| + | Saturday, February 26, 2011 |
Blog Critiques
I'm going to critique three blogs based on their diet and reflection process.
Blog 1 - http://fanaticfoodie.tumblr.comI can tell from Day 2's food log that Saaradhaa enjoys eating chocolate and snacking in general. She can replace these unhealthy snacks with something like apples or fruits; even wholemeal bread would be good too, providing dietary fibre. However, I approve of her breakfast of cereal (which provides carbohydrates), even if it is eaten too late, and lunch, which provides sufficient nutrition. I don't think Saaradhaa should have dinner so late in the night, as her body won't be able to digest the food enough. She also eats a fruit salad at 9.15PM, and even though a fruit salad is healthy, she shouldn't be eating it so late! Her calorie count is below 1000, which is way too low.
I think it's good that she understands she shouldn't snack so much and that eating something healthier would have increased her calorie count. Even though she already has vegetables in her lunch, I think it's good that she realises it'll be good to add more vegetables to her diet; I suggest green, leafy vegetables. And she also knows that more meat is needed to provide amino acids and proteins, which is good. She also reflects on the late timing of her breakfast and dinner, which is relevant and I think she knows she can improve on that.
Blog 2 - http://gimmesomefoodlove.tumblr.comFor Natalie's Day 2 food log, I think her breakfast was healthy and eaten at an appropriate time! Wholemeal bread has more fibre, less fats and more carbohydrates than white bread, and she had low-fat milk instead of full cream. Even if I don't like tuna personally, I cannot deny that tuna is high in proteins. For her lunch, she could have had stir-fried beehoon instead of fried beehoon, but spinach and tofu are very healthy as they are high in fibre and minerals. Although almonds are good and it's alright to indulge every once in a while, she could have eaten more fruits throughout the day as cookies are high in fats, and also to provide fibre. Chicken curry is quite fattening, so she could have used low-fat milk instead of coconut milk, and it's good that she used brown rice instead of white rice. The soup, ngoh hiang and fruits are quite good too. However, I notice that she eats a lot more during dinner compared to lunch; as dinner is the last meal, I think some of the food (like fruits, ngoh hiang) could be moved back earlier in the day.
It's good that she knows her breakfast is healthy! :) I think it's also good that she knows even though her favourite foods (beehoon, spinach, tofu etc.) might be delicious, but they might be really high in sodium and cholesterol; this will let her make an informed decision in the future when it comes to what goes into her stomach. And she realises that almond cookies are high in sodium and not all that healthy. One of the more unhealthy foods, curry chicken, is also in her analysis; I think it's good that she understands it should only be eaten once in a while because it's very fattening. I also think it's commendable that she makes an effort to have fruits everyday.
Blog 3 - http://i-live-to-eat-and-eat-to-live.blogspot.com
I will be analysing Day 2 of Nicole's diet. She had an egg tart for breakfast; that is sufficient, however she could have some milk or tea to add some hydration. As for her bread and cheese, I suggest that she uses wholemeal bread and toasts it so that the cheese is easier to digest. She had noodles and fried chicken for lunch; I'm not sure about how the noodles were cooked, but boiled noodles are the healthiest, and if she insists on frying them, olive oil is the best solution as there are many monosaturated fats that lower the bad cholesterol (they clog up arteries!). She also shouldn't have had fried chicken; I think grilled chicken would be healthier, and she should add vegetables to her plate! Dumplings are quite healthy as long as they're not eaten in huge amounts and mini sausage buns are alright too, however I think that she should not overeat when it's near dinnertime. She had rice, broccoli and salmon for dinner, which is very healthy! Brown rice is, as always, better than broccoli. Smoked salmon and boiled broccoli are also the healthiest options. I find that Nicole needs to add more dietary fiber to her diet, and this can be found by eating more vegetables (one to two servings every meal, perhaps) and fruits.
I think it's commendable that Nicole realises that this diet is not ideal. It is quite high in fats, sugars and oils, which according to the healthy food pyramid, should be the least consumed nutrients. She also understands that if she eats like this every day, she will get long-term diseases and 'become fatter'. I would also like to praise her on the fact that she feels that even though she is in a sports CCA and trains often (thus she needs more nutrition), she still needs to watch her diet. Even if we have regular training, we do still need to watch what we eat, because we can't solely rely on exercise or vice versa to solve health problems. I think it's also good that she knows that she needs to watch her sodium intake, as excess sodium is unhealthy for you.