Food Fundamental 1

Food; something that is edible, or anything that we eat or drink everyday. Food will provide energy and replenish nutrients to keep our body healthy, physically and mentally.

Basically, foods is divided into 7 components;

1. Carbohydrate
2. Protein
3. Fats
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Water
7. Roughage / fiber

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate provides energy for our body. It can be divided into two categories or sources,

1. Starch
2. Sugar

Starch can be found in rice, cereal, flour and potatoes. The effect of heat (cooking) on starch will increase its size and make it soft and sticky. Water will evaporate before absorb it again, The process is called; gelatinization.

Sugar can be found in many forms like glucose from sugar cane, fructose from fruit, maltose from cereal and lactose from milk.
The effect of heat on sugar will result in change in color and odor. It will melt and thicken until it becomes almost solid. This process is known as caramelization.


Protein

Protein functions as agent in building and repairing body tissue. It can be found in many food ingredients like fish, eggs, chicken, meat and soybean.

Protein will change from soft to firm, loose it moisture, change color and odor, when we cook. This is known as coagulation.

In some cases, protein can absorb odor or aroma as well (like eggs, fish).


Fats

Fats can be divided into two main categories
1. Animal fat- milk based product -butter, cheese, lard , whey
2. Vegetable fat- palm oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, margarine, shortening, soy oil, corn oil etc.

Fats stand in solid condition at room temperature. Smoke will be produced during cooking.

Vitamins

Vitamins can be divided into 2,

Fat soluble vitamin, will be destroyed during cooking, due to heat and fat being used. The vitamin is ADEK

Water-soluble vitamin will be lost during exposure of food toward moisture and water, which include washing and cooking/blanching. The vitamin will be B and C

Minerals

Minerals exist on every food ingredient. It is important in building our bodies cells and help in proper functioning the body system, physically and mentally. Examples of minerals will be calcium, iron, iodine, and phosphorus.

Water

80% of human and animal body content is water.
Water functions as a regulator body for temperature, and assists in digestion and absorption of food. Water is needed for blood and all secretions.

Fiber / Roughage

Fiber is considered as carbohydrate but it cannot be digested. It is also known as cellulose / unavailable carbohydrate.
Fiber helps in elimination of body waste and makes sure that the digestion track will function properly.
Fiber can be found in most fruits like kiwi, orange, yogurt and bread.

Issues on Food

1. How much food to take? (Food Pyramid and Islamic Perspective)

2. Food Borne Diseases – Avian Flu, Mad Cows and JE-Nipah Virus

New Year and Yesterday Once More

Its holiday today. As usual, apart of cooking special meals for my family, being lazy and trying to be unproductive was the among the objectives :)

So here I am ended with a very interesting and nice websites - offering oldies and evergreen songs, which makes me drifting and losing my soul the whole day listening to carpenters, bee gees, louis armstrong, the beatles, mary hopkins .. wow huge file indeed.. including the greenfield - my late father's favorite by the brothers four... not to mentioned the 'pujaan omputih 3' was dedicated for the rock songs..hmm, many more such as the sound of silence by simon and garfunkel, the sealed of the kiss by brian hyland

I was born in 70's, so my kind of songs I appreciates most are in 90's (majority that time was rock songs); but I doesn't stop me from listening ranges of music such as alternative - linkin' park being the favorite, instrumentals and solo's such as Maxim or Bonds and Vanessa Mae or even the Richard Clayderman and Kenny G. On top of lists was Celine Dion (including the french version as I am quite versed in the languages :) Mariah Carey (albeit the old version of her album) and Kelly Clarkson

By the way; just visit the websitefor the songs you like; http://www.geocities.com/hassny/ (congrats to the owner of the site) However the majority of songs are Malay evergreen, as for english evergreen - the file entitled "Pujaan Omputih" file 1 to 6

You will need a 'real player' and hope you will enjoy listening.....


FYI - I guess to look forward is sometime to look back, obviously to make you a better person.. Happy Maal Hijrah 1429 and Year 2008.

FYI- I am hoping to get and listening to SM Salim songs, but sadly it was none..nevertheless the title of the topic today belongs to the Carpenters (in the pujaan omputih 6); below here the lyrics - so reflective of myself today ....

When I was young I’d listened to the radio
Waitin’ for my favorite songs
Waiting they played I’d sing along
It made me smile
Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they’d gone
But they’re back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they’re starting to sing’s
So fine
When they get to the part
Where he’s breakin’ her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It’s yesterday once more
Lookin’ back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed
It was songs of love thatI would sing to then
And I’d memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away
Repeat (*)
All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It’s yesterday once more

Between Oil and Petrol

Here we are in crisis...hmm sort of.

Petrol has reached USD100 per barrel; so our government will going to bankcrupt if the petrol price here is not to be increased (as our deputy PM mentioned)...hmm, which I totaly disagree in management perspective
so, the solution is to increase the price; but wait after elections...soon

Now we have cooking oil crisis instead. Limiting 5kg per person. The issue was smuggling, higher price and higher demand overseas, hoarding...name it, you got it

I believe there are bigger issue hidden a.k.a the price hike very soon; similar to flour, sugar and rice price hike previously? not to mentioned the milk; which has no control at all and it also got to do with the 'subsidy payment' to palm oil refinery as well; which our government never really happy anyway (read burden) to absorb it for the sake of rakyat.

Since the elections is so near, in government perspective; can we postpone the hikes? there you got the rations :)

FYI- food ration should only happen during emergencies; war, disaster, big flood, tsunami, earthquakes...so what is the real issue in Malaysia scenarios?

As the price of palm oil is escalating in international market, government has to subsidized some portion of it, as to maintain reasonable price for rakyat; which in turn pays the income tax on yearly basis - who is owing to whom?

Updates 9th Jan - Government to flood with 70,000 tonne of cooking oil (but no date mentioned when?)- interesting enough when the demand was somewhere 46,000 to 56,000 tonne per month, but surely panic button has been pushed, and you get nothing in the shelf at the supermarket

It was informed that the amount to subsidised the cooking oil againts the international market stood at RM800 Million per year (well, I am tired to hear all these nonsense, pullout all the subsidy for rakyat once and for all, and make sure this country a tax-free haven for every single rakyat as well.. fair enough)

When Media highlighting an issue 2: Is our food safe?

Time is my enemy now, between family, study, career and blogging..haha... just a hectic schedule to update my blogs..

Let's discuss the topic

NST last sunday 30th Dec highlighting an issue on food safety - heavily discussed on food coloring and preservative among other.

I always wonder on the cancer; a modern disease which have taken so many life. I assume it must be reflecting from our lifestyles, the food we ate.. and the lack of exercise :)

Food color is part of creative learning in chef training; as we emphasize on 'eating through eyes' first as to stimulates the appetite of our customers.

Human naturally will try to get the ingredients that as fresh and through color they become the victims, as marketers have all sorts of solutions. I do remember in my training during an advertisement, that red lipsticks is used to color the strawberries as to look fresh :)

Another was the preservative; to make food last longer or extending the shelf life

Both color and preservative are good intention, but when it comes to greedy businessmen..hmm should I write more

to be updated with adobe acrobat file on this issue

FYI - Malaysian does realize this issue; as we can see the establishment of natural/organic ingredients shops, but the setback was the pricing not yet reachable to common people; that shouldn't be an excuse as we can always start simple such as taking raw sugar instead of white sugar, tea instead of cordials, cooking own food rather instant packet