My Letter in TODAY Newspaper About Charlotte Ashton and "Misery City" Singapore: Allow women to consume snacks in MRT stations to alleviate morning sickness

Allow women to consume snacks in MRT stations to alleviate morning sickness
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/allow-women-consume-snacks-mrt-stations-alleviate-morning-sickness

The vast number of letters that came before me in the local newspapers were very focused on arguing away the problem faced by Charlotte Ashton(no matter how rare it is), rather than trying to find ways to prevent a similar case from happening again. 

Not even a single letter among the countless letters before mine in the whole of the last 2 weeks mentioned the ways to alleviate morning sickness, even though many of the writers were women and husbands who had children before.

This only reflects that many Singaporeans are not as compassionate and helpful as they would like others to think they are, which further reinforces Charlotte's points in her article that Singapore is a misery city. 

So in the end, is her article on Singapore being miserable too far-fetched or more accurate than what many of us would like to think of it? 

I wrote about how Singaporeans can be too subservient(lack leadership and initiative) due to their Asian upbringing, and lack the critical thinking skills to think on their own to adapt to uncommon situations(Courage) to therefore be more socially-responsive. The many letters before me have reflected such deficiencies. 

The Lack of Social-Responsiveness and Courage to Those in Need
http://thethinktankguideforsmarterliving.blogspot.sg/2014/03/singapore-misery-city-lack-of-social.html

New Study Finds Saturated Fat Not Linked to Heart Disease

An article I just read stated that a new study found saturated fat is not linked to heart disease contrary to previous assumptions. I wrote a blog post on this issue a couple weeks ago.

Update: I did a search and found that TODAY newspaper has already published a similar report in Oct last year — Saturated fat, heart disease link a ‘myth’ and someone wrote in to Voices to comment on the report — Educate us with the right nutritional knowledge 

However, sites such as the health Promotion Board and Singapore Heart Foundation are still not updated on this fact — Saturated fat: low, lower, lowest!


Here is what I wrote  weeks ago:

Cholesterol Level and Saturated Fats are Not the Real Factors of Heart Disease — Glycation is One of The Main Factors

http://thethinktankguideforsmarterliving.blogspot.sg/2014/03/cholesterol-level-and-saturated-fats.html

The theory held by many people including doctors that LDL cholesterol and saturated fat can cause heart disease is still a theory not yet proven to be true.

Plaque is known to constrict blood vessels that lead to heart disease. However, the smooth endothelium(one-cell thick lining of blood vessels) has to first be damaged in order for plaque to accumulate.

The low-density lipoprotein aka LDL(that carries cholesterol and lipids/fats) has to first enter damaged areas of the smooth endothelium(one-cell thick lining of blood vessels) in order to create plaque.

Cholesterol is found inside the lipoproteins and cholesterol cannot simply attach to the smooth endothelium nor damage it, it is a mistaken false theory that many doctors and writers of health sites still follow. LDL is also not 'bad' and its particle size doesn't affect heart disease.

Cholesterol cannot simply attach to the smooth endothelium, and therefore is not a cause of heart disease.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/WhyCholesterolMatters/Atherosclerosis_UCM_305564_Article.jsp
"Exactly how atherosclerosis begins or what causes it isn't known, but some theories have been proposed."

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/atherosclerosis
"No one knows the exact cause of atherosclerosis"

We have got cholesterol completely wrong
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/we-have-got-cholesterol-completely-wrong/


Personal opinion:

Blood cholesterol level and saturated fat are actually not the real factors of heart disease. It is when the smooth endothelium(lining of the blood vessels) get damaged by factors such as glycation(destruction of protein fibers in blood vessels) that the low density lipoproteins aka LDL(that carries fat and cholesterol) get to enter the damaged area. The repeat of such endothelium damage and entering of the LDL eventually forms plaque that can constrict the blood vessels and can lead to heart disease. Other factors can also come from constriction of the blood vessels by things like polyphenols(olive oil). Other proinflammation factors can also weaken the blood vessels over time.

It is not cholesterol or saturated fat that leads to heart disease but the damage to the smooth lining of the blood vessels. Too much blood vessel 'scarring' is harmful. This is why it is important not to consume excessively on foods such as starches and sugar that are very high on the Glycermic Index, which can lead to glycation that can damage the lining of the blood vessels and set off the progression of heart disease.

People who still think that cholesterol level and saturated fat lead to heart disease are still not aware of the bigger picture of heart disease.

I realize that many researchers have not yet made such a conclusion perhaps they are not well-aware of the effects of glycation and other factors on the endothelium. Perhaps in future, this can be confirmed in lab studies.

Deleterious effect of glycation on the ability of HDL to counteract the inhibitory effect of oxidized LDL on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23908137

Proinflammation: the key to arterial aging
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24365513

How to Add More Healthy Coconut Milk and Oil Into Your Diet

Coconut milk and oil is not fattening but has been scientifically proven to reduce body fat through thermogenesis. It is also anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Fat is needed to be consumed with every meal as it acts as carrier for fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

For Breakfast:
- Mix coconut milk with fruit juice to create a milky smoothie
- Add coconut milk/cream to your warm tea
- Eat breakfast cereal with coconut milk
- Serve oatmeal porridge with coconut cream on top with fresh pineapple
- Drink coconut milk on its own

For Lunch and Dinner:
- Use coconut milk to cook white rice
- Use thick coconut cream as a creamy sauce for pasta and macaroni(add nutritional yeast flakes for cheese flavor)
- Use coconut cream to make potato salad
- Drizzle coconut oil on fresh vegetable salads
- Use coconut cream to make coleslaw
- Use coconut cream to make mild curry

For Dessert:
- Use coconut cream and coconut oil to make vegan ice-cream(coconut oil turns solid below 25 Deg C)
- Use coconut cream to make thick whipped-cream for ice-cream
- Use coconut milk to make pudding
- Add coconut cream to black rice porridge

For Baking:
- Use coconut cream to make bread
- Use coconut cream to make muffins
- Use dessicated coconut to make cookies

For cooking:
- Use coconut oil as a cooking oil, it can withstand very high temperatures

Coconut milk: Healthy or hazardous?
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coconut-milk-healthy-or-hazardous

My Letter in TODAY Newspaper, Coconut Milk: Healthy or Hazardous?(Includes Links to Research Studies)

Here is my published letter in TODAY newspaper(in Singapore) about the Health Promotion Board's incorrect view of coconut milk. Coconut milk is able to promote weight loss through thermogenesis, and is anti-fungal and anti-bacteria.

 http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coconut-milk-healthy-or-hazardous

(Even though coconut milk is also described to possess anti-viral properties, I think I didn't mention it because I had in mind of colloidal silver's potent anti-viral properties that I felt was much more significant. There is a local site where colloidal silver has been lab-certified to be able to neutralize various types of viruses very quickly. http://www.colloidalsilver.com.sg/Certifications.php )


These articles at the HPB's website mentioned coconut milk as fattening:

Getting the Fats Right!
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/5634

Healthy Eating in Schools Programme
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2818

Eat to Lower Blood Pressure
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2862

Survive the Hawker Paradise
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2694

It is stated on the HPB's site that heart attack is the number two killer after cancer in Singapore. In Sri Lanka where coconut oil is consumed as the main dietary fat, the country has the lowest death rate from ischemic heart disease.

Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3519928

"The Demographic Yearbook of the United Nations (1978) reported that Sri Lanka has the lowest death rate from ischemic heart disease. Sri Lanka is the only of the countries giving reliable data where coconut oil (containing over 50% medium chain fatty acids) is the main dietary fat."


Research that found coconut oil to be more easily absorbed compared to other oils composed of long-chain triglycerides—

Weight-loss diet that includes consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/3/621.full

Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/37/1/1.abstract

Medium-chain fatty acid nanoliposomes suppress body fat accumulation in mice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21733323

Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9570335


Research has also found coconut oil to be able to induce thermogenesis for effective weight-loss—

Combined medium-chain triglyceride and chili feeding increases diet-induced thermogenesis in normal-weight humans.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23179202

Postprandial thermogenesis in lean and obese subjects after meals supplemented with medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2021124

Research on the nutritional characteristics of medium-chain fatty acids.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878693

"Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) have attracted attention as part of a healthy diet, because they are absorbed and transported directly into the liver via the portal vein, metabolized rapidly by beta-oxidation, and increase diet-induced thermogenesis."