Month: June 2023

Did you know potatoes have more potassium gram-for-gram than bananas? Potatoes are also a good source of magnesium, an essential nutrient your body uses to make protein, store energy, and keep your cells stable and healthy. And they're much lower in calories than other staples (eg: rice and pasta). That is as long as you leave off the butter, sour cream, cheese, and meaty bits. You say potato,...

The latest tests on spray paints sold in the Philippines have found banned lead additives to be present in 12 imported paints. Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and a known endocrine disrupting chemical which is associated with hormone-related cancers, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and reproductive problems. It is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems and is...

Eating too much added sugar can damage your body on a cellular level by causing low levels of harmful inflammation. Studies have found that people who consume around 40 grams of added sugar per day – roughly the amount in a 12-ounce can of cola (soft drink) or 6 fun-size candy bars – show an increase in inflammatory markers both immediately after consuming it and over time. Out-of-control...

Bananas are often blamed for being too high in sugar. The reality is that the sugar in a properly ripened banana is completely different from the cane sugar and other processed sweeteners in cookies, cakes, and doughnuts. Unlike processed sugar, the fruit sugar in bananas is bonded to critical life-supporting trace minerals such as manganese, selenium, copper, boron, and molybdenum, and large...

Unable to sleep? Feeling moody?  It could be due to a disrupted circadian rhythm. It’s no accident that most people tend to sleep at night and are awake during the day. Our sleep-wake cycle is determined by our circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock. Your circadian rhythm is responsible for guiding your body's hormones, metabolism, healing, growth, and memory consolidation. An...

Pineapple is rich in vitamins, fibre, minerals, and phytonutrients – specifically Vitamins C and A (the latter as carotene), folate, potassium, and manganese. It’s also a source of simple and complex carbohydrates, in the form of natural sugars and fibre, respectively. While pineapple is fairly high in sugar, it’s also 86% water and low on the glycemic index. Because it’s high in fibre,...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) likes to remind Malaysians, particularly policymakers, of the consequences of vaping. In November 2019, a teenager was admitted to the Labuan Nucleus Hospital for severe internal lung damage. It was, at that time, suspected to have been caused by vaping, making it the first of such cases to be reported in Labuan. The teenager experienced breathing...