1. 36 Natural Health * August 2011 VOL 11
FOOD & Nutrition
So who are the
culprits?
L
ife as you know it has evolved with
time. These days, our bodily needs
i.e., food, is largely depended on
processed food, which I might add, sees large
food corporations laughing their way to the
bank. With the struggling economy we are
drawn to make decisions at the grocery store
based on what’s in our pocket rather than the
health needs of our body.
For years, health experts have identified
several major factors which are held largely
responsible for the way we have turned out -
Diet, Processed Foods, Alcohol and Sedentary
Lifestyle...
Diet
The first is of course is related to the nature
of the food eaten.
During the last half century or so, food aisles
have seen great expansion in the number of
convenient and processed foods available in
the market. Most of these foods are laden
with hidden fats, especially trans-fat, sugar,
MSG and bear little resemblance to their
original raw materials.
Let’s take a look at a scenario of a modern
household. There is no one at home during
the day. Adults are at work and children, at
school. On returning home, mothers may feel
Syam K of Colourful Appetite

2. 37Natural Health * August 2011 VOL 11
FOOD & Nutrition
too tired to think about cooking, therefore the easiest way is resort
to quick and convenient food, where one just has to place
‘dinner’ in a microwave and ta da... dinner is served!
Another norm is the much sought-after
‘tah-paw’. Often adults and children
eat at different times and there is no
opportunity to prepare and eat a family
meal except for weekends, which may
seem rare as many would rather grab
“meals” at a drive-thru!
Remember the good old days, when we
used to get daily home cooked meals to be
prepared from raw ingredients on a daily basis
and for a family to sit down and eat their dinner
together... back then children understood the
connection between the food on their plates
and the raw ingredients from which it came.
Kids these days have very little idea about
the origins of the food that they eat and do
not realise how much it has been altered
during processing. Try asking the young ones...
“where does milk come from?” Chances are,
the answer would be “supermarket”... the same
answer is also given for chicken as well!
The truth of the matter is, children don’t know much
about nature’s abundance because very little emphasis is given to
home-cooking – so they have no idea how food is prepared and
made! Is this what we want to leave our kids with?
Processed foods
The expansion in manufactured and processed foods has seen an
enormous rise in the availability of snacks which are designed to
be served as ‘junk’ food! Sure, they taste good. But ask yourself
this..."Is this what my body really needs?"
These so called "snacks" are more often than not fat induced... there
has been studies that show, folks who generally snack on junk food
too much, tend to get fat, fall ill and die prematurely...
Alcohol
Drinking sets the wheels in motion for many
parties...
When was the last time you looked yourself in the
mirror... i mean really looked? Notice that small
pouch around your tummy? Well, congratulations...
you have just piled on extra calories - thanks to
your drinking habits - alcohol that is!
You see, drinking is often accompanied by
eating high calorie snack foods and so you can
see for yourself, just how easily a few evenings of
socialising can add to the overall risk of weight gain.
Imagine those after party eating; we would actually
park ourselves on a bench at a 'mamak stall' for some hot
'teh tarik, nasi lemak and roti chanai' then head home to bed...
and then you wonder... 'where did the extra pounds come from'?
Sedentary lifestyles
Back then fewer people owned cars, so getting to work involved
walking (sometimes running) in order to catch a bus... children
walked to school and played outside... the housing playgrounds
were filled with the shrieks of laughter of children playing football,
badminton, playing fetch with the dogs as well as kids running
aimlessly on the streets (it was
safe then!). These days the
favourite past times seem to be
surfing the net, Facebooking,
computers games, television,
play station and other electronic
whatchamacallit!
Why not try something new...
this weekend – make some time
to take your family (yes, pack
everyone into the car) and make
way to the nearest waterfall, to
the nearest “tasik”, to the pool in
your condo… just do something
fun and exciting... something
that makes everyone feel alive!
You see, by recognising and acknowledging all these factors, it is
therefore up to us to make healthy eating a life-long commitment;
it’s an investment for your future and that of your children, so let’s
pledge to it...
Wishing you a colourful day!
Kids these
days have very
little idea about
the origins of the
food that
they eat

3. 38 Natural Health * August 2011 VOL 11
FOOD &
Tempeh Salad with Roasted Tomatoes drizzled with Orange Yogurt Dressing
Colourful Appetite offers
tailor-made health &
fitness programmes,
gastronomic healthy eating
classes & workshops as
well as personalised meal
planning and personal chef
services for a healthier
you. For enquiries
you can email syam.
healthyfoodies@gmail.
com, visit the website
www.colourfulappetite.
avantagepoint.com or
find Colourful Appetite on
Facebook or call
+6016-687 2034.
Tempting Tempeh
Tempeh is an excellent alternative to meat
and is a rich source of protein.
ºTempeh is a great choice for people who
have difficulty digesting plant-based high-
protein foods like beans and legumes or
soy foods such as tofu. The process of
fermentation makes the soybeans softer.
ºIt lowers cholesterol level, unlike the
protein from animal sources, hence lowers
the risk of heart attack or stroke, also
raises the HDL cholesterol levels.
ºTempeh can even lower LDL cholesterol
levels, apart from raising HDL.
ºOne serving of tempeh contains more fibre
than most people consume in one day.
ºTempeh contains magnesium, which plays
a vital role in cardiovascular system and in
more than 300 enzymatic reactions.
ºThe fibre present in tempeh lowers the
risk of colon cancer, by being able to bind
the cancer-causing toxins.
Tempting Tempeh
Ingredients:
• 2 packets of tempeh (available in
supermarket and wet market)
• 1 packet mixed salad (available
in supermarket) or you can use
Romaine lettuce (Yu Mah), with
some Thai basil and watercress
(available at wet market)
• 1 small tub of yogurt
• 1 packet cherry tomatoes
• 2 nos of oranges
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil to pan searing
Method:
Roasted Tomatoes: Preheat oven at 200 degrees Celcius. Wash
and rinse the cherry. Wash and rinse the salad leaves and
pat them dry. Cut the tempeh lengthwise about 1cm (about
5 slices). Heat pan and drizzle some olive oil for searing the
tempeh. Sear tempeh until it is lightly browned on both sides.
Plate the tempeh on serving plates.
Orange Yogurt Dressing
Squeeze juice from the oranges into a mixing bowl. Take a
few good heaps of yogurt (4 – 5 tbsp). Mix them well. Add
the roasted tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and season with
pepper. Toss the mixed salad into the dressing and top it over
the tempeh. That’s using local produce to create a gourmet
masterpiece.
Place tomatoes on lightly oiled baking tray (olive oil) and bake
the tomatoes for about 25 – 30 minutes. After 20 minutes,
please check and make sure the tomatoes don’t get burn,
lightly charred is acceptable because it brings out the flavour.
Here’s a quick recipe for those on a protein diet regime, minus the meat.Here’s a quick recipe for those on a protein diet regime, minus the meat.
This lip-smacking appetiser costs less than RM15 but can feed four.This lip-smacking appetiser costs less than RM15 but can feed four.
RecipetoTry!