich in anthocyanins and phenolics which are
powerful antioxidants.
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My sister feeds my nephew hot dogs constantly. He is two and a half, and I would like some
information on how unhealthy hot dogs can be.
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| Answer |
The problem with hot dogs is that they are extremely high in fat - up to 82% in fat by calories.
"The average 1.6 ounce hot dog is about 150 calories, and contains about 13 grams of fat and 450
milligrams of sodium", according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Saturated fat make
up about 5 grams of the total fat content. If your sister would like to continue giving hot dogs
as part of a nutritionally balanced diet for your nephew, she may want to choose lower fat options
such as reduced fat or fat free versions; chicken or turkey dogs which run about 115 cal and 9
grams of fat; and veggie or tofu dogs which has 115 cal and 6 grams of fat.
The other reason that some people find hot dogs objectionable is that most of them contain "variety
meat" or "meat by-products" such as liver, kidneys, ground up bone, fat & skin. These will be
labelled as such in the ingredient listing.
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What is the calorie for 1 tea bag as well as coffee?
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Tea (tea leaves or teabags) and coffee (instant powder or brewed from beans) by themselves without
any added milk, creamer or sugar has zero calories. Just be very careful to check that the
ingredient content to see that sugar or creamer have not been added to ready-to-use tea or coffee
packets if you are concerned about their calorie content.
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May I know what is evaporated skim milk?
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Evaporated milk is milk that has had 50% of its water removed and sold as a liquid in cans.
Evaporated skim milk starts out with skim milk (which has only 0.5% fat) and then the water is
removed from it leaving a concentrated milk product that is low in fat. In comparison, the
regular evaporated milk (which is made from whole milk) has up to 13% fat in it. Thus if you
are looking for a low-fat milk product to cook with (ie. make curries) or to add to your coffee,
evaporated skim milk is a good choice.
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| Question |
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I have been eating 8 eggs daily for the past few months. Is this ok for an active individual
who exercises daily? The yolk has a lot of vitamins and minerals to replenish my body,
while the white provides protein for repair. But I am slightly concerned about the cholesterol
in the yolk.
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| Answer |
Eggs provide high quality protein, however, they are not the only food source. Other good
sources include lean meats, fish, poultry and dairy products. In terms of vitamins and
minerals, fruits, vegetables and whole grain products are rich sources. So if you are concerned
about getting enough vitamins, minerals and protein, you should include all of the above. In
addition, you should be eating a variety of foods for a well-balanced diet. One food item alone
cannot provide you with all the nutrients you need.
You are getting a high amount of cholesterol in the 8 yolks that you eat daily - about 200-250 mg per
yolk. The Dietary Guidelines recommends that we limit our cholesterol intake to no more than 300
mg per day. I suggest that you limit your egg intake to no more than one yolk per day
(egg whites are not a problem) and include other food following guidelines from the
Food Guide Pyramid.
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| Question |
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Is half boiled egg high in calories?
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One large egg has about 75 calories and 200 mg of cholesterol. If it is half boiled,
there is no additional calories or fat added to it. If you fry it, count another
25-50 calories for the added fat.
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| Question |
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I would like to know if drinking milk bubble tea is harmful to health and how much
calories does each cup contains. Is the pearls in the bubble tea high in calories?
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| Answer |
Most bubble tea, also known as pearl tea, tapioca tea, boba, and milk tea, contains
brewed black or green tea, tapioca pearls, milk and honey or sugar. Some of them are
blended with fruit juice and other flavourings as well. I do not see that any of the above
ingredients being harmful as long as they were handled hygienically.
The amount of calories will depend the size of your cup and also the type of milk bubble tea
you order. One source gives the calories for a basic milk bubble tea with tapioca pearls at
about 360 calories per 16 oz cup. Rumour has it that 7 pearls are about 100 calories and there
are about 30 pearls in a drink. That makes each serving of bubble tea very high in calories
when you compare it to a cup of regular tea with milk & sugar which is only 60 calories
per cup!
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I like to eat peanuts a lot, are peanuts low in fat and high in cholesterol?
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Peanuts are very high in fat per serving as are most nuts, although they do not
contain any cholesterol since they are plant products. Cholesterol is found only
in foods from animal product such as meat, eggs, dairy products, butter, etc.
Dry-roasted peanuts have about 585 calories and 50 grams fat per 100 grams - that
makes it 77% of the calories is from fat! If you eat a lot of peanuts, you should
be aware that you are consuming a lot of fat as well.
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| Question |
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I'm constantly getting hungry after about 3 hours after each meal although I've 3 main
meals. I realised that food that are high in fats content will put my hunger away longer.
How can I cut down my calories or eat less without always feeling hungry?
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| Answer |
Being hungry 3 hours after you last ate is farily normal. If you would like to go longer
between meals, you may add some protein foods to your meals such as having a boiled
egg or peanut butter with your bread instead of just plain bread at breakfast. Protein
foods take longer to digest than carbohydrate, so it will keep you full longer. Also
taking high fibre foods delays gastric (stomach) emptying, so have wholemeal bread instead
of white bread or if you really don't like wholemeal bread, try high fibre white bread.
Fat does keep you full longer (ie. it has a high satiety value), but too much fat is not
healthy. Protein foods will do the same, plus most protein food contain fat as well.
If you are hungry between meals, you can have a low calorie snack such as a piece of fruit
or soda crackers or pretzels. It will keep you going to the next meal and does not contribute
that many calories.
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| Question |
How much calories are there in a cup of tea or coffee with creamer and sugar ?
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If you are taking 3-in-1 coffee or tea, it is approximately 58-65 calories per sachet with
3 grams total fat of which 2 grams is saturated fat. If you add sugar & creamer to your
coffee and tea, each level teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories and powdered creamer is 11 calories
per level teaspoon, 60% of the calories from fat. So if you put 2 level teaspoons each of
sugar and creamer in a cup of coffee/tea, it will have 54 calories per cup.
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| Question |
Is it true that we can reduce weight by cutting down our rice portion?
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Rice is a carbohydrate (or starch) like bread, noodles, cereal, pasta and other grains.
They are burned in our body to provide us energy for daily living. As well they provide
us with some vitamins, minerals and fibre especially if they are wholegrain or unprocessed
(like wholemeal or multigrain bread, brown rice, bran cereal).
Rice & other starches, without added fats, are not very high calories -- about 200
calories per cup (250 ml) of cooked rice. If you fry the rice/noodle or add butter to
bread, the calories almost doubles. So if you are trying to reduce weight, you would
look at your overall diet. If you are eating a lot of rice, you can cut back on the quantity.
However, you would not reducing your caloric intake if you increase your meat intake
as a result. Generally cut back on the amount of food that you eat, plus have less fried
and high-fat food. Also do some activity 3-4 times per week to burn extra calories.
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When we feel hungry, does it mean that we have used up the food that we have consumed?
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Hunger is triggered by the release of hormones to our brain telling it that the blood
sugar level is dropping. This happens when most of the glycogen (glucose) stored in our
liver (& to a lesser extent in the muscle) is used up. That does not mean that ALL the
food we have consumed previously has been used up. Some of the food such as proteins,
vitamins & minerals are absorbed by the body to replace daily needs. Other nutrients
such as carbohydrate is broken down and used for energy. It also replaces any glycogen,
which is a form of stored quick energy, in the liver & muscle that has been used up.
However, because we have limited capacity to store glycogen in our body, the remaining
(or excess) energy is converted to fat and stored.
So the short answer to your question is: No, hunger is not an indication that you have used
up all the food you have consumed, but rather that your quick-energy stores are depleted and
your blood sugar is dropping and need re-fuelling.
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| Question |
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I am trying to lose weight. I take oatmeal (Quakers) in place of rice. Will this diet work?
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1 cup of cooked oatmeal has about 145 calories while 1 cup of cooked rice has about 200 calories.
You save about 50 calories per cup. Whether eating one over the other will help you lose weight
depends on how much oatmeal you eat relative to rice. For every 3500 calories you reduce, you
should lose 1 lb.
Keep in mind that it is not just rice you should be concerned with if you are trying to lose
weight, you need to look at the rest of your diet too. Cut back on overall portions, as well as
high fat and high sugar foods.
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