The Food Techie’s Guide to the Pregnancy Diet

If your pre-pregnancy dietary habits were not really so ideal, what a perfect time to get started now that you are pregnant.
Both mommy and baby will reap the benefits!
Image from: Great Healthy Food

Here is my no nonsense, easy to understand and straight-forward guide to eating well during pregnancy. I highly recommend that a copy of this should be printed out and pasted on your refrigerator, in your office or to carry around in your handbag to ensure you always get all the nutrients on a daily basis! Please note that the list below serves as a recommendation for the average healthy pregnant woman. If you have specific health issues (diabetes, obesity, underweight, other diseases), please consult your doctor for more information.

This serves as a guide only, and the list is not exhaustive. Most of the food items in this list are available where I come from, and might not be freely available elsewhere. Feel free to adapt the guide according to your own geographical area. :)

I have also prepared a one page printable Excel version of this list, which can be downloaded here at this link: Food Techie Easy Pregnacy Diet. Click on link to download from Easy Share. The list sits proudly on my fridge now :)

Nyummy nyummy.
If you feed good, you'll feel good. And the baby appreciates too!
Image from: Fertile Foods

1) Protein Foods: 3 servings daily

~75 g protein (25 g per serving)

3 glasses of milk

2 cups yogurt

2 cups of soy milk

¾ cup grated cheese

4 slices processed cheese (checknutritional info)

3 eggs

1 can drained tuna/sardines

100 g fresh fish/shellfish (clams, prawns, shrimps, crab)

75 g chicken/lamb/beef/meats (without skin and fats)

100 g tofu/tempeh

1 ½ cup peas/beans/lentils/legumes

6 tbs. peanut butter

130 g nuts/seeds (peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds (kuaci), etc)

2) Calcium Foods: 4 servings daily

~ 1200 mg calcium (300 mg per serving)

1 glass of milk

1 cup yogurt

1 cup calcium fortified juice/drink

¼ cup grated cheese

3 slices processed cheese (check nutritional info)

1 can salmon/sardine with bones

1 cup cooked dark green vegetables

3 tbs. ground sesame seeds

1 ½ cups cooked edamame

3) Vitamin C Foods: 3 servings daily

½ a medium orange/grapefruit/mango/kiwi/green bell pepper

¼ a watermelon/papaya/red or yellow bell pepper

½ cup cooked broccoli/cauliflower/kale (kalian)/spinach (bayam)/mustard greens (sawi)

1 cup cooked edamame

1 medium tomato

1 baked potato with skin

½ cup of orange/vegetable juice

4) Green Leafy & Yellow/Red Vegetables and Fruit: 3-4 servings daily

½ a mango/papaya/carrot/broccoli/red bell pepper

½ a yam/sweet potato (keledek ungu/oren)

½ cup broccoli

¼ cup mustard greens (sawi)/kale (kalian)/parsley (daun sup)

1 large grapefruit/peach/apricots

2 medium tomatoes

5) Other Fruits & Vegetables: 1-2 servings daily

1 medium apple/banana/pear/peach

½ cup cooked green beans/peas

½ cup fresh mushrooms/onions/cucumber

1 cup salad leaves

6) Whole Grains & Complex Carbohydrates: 4-5 servings daily

1 slice whole wheat/grain bread

1 piece whole wheat pita/bun/tortilla/pratha

1 cup cooked whole grain cereal/oatmeal

½ cup cooked brown rice/barley

30 g whole grain pasta

½ cup cooked beans/lentils/peas

2 cups popcorn

6 pieces whole grain crackers/biscuits

7) Iron-rich Foods: some daily

Red meats

Sardines, oysters, clams, shrimps

Spinach (bayam), kale (kalian), mustard greens (sawi), seaweed

Barley, beans, seeds, soy products

Dried fruit

8) Fats & High Fats Foods: 4 servings daily

Good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids:

Salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies (bilis)

Walnuts

Omega-3 rich eggs

Other fats:

1 tbs. oil (vegetable, olive, sesame, etc)

1 tbs. butter/margarine/mayonnaise

2 tbs. salad dressing/cream/cream cheese/peanut butter

Others: cream sauces, cheese, yogurt, nuts and seeds

9) Fluids: 8 glasses per day

Water, fruit/vegetable juices, milk

Soups

Fruits & vegetables (5 servings = 2 fluid servings)

Have fun feeding yourself and your baby! What are your favourite pregnancy foods and recipes? Share with us here. :)

Sourced and researched from: "What to Expect when you're Expecting" by H. Murkoff and S. Mazel; "Healthy Pregnancy" by Miriam Stoppard.

[*...Psst! Full Article is HERE*]

How Cool Can Mineral Water Be? Pretty Cool

Water is just water right? Think again. These unique and appealing looking mineral water packaging designs might prove otherwise.

Fun to play with packaging by Whole Market Foods Y Water.
Image from: Trend Insights

Hello Kitty mineral water for the fans, and also, erm those who fancy some *really* sensual packaging.
Image from: Kitty Hell

"Wildest/Purest/Freshest" mineral water, Aquaduct.
Image from: Behance Network

Japan's 500 yen dollars Hyotan Kara Mizu water.
Image from: Japan Marketing News

USA's aptly named Boxed Water is Better. Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project.
Image from: Open to everyone

UK's very slender looking bottle by Gleneagles Mineral Water
Image from: Lovely Package

[*...Psst! Full Article is HERE*]

Mi Hailam - Malaysian/Malay-style Egg Noodles

Food Techie cooks again! This time, we shall explore some Malay-style cooking...

This was my second attempt cooking Mi Hailam. My husband loved it so much, after my previous "hands-on cooking class" with Auntie Limah, I managed to pull this off on my own - and a happy and tummy-satisfied husband was achieved (haha).

Mi Hailam is a Malaysian dish, specifically common to the Malay people. It is basically egg noodles served with a savoury gravy-like sauce. The ingredients vary from how one person cooks to the other. Most often, chicken, beef, squid and sometimes prawns can be added to this dish. It all depends on what flavors you want to have in the end. See, that's the thing about Malaysian cooking, anything simply goes, sometimes there is no exact recipe, it is basically trial and error and discovering what produces the best end result :)

So this recipe was passed down from Auntie Limah. A little tweaks here and there, and I can proudly say this is my own. (Err.... ok ok, credits still to the original recipe holder...)

The Mi Hailam, all served and ready-to-eat.
I served this with fried garlic, sliced chilies and halved limes as condiments.

MALAYSIAN/MALAY-STYLE EGG NOODLES RECIPE

(RESIPI MI HAILAM)

Ingredients:

1 packet yellow egg noodles

Chicken (cut into pieces) – use some bony parts for extra flavour

3-4 prawns (no need to remove the skins)

1 squid (skin removed, sliced)

A handful of mustard greens (sawi)/chinese kale (kailan) – torn into pieces, separate the stalks with leaves

2 shallots (minced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 carrot (cut into 1 inch sticks)

1 tomato (cut into 4)

1 red/green chili (sliced)

5 slices lime leaves

2 tbs. sesame oil

1 tbs. red chili paste

5 tbs. oyster sauce

2 tsb. black pepper sauce/1 tbs. ground black pepper

1 tbs. corn flour mixed with small amount of water

Fried shallots/onions, limes (to garnish)

Method:

1. Blanch the yellow egg noodles in boiling water for 30 seconds (do not overcook). Drain, then coat with sesame oil. Set aside.
   
2. Fry shallots and garlic in wok with 1 tbs. oil. Add chili paste, fry until it becomes fragrant and the oil separates.
   
3. Add chicken and stir to cook. Add water (2-3 cups) cover chicken entirely in the wok. Add in carrots and vegetable stalks. Let boil until well cooked.
   
4. Stir in oyster sauce, black pepper sauce and lime limes. Add in leafy vegetables and allow to cook.
   
5. Pour in corn flour mixture slowly and stir until the sauce thickens slightly (or to desired consistency). Remove from heat.
   
6. To serve, place noodles in deep plates and ladle the hot sauce on top. Sprinkle fried shallots/garlic, and serve with halved limes.
   
7. Enjoy!
   

[*...Psst! Full Article is HERE*]

Nanotechnology in Food - Flavor Changing Candy

Changing? Candy does just that -
it changes flavors after you consume them in your mouth.
Image from Foodbizdaily.com

I remembered very well last year I did a research about nanotechnology in food, and one of the things you can do with such science is to "customize" the flavors/taste of food in your mouth when you consume it. This means, you can make the taste of food change from one to another after some specific time of it being in the mouth maybe; or even let the flavors "adapt" to each mouth to release the flavor exactly to fit the tastebuds of each and every different person. Pretty cool right?

And guess what, someone already made use of this technology on a food product, and no guesses where it's from - duh, Japan of course. I might be wrong and this might not actually be nanotechnology at work (a simpler concept might be used instead), but Japanese confectionery company Kanro introduced the product Changing? Candy, a taste changing candy product. Yes, when you put these babies in your mouth, the flavors will change as you suck on it, like magic. It comes in 3 flavors (Apple, Grape and Soda) and they each change to a different flavor after consumption.

Still, I can't wait for someone to come up with a food product which might be labeled to be THE perfectly tasting food ever for each and every person consuming it, with the help of this science called nanotechnology. Who knows?


Source: Foodbizdaily.com

[*...Psst! Full Article is HERE*]