~Topic~
Ingredients for discussion
Nutritional content of a plate of nasi lemak
Physiological benefits
Disadvantages of nasi lemak
Metabolism involved
Modified nasi lemak
~Ingredients for discussion~
white rice
papadam
tempeh
eggs
cucumber
vegan ikan bilis
beef rendang
~Nutritional content of a plate of nasi lemak~
(By:Nutriweb Food Database Malaysia & RNI)
Table 1.1 Nutritional value content in Nasi Lemak
Table 1.2 Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Malaysia (RNI)
for daily intake on energy
Man = 2440kcal /3 meals per day
= 813kcal per meal/day
Female = 2000kcal /3 meals per day
= 666kcal
The nasi lemak contains 848.4kcal which is higher than the recommended value. According to RNI, protein intake is 62 g per day for man and 55 g per day for woman. Carbohydrates intake is 345-420g/day and fat intake is approximately 45-75grams per day. The protein, fats and carbohydrates contain in the nasi lemak exceed the recommended nutrient intakes. Thus, if we are planning to consume nasi lemak for one of our meals in a day, we need to watch out for the nutrient intakes.
~Physiological benefits~
Coconut milk
-Contains lauric acid which promotes brain development and bone health. It is also anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. -Playing important role in lower bad cholesterol, boost immunity, modulates metabolic functions and fights aging.
-It has no cholesterol because it is rich in plant protein.
Eggs
-Contains choline which helps to improve brain memory (ENC, n.d).-Contain lutein and zeaxanthin which helps to reduce eye disease (eg: AMD) (AEB, n.d).
*Do not consume more than an egg per day because it contains 212mg of cholesterol.
Recommended dietary cholesterol intake = 300mg/day
Cucumber
-Contains potassium, magnesium and fiber which help in reducing high blood pressure (WHFoods, 2009).
Tempeh
-Made from high-fiber soybeans and it may help to reduce the risk of colon cancer (WHFoods, 2009).-Isoflavones can reduce the symptoms experienced of menopause in women (WHFoods, 2009).
Beef rendang
-Contain vitamin B12 helps to maintain healthy nerve cells (Whitney and Rolfes 2005).-Zinc can maintain the immune system & helps in healing our wound (Obikoya, n.d).
-Iron is important in oxygen transport & storage (Whitney and Rolfes 2005).
*Please take note that by consuming those small amounts of ingredients such as tempeh and cucumber will not have significance benefits towards our body.
~Disadvantages of nasi lemak~
The highly saturated in coconut fat will increased atherogenicity (Ng et al., 1992) and arterial thrombosis tendency (Hornstra et al., 1975). It has high of developing a variety of diseases of lifestyle, such as heart disease, certain cancers, obesity and diabetes. The excess intake of carbohydrates will be stored as body fats which in turn affect the body weight.
~Metabolism involved~
High in carbohydrates
White rice and papadam contribute to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help in maintaining glycaemic homeostatis and gastrointestinal integrity and function. It causes more amino acid trytophan to reach the brain, which in turn increases serotonin’s level which helps to control mood.The glucose that is converted from carbohydrates is used to circulate in the blood for use by the cells of body. However, if the carbohydrate intake is higher than immediately needed, liver will convert extra glucose into glycogen and the glycogen will be stored in liver or in muscles. Liver will also convert the excess glucose into triglycerides that can be stored as body if there are already sufficient storage sources. Thus, weight gain will occur for those who are having sedentary lifestyle. Glucose can also undergo Krebs cycle and electron transport system to produce ATP
For athletes, high carbohydrates food is very useful to them. It is advisable for them to eat 2-3 hours before morning exercise which helps to restore suboptimal liver glycogen stores, which aid performance during prolonged exercise. Athletes who follow a high carbohydrate diet can maintain high-intensity exercise for a longer period than those on a lower-carbohydrate diet.
High in fat
Fat is contributed by beef rendang, rice with coconut milk, papadam, and egg. Fat is an energy dense nutrient and a good source of essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins (Gropper et al. 2005). It provides energy to us and insulates the body which helps to keep the body warm. Furthermore, fats also act as shock absorbers, supporting and cushioning the vital organs.
High in Protein
Protein is contributed by beef rendang, papadam, tempeh and egg. A person can also grow fat by eating excessive protein. This is because extra protein in the body will be deaminated and the remaining carbons are used to make fatty acids, which are stored as triglycerides in adipose tissue (body fat) (Whitney and Rolfes 2005). Protein acts as building material for our growth, enzymes, hormones, regulators of fluid balance, acid-base regulators and immunity.
~Modified nasi lemak~
We need to modify some of the ingredients of nasi lemak in order to achieve a better health. The coconut milk and papadam contain high in fat which is not good for our health, so, we need to find some ways to prevent the side effects. For papadam, we can improve our health by eliminate the usage of papadam because it is high in fat.
Alternatives of Coconut milk
-Use trim coconut milk because it has 45% less fat (13g per 100g) compared to raw coconut milk (23.8g per 100g).
Alternatives of white rice
-Brown rice is better than white rice. Research showed that brown rice contain higher free amino acid, vitamin B1, B2, B3,B6, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc than white rice although it is cooked (Das et al. 2007).-White rice can contribute to diabetes because it breaks down into glucose faster than brown rice. Hence, can lead to drastic insulin reaction (Mulcair 2006).
Alternatives of rendang
The meat in rendang can be replaced with mushroom stem because mushroom is low in calories, fat, free of sodium and also cholesterol free food. Mushroom also high in protein, fiber and calcium (CCGroup, 2007).Presented by : Tang Yen Theng & Kong Hui Yin
References:
1. American Egg Board, n.d., Egg Nutrition [Online]. Available from: http://www.aeb.org/Retailers/nutrition.html [Accessed 18 February 2009]
2. Egg Nutrition Center, n.d., Eggs are an excellent source of choline [Online]. Available from: http://www.enc-online.org/factsheet/Choline.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2009]
3. Gropper, S.S., Smith, J.L., and Groff, J.L., 2005. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Fifth Edition. United State of America: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Page 135.
4. Hornstra G & Lussenburg RB (1975). Relationship between the type of dietary fatty acid and arterial thrombosis tendency in rats. Atherosclerosis, 22:499-519.
5. J. R. Berning and S. N. Steen, 2005. 2nd Edition. Jones and Barlett Publishers. Nutrition for Sport and Exercise. [Online]. Available from: http://books.google.com.my/books?id=iupaS5sN9-YC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=advantages+of+high+carb+food&source=web&ots=pLuysalmi5&sig=OsPi5DBYS6Ai_eOUuqnL4Xbm5_k&hl=en&ei=CgGcSbyVHdK6kAWWi8yYBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA42,M1 [Accessed 18 February 2009]
6. Laura Ng, 2007. Enzine Articles. Coconut Promises Remarkable Health Benefits. [Online]. Available from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Coconut-Promises-Remarkable-Health-Benefits&id=641778[Accessed 18 February 2009].
7. Mulcair, K., 2006. Lessons on Sugar [Online]. Available from: http://www.trinitynutrition.ca/Content%20pages/Moods%20Winter%202006.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2009].
8. Ng TKW, Hayes KC, De Witt GF et al. (1992). Dietary palmitic and oleic acids exert similar effects on serum cholesterol and lipoprotein profiles in normocholesterolemic men and women. Journal Am Coll Nutr, 11(4): 383-390.
9. N. Foster, n.d.. Wisegeek. What is coconut milk? [Online]. Available from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-coconut-milk.htm [Accessed 18 February 2009].
10. Obikoya, G., n.d., The Benefits of Zinc [Online]. Available from: http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/zinc.html
11. Purewellness, 2009. Nutrient for Athletes. [Online]. Available from: http://www.dietsite.com/dt/sportsnutrition/NutrientsAthletes/nutrients_2.asp[Accessed 18 February 2009]
12. The World’s Healthiest foods (WHFoods), 2009. Cucumber [Online]. Available from: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=42
13. The World’s Healthiest foods (WHFoods), 2009. Tempeh [Online]. Available from : http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=126#nutritionalprofile
14. Whitney, E., and Rolfes, S.R., 2005. Understanding Nutrition. Eleventh Edition. United State of America: Thomson Wadsworth, Page 232, 345, 451.
15 comments:
Wow! Thanks for the information. I am now more aware of what Nasi Lemak contains and will consume less. As for modified Nasi Lemak, I think it shouldn't taste bad.
hey seriously I learned more than just nasi lemak... I get to know about how the ingredient in nasi lemak contribute to our physiological development.
I am pretty impressed with the logical way of modifying the nasi lemak ingredient based on facts and data. The only thing that we may need to pay extra concern to is how does the modified nasi lemak tastes. Generally people with less health conscious doesn't choose the food based on nutrition facts. They go by taste instead.
All in all, this is a very article :)
A very good and detailed post of Nasi Lemak and its ingredients. ;)
Thanks for letting me know more about it. I think that modifying it is good for better health, and it might be better if we can modify it slowly, because sometimes people can't accept the drastic sudden change. So, perhaps you can try mixing brown rice and white rice initially first. As not many people is quite used to the taste of brown rice. :)
Well about the taste of the modified nasi lemak should be not a problem if you are using Ayam Brand Trim coconut milk. It still maintains the full taste of the coconut milk and also has 45%reduced fat than raw coconut milk.
It is true that not everyone likes to eat brown rice due to its texture which is not as soft as white rice.
You have a good point where we can mix brown rice and white rice initially. So that, we can slowly adapt to brown rice
Wow. A scientific Nasi Lemak nutritional analysis. The whole article is comprehensive and in depth.
Despite that it's already a common fact that Nasi Lemak is not good for health, but the actual cause and analysis of it is not clear unless I read it. For me, I understand the whole thing from here.
Btw, it's notable that we can still eat Nasi Lemak, but in healthier way. Now I get to know how to make a Nasi Lemak with healthier ingredients. Haha.
However, as other ppl here concerned, would the taste of Nasi Lemak still remains tasty. I think most of the ppl won't forfeit the taste for healthier consumption. If the modified Nasi Lemak can remain tasty, it'd be a very good & healthy alternative and there's no need to make the transition slowly as well.
Anyway, in overall, this is an informative article that let us aware of the effect of our food consumption, especially Malaysian, since this is Nasi Lemak. :D Thanks for the information. ^^
thanks for the information. another good alternative for the rendang is taufu for it consists of good source of protein, calcium, low in fat, n cholesterol free too.
The information given is simple to understand yet complete.it's a good page to share with.i feel the modified nasi lemak part is very beneficial because nasi lemak lovers can enjoy their favourite dish and on the same time can keep their body in a healthy condition.
Actually we are trying to replace the meat to mushroom stem as rendang. I think mushroom stem is much more suitable for rendang because it has a chewy texture which is similar to real meat.
But you still can use Taufu for side dishes.
wow, ur modified nasi lemak so innovative. But sometimes also quite difficult to eat this healthier as the name already stated "lemak". but anyway, good try also and i bet you put many effort on this. thank for the information provided. from ailin
Just two words to describe your whole analysis: direct and straight to the point. Both of you really pay great effort to show us the main idea having to consume or may be to try "new taste and new style" of nasi lemak.
Basically, the tradition nasi lemak taste full, because it has all the excess that you guys have mentioned , earlier.
Guess what I'm very surprise that you guys have modified and transform tradition Nasi lemak to "Vegetarian Nasi lemak".
The idea is new and good for people like me (the big eater). All in all, I love the idea. Something to add, should suggest more "green" vegetables like longbeans, cabbage etc... in the servings.
wow,the calories of nasi lemak is so high~ I like the modification because it is less in saturated fat after you replaced the meat with mushroom. In addition, the trim milk contains less fat. This modified dish is recommended for those who wanna slim down in a healthy way.
Thanks for sharing~
oh la la, this post makes me hungry =(
p/s: it's luch hour by the time im wrtiting this =P
The modification is good. but the canned coconut milk. I tried before, taste different fr the fresh one.. :(
Katrina, you can use program such as my diet analysis to analyse the content of food, carbs , protein and lipis and the benefit of those are you can analyze them in term of energy intake and energy used and then, balance them. The program only cost about $18 for a year. I am using them for my assignment. I was amazed by your blog and assignment..If you want to know more, let me know...
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