Nutrition Talk For Omron Asia Pacific

Nutrition Talk For Omron Asia Pacific
Good nutrition is essential for everyone. Regardless of age or gender, ensuring you get enough (and the best) nutrients from the foods we take is the key to leading a healthy lifestyle. I’m at Alexandra Technopark to share with employees of Omron Asia Pacific this afternoon on a nutrition talk.
Why is healthy eating important? It is important, crucial even, because like a car, our body cannot function without fuel. And the best form of fuel has to come in two forms – both liquids (think water) and solids (think food). Besides this, we need to ensure there is regular maintenance (in terms of exercise, stress management control and giving ourselves a break from time to time).
I’m sure everybody knows this. But how many of us actually put this into practice?
In a food haven like Singapore, where the biggest challenge is not the lack of food, but rather over-supply of food 24/7, wanting to stay healthy can pose a little problem. I’m sure you are, like all my clients, in search of a nutritional diet plan that works.

But do not worry.

nutrition_talk_omron_asia_pac_img

omron_asia_pac_nutrition_talk_img

Walking down memory lane, I brought the audience back to the science classrooms when our teachers told us to adopt the food pyramid. Eat more of this, do more of this. Eat less of this, do less of this. But honestly – ask yourself: how much is more? Your “more” could be a lot more or not so much more than my “more”.
So guess what? Guess what? Everyone in the room was all smiles when I told them to throw away the food pyramid. It is old school, passé even. And that is true. We need something quantifiable, not something so abstract.
Out goes the food pyramid and in comes the food plate. It’s not my invention (though I wished it was), but the ingenious collaboration between the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health. Just think about it – as Asians, we eat our meals using plates or bowls. Both plates and bowls are round in shape. So the food plate works best for us.
The food plate basically teaches us to divide up our plate into quadrants. Depending on what your health goals are (lose weight? gain weight? tone up?), you increase or decrease the size of the quadrant accordingly. Brilliant! Easy! And no counting of calories whatsoever!
Let me give you an illustration.
If you want to lose weight, you will reduce the carbohydrates quadrant. We all know that carbohydrates (or carbs) for short is the culprit why most of us put on weight.
If you want to build muscles, you will increase the proteins quadrant. We also know that proteins are the building blocks for muscles and tissues.

Like the staff at Omron Asia Pacific, I’m so looking forward to using the food plate as an indicator of a healthier lifestyle. You should try it too.

If you need other nutritional advice, email me 🙂