Secret to Longevity

Secret to Longevity

There are no less than half a dozen of people telling me that I have a long life. A couple of them are professional fortune-tellers, and the others may probably possess sixth sense. Well, one person's comment about my being able to live for a long time comes from my personal doctor. After looking at my recent blood test result, he gave me a clean bill of health.

I am not a health fanatic, and do very little exercise. I eat and consume almost everything and anything. Some are considered healthy, and some are not. For whatever I eat - good or bad for my body, I eat it in moderation.

• Offal, feet and trotters
• chicken skin, parson's nose (bums)
• bone cartilage, crispy fish bones and fins, shark fin
• pork fat and crackling
• whole milk and its products, ice cream
• steamed/fried yum-char items
• saturated/unsaturated oils and fats
• leafy/non-leafy vegetables, melons, seaweed, mushrooms, fungus
• fresh/dried/candied fruits
• nuts, melon seeds, sunflower seeds
• fresh/frozen/dried fish, roes, shark
• crustacean, shell fish
• red meat, white meat, poultry, game
• curry with/without coconut milk
• fried/boiled rice, fried noodles, pasta
• plain/boutique breads
• doughnuts, pastries, biscuits, cakes, kuehs
• jam, vegemite, cheese spread, Logical, Pro-Activ, mayonnaise
• cereals, wheat germ
• fish fingers, hamburgers, pizza, fish and chips
• water, coffee, tea, Chinese tea, fruit juices, milk, soya milk
• bone stock soup, meat/fish/vegetable soup

We are so blessed to have such abundant food varieties in the world, and yet so many people have to turn to man-made vitamin supplements, concentrates and extracts to keep them healthy. Overdosing oneself with some of these laboratory-prepared items may cause more harm than good.

Healthy options for fussy eaters

Children don't like to be told just to eat fruit and vegetables. Besides fun, they want to find out more!

Let them find out the names of fruit and vegetables. Maths questions can be set about the fruit and vegetable prices, per kg or per meal, discount calculation on supermarket promotion.

Outdoor activities can include growing fruit trees and vegetables the organic way, and in biology lab by hydroponic. Combining with other sciences, children can learn about energy in joules, the chemistry of salt and sugar; classify them in terms of carbohydrate, protein, fat, acid, alkali, soluble and non-soluble fibres, various vitamins and minerals.

In English classes, children can have show-n-tell their trips to fruit and vegetable farms; present essays or short stories related to fruit and vegetables. To go further, act out in drama classes the fruit and vegetables characters.

Children should learn about the unhealthy effects of not eating enough fruit and vegetables. They should be shown pictures or documentaries on children suffering from various vitamin deficiencies, obesity; in extreme cases side effects that can lead to cancer.