What the whole world needs

A cookie with the nutrition panel printed on it.

Conceived by design firm AndrewAndrew, the nutritional facts of a butter-laden, trans fats rich, sugar aplenty cookie is laser printed on icing. Now that will seriously help me in my dieting. I'll feel so lousy seeing all the %'s, the cookie will just get thrown away.

What's next after cookies? Tim Tams?

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Makeover 5: The Refined Carbos Rejection

I decided on a slight detour for this week's entry.

Instead of focusing on harmful food ingredients which are potentially cancerous, can cause anal leakage or hearts to explode, I'm centering on one of the world's greatest problems facing mankind:

Losing weight.

Well, at least for yours truly and a few other helpless victims of McDonaldization, shedding those extra pounds is an increasingly tall order in an increasingly yummy world. I just had do justice for me and my fellow comrades. And my relentless sniffing on the Net uncovered one of the greatest evils facing dieters: refined carbohydrates.

Breads, cereals and potatoes form the basic group in most diets. Containing starchy carbohydrates, most of them start off as grains. Refined carbos refer to foods where the high fibre bits have been removed by machinery. This is usually done so that the bread or cereal you're eating will taste softer and better, and have a longer shelf-life.

However (this word shouldn't come as a surprise by now), refined carbos cause a sudden increase in blood sugar. And if the sugar is not used by the body quickly, it is stored as fat. That's bad news for us folks wanting to not put on extra weight.

The good news is, there is an expanding variety of foods containing unrefined carbohydrates. These foods contain the whole grain, so they're higher in fibre content, and makes us feel fuller and not always getting the urge to grab that snack between meals.

And more good news. Unrefined carbs have been found to reduced chances of getting chronic disease and age-related mascular degeneration. Not that people who want to lose weight will have lots of muscle to degenerate, but well, that's besides the point.

Anyway, here's a list of 3 excellent alternatives to the refined carbohydrates foods we're so used to all these while.

Instead of white bread, go for......

Gardenia Fine Grain Wholemeal Bread


This wholemeal sandwich loaf is made with 50% wholemeal flour. So it still contains the softness of your usual white bread, while still locking in the goodness of unrefined carbs.

Instead of artificially flavoured and coloured cereals, go for......

Post Frosted Shredded Wheat


Previously, I tried the original one. But it was a tad too bland for my liking, and this frosted variation adds that bit of sugary taste which is just nice. 100% natural whole-grain wheat, so it comes with a healthy amount of fibre to keep those hunger pangs at bay.

Instead of normal pasta, go for......

San Remo Wholemeal Pasta

(picture for illustrative purposes only)

Some weightwatchers have said that wholemeal pasta, not only being healthier, tastes better than regular white flour pasta. And the best thing is, it comes at the same price as the usual varieties! Refined carbs have never come in a sweeter package.

Other than the 3 types of foods listed here, there is a myriad of alternatives for other carbo foods like rice and noodles. Take a trip down to the supermarket and shop around. The switch from one refined carbo food to an unrefined one can make a world of difference to your dieting plans.

How Nasty Are McDonalds Fries?

A clip from Supersize Me, I think. If you love Macs fries (they're soggy and chewy, i know), think again.

Makeover 4: The Corn Syrup Cancellation

I admit, I cheated.

Corn syrup on its own is not exactly harmful, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. But the omission was due to, well, "aesthetic" reasons. Heheh.

I have to say, this week's story on HFCS is one of the most fascinating yet. Just read how it all came about.

Back in the 1970s, due to the influx of foreign imports, farmers in the United States were having problems selling... corn. Due to public pressure, the US government gave the go-ahead for the manufacture of a revolutionary substance known as high fructose corn syrup. Touted as the new sweetener which is (1) cheap and (2) long-lasting, it seemed like a win-win situation for the government, farmers and consumers.

Now, little known to consumers is the fact that in laboratory tests, HFCS caused male rats to never fully develop their testicles. Their female counterparts were not spared too, with some of them dying as their hearts expanded and exploded after consumption of HFCS.

And now, preliminary research has shown that HFCS could contain substances that can cause obesity, diabetic complications, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

And I was wondering, surely after all these news, no manufacturer on earth can include such an ingredient in their products?

I was dead wrong.

Here's a list of just some popular ones (kudos to Accidental Hedonist):
A&W Root Beer
Post Blueberry Morning Cereal
Ben and Jerry's ice cream
Capri Sun juices
Snapple juices
and...

Robitussin's cough syrups.

Cough syrups! It's a rather disturbing logical connection. Cure the cough, get diabetes.

Just to make sure, I grabbed a bottle of Snapple's from the friendly neighbourhood mart.

And it's true:

For "artificially flavoured" fruit juice lovers out there, it's time to pick a new favourite. But as usual, Benjy is here to make things simple for you.

I proudly present you,

The Ribena Soda Fizz

In 5 easy steps:
1. Get a nice clean glass.
2. Pour in 3/4 can of soda water.
3. Add two tablespoons of Ribena Light (you seriously can do without the extra fructose)
4. Top up with ice cubes.
5. Enjoy!

If the normal Ribena cordial was too ordinary for you, this fizzy version will prove to be an interesting experience. Extremely smooth on the tastebuds, but just enough carbon dioxide to perk things up.

Ribena Soda Fizz
Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Nutritional Value: 3/5
Makeover Success: 4/5

Footnote: If you are still unconvinced about the effects of high fructose corn syrup, this article at Sprol is a very engaging read.

Makeover 3: The Olestra Ostracision

This is one fine example of how sometimes, research does not pay.

30 years ago, Proctor & Gamble developed a substance by the name of Olestra. Originally filed with the US Food and Drug Administration as a drug to lower cholesterol levels, the FDA rejected P&G's petition due to skeptical test results. The conglomerate then tried to get Olestra approved as a food additive, which they claimed, is an excellent fat substitute.

In 1998, two years after the FDA approved the use of Olestra, sales of Frito Lay's potato chips (a subsidiary of P&G) hit US$400 million. Consumers were "WOWed" by the promise of fat-free chips and guilt-free enjoyment. However, just two years later, sales slid by 50% to a dismal $200 million.

The cause - a health warning label on the packaging:

"This Product Contains Olestra. Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients."

Now, if that didn't scare customers away, I have no idea what will.

Of course, as things go in the US, the FDA removed the label in 2003, explaining that consumers no longer need protection as they all know the effects of Olestra by now. I was never a fan of big-money US politics, but when a an ingredient can cause anal leakage and inhibition of vitamin absorption, it HAS to raise a few eyebrows.

And it did. More than 20,000 hungry people had complained to the FDA about olestra-related adverse reactions, even after Frito-Lay rebranded them as Lay's Light potato chips.

Now, I'm not a supporter of potato chips, but for all my fans out there (don't deny it!), here's a perfect alternative.

Solea Olive Oil Potato Chips

These chips are branded as having 30% less fat than regular potato chips, as they are lightly cooked in olive oil. They claim to use pure all-nature seasonings, and with flavours like Parmesan and Cracked Pepper & Salt, it was tough not doing my usual food hunt.

So I hunted. And found these!



They taste wonderful, with a distinct peppery taste while not being too salty. The chips are crunchier than usual, and each pack a punch. No wonder, And no Olestra, so you don't have to worry about bowel problems and insufficient vitamins!

Solea Olive Oil Potato Chips
Available at: NTUC Toa Payoh HDB Hub
Price: $5.20 for 134g

Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Nutritional Value: 4/5
Makeover Success: 4/5

Makeover 2: The Nitrate Negation

The more I research on harmful ingredients, the harder it gets to accept the truth.

This has to rank as one of the toughest ever - nitrates.

A seemingly innocuous substance, I could not believe my eyes when I read that the common table salt, known as sodium nitrate, had the potential to transform into a cancer-causing chemical. And the next hard-hitting truth: they are found mainly in packaged sausages.

Now, if my favourite foods were ranked like the English Premier League, sausages will be the equivalent of Manchester United: consistent, satisfying, simply out of this world.

But nitrates ruined the whole picture. They are actually harmless on their own, but when combined with chemicals in the stomach, form nitrosamines, a powerful carcinogenic substance. They are apparently so harmful that the United States Department of Agriculture ruled that fresh sausages contain no nitrates. However, they are allowed as preservatives in packaged sausages, and that worries me. Badly.

The problem is, ever since I tasted Master Butchery's excellent sausages, I have never envisioned myself quitting them.

But I had to face the problem.

And well, it wasn't that bad after all. Nitrite salt sounded like the least worrying of all ingredients. Sodium lactate, phosphate, and ISP. ISP? What on earth could that be? Other than MSG, any ingredient whose name is in the form of acronym sounds fishy, dangerous even.

So Master Butchery goes into the dustbin, and I'm off to find a new soulmate. A search on the net for sausage alternatives brought to my attention a few communities and websites that were devoted to putting a stop to unhealthy meats by introducing recipes where one can come up homemade sausages. After looking through a few, I decided on the Italian Fennel Pork Sausage.

It sounded like the easiest of the lot, with few ingredients that are readily available. Obviously, I couldn't get my hands on two skinned, boned and chunky Boston pork butts, and thus settled for air-flown minced pork from the friendly supermarket.

Ah, fennel seeds. My first encounter with them were Tortino's delightful Sausage Party Pizzas. The Italian spices packed a punch with its distinctive taste, so it was a pleasant surprise to find them in this recipe. Other than being a flavourful addition to any Western meal, they help to protect against cancer! Take that, nitrites!

I decided to add a creative touch. Instead of sausages, the meat mixture will be turned into patties. And what are patties without burger buns? But here's the interesting alternative: Focaccia bread!

Healthy (no trans fats), flavourful (with more than 4 spices) and absolutely delicious, it is the perfect companion for homemade Italian patties.

Preparation was relatively hassle free. Mix all the ingredients together with the pork and leave it overnight in the fridge. Lifting up the PVC food wrap the next day produced a pleasant treat. If Famous Amos can proudly proclaim "Free Smells" for their cookies, Prodigy Benjy can do the same too for his meat patties. An intricate concoction of smells ranging from the strong fennel seeds to the spicy black pepper teased the senses.

In the short history of my cooking years, this has to rank among the most satisfying meals. Every bite packed a punch. The rich taste of fennel seeds and black pepper, combined with the pork juices forms a truly unique experience.

After two mouthfuls, my girlfriend quipped, "Wah, this is better than Botak Jones."

Indeed, and without the cancer-causing nitrates!

Benjy's Italian Fennel Focaccia Sandwich
Taste: 5/5
Out of this world.

Value: 5/5
After calculations, each sandwich costs $2.50. Try getting something anywhere else for that price.

Nutritional Value: 4/5
We need more vegetables the next time round!

Makeover Success: 5/5
One less processed food in the house, one more tasty recipe in the library.

Makeover 1: The Trans Fats Transformation

The classification of fats sounds prety much like Star Wars.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats come under "good fats", while saturated and trans fats make up the "bad fats" (think Jabba the Hut).

While light consumption of saturated fats are widely accepted by nutritionists, the intake of trans fats is considered a strict no-no. Technical explanations aside, trans fats increases the "bad cholesterol", decreases "good cholesterol" in the body, and causes major clogging in the arteries, thus greatly multiplying the risk of contracting heart disease.

If the impact of trans fats is so severe, why are foodmakers still putting them into potato chips and cookies? A major source of trans fats are hydrogenated oils such as vegetable shortenings, and the addition of these ingredients into food products helps to extend their shelf lives.

According to the World Health Organisation, intake of trans fats should be limited to less than 1% of our daily nutrition intake. Based on a 2000 kilo calorie diet, that translates to roughly 2 grams, which by pure coincidence is the amount of heroin you can possess to be charged with drug trafficking.

With the death penalty (of heart disease) in mind, I sought out the first offender I could find in the kitchen.

The defendant takes his stand...

A closer inspection of the ingredients reveals the culprit.

A look at the nutrition panel.

I absolutely adore Julie's delicious peanut butter biscuits, but the listing of vegetable shortening as the second ingredient right after wheat flour and BEFORE peanut butter does sound rather worrying.

No offense to your baking skills Julie, but the biscuits are going down the trashbin.

I needed an alternative snack. Being a lover of cream-filled biscuits, the shoes were hard to fill. But my girlfriend came up with a mouth-watering idea:

And when the powers combine:

Not a particularly imaginative piece, but you get the idea. With that in mind, I had to check out the actual products and what they exactly they contain.

Of all the cream crackers in the market, Hup Seng boasts the most fragrant and cripiest ones around. But the presence of vegetable shortening grants them auto-elimination, and upon further inspection, Jacob's Cream Crackers emerge tops in terms of nutritional value.

The bottle of Smucker's Strawberry Preserves not only feel good in the hand and had a reasonable price to go along. Best of all, it's sugar-free (and trans fats free!).

When one thinks of cheese spread, Philly's is the first, and usually the only, brand that comes to mind. To my delight, I found a reduced salt version in Philadelphia Light - all the creaminess of Philly's still intact with 80% less salt. Splendid.

The cost of the three items adds up to about $11, which will not be the cheapest snacks you can find around. But the taste was heavenly. The cream cheese and strawberry preserve form an intricate mix of sweet, sour and salty variations, while the cream crackers fuses the flavours together with a satisfying crispiness.

Eunice's Strawberry and Cheese Sandwiches
Taste: 5/5
Value: 3/5
Nutritional Value: 4/5
Makeover Success: 4/5