YOUR GUIDE TO LIVING WELL
TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011
HEALTH POST After so many food scares, is anything safe?
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Look before you eat
FROZEN YOGURT BENEFITS ARE SUGAR-COATED >PAGE 7
HOLD THAT POSE: YOGA IN THE GOLDEN YEARS
Photo illustration: Emilio Rivera III
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2 NEWS HEALTH BITES ...................................................... Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com 2x2x2 Yes, that’s equal to eight, but it’s also the “danger zone” for catching flu on a flight, according to new research published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. You are in this zone if there is a sick passenger seated up to two seats in front, two seats behind or two seats to either side of you. Researchers found that the risk for flu rose 3.6 per cent if you sat within two rows and 7.7 per cent if you were within two seats. Study author Dr Paul Kelly, an associate professor at Australian National University in Canberra, suggests changing seats, wearing a mask, washing hands and avoiding touching one’s face to minimise the chances of getting sick. Being in good health, getting a good night’s rest and eating healthily also help.
Coming clean The high temperature and amount of detergent in a dishwasher doesn’t stop fungi from breeding in the machine, researchers from Slovenia’s University of Ljubljana found. More than six in 10 swabs taken from the rubber seals of 189 household dishwasher doors in 101 cities around the world were found to contain some form of fungi. The most common type was black yeast, which researchers say is unlikely to threaten the well-being of healthy people, but needs more research to determine whether it may cause humans harm.
Q: I moved house about six months ago. Since then, I have suffered from congestion in the mornings, pressure in my sinuses, a blocked nose and difficulty breathing at night. In the past week, I have been sneezing in the mornings and at night, and my eyes are so itchy. I have never had allergies before.
Girl power There’s nothing like a few lean, mean beauties to give you – both guys and gals – a kick in the rear and get you back on that exercise regime. Chinese tennis star Li Na, along with six other world-class female athletes, share their inspirational life stories, fitness routines and goals as part of Nike’s “make yourself” campaign. Surf nikewomen.com, admire their toned muscles and be inspired to achieve your fitness goals.
Berry yourself Eating half a kilo of strawberries every day can fend off various conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. In a new study published in the journal Food Chemistry, 12 healthy volunteers who were fed that amount of Sveva variety strawberries daily for two weeks boosted the antioxidant capacity of their blood plasma. It also improved the resistance of their red blood cells to oxidative stress, which may lead to various illnesses and speed up ageing. The Italian and Spanish scientists are now analysing if eating smaller quantities and/or other strawberry varieties produce the same effects.
Stretch and tone Yoga Room is offering a free “yoga on the beach” class on Sunday, July 31, at 5.30pm at Repulse Bay. Email info@yogaroomhk.com to register. Or try Powerflow Pilates with Andrea (HK$300 per person) on Saturday, July 16, 2pm at Pure Fitness IFC Mall. Call 8129 8000 to sign up.
APP OF THE WEEK
Medical guide easy to read, but more features would help ...................................................... Katie McGregor healthpost@scmp.com Travel Health Guide US$2.99 Rating 7/10 It’s midnight and your child has a burning fever. If you were back home, you wouldn’t be overly concerned. But you’re in Thailand, you were on the beach all day, and the child’s legs are dotted with mosquito bites after petting a tame monkey at the restaurant. Your imagination runs wild as you admonish yourself for being a bad parent. You wonder whether your child has dengue fever, rabies or heatstroke. Well, this handy app will give you some peace of mind. It was developed by Dr Deborah Mills, an
Australian celebrity travel doctor, medical director of Dr Deb’s clinics and author of Travelling Well, now in its 15th edition. The app opens to a list of symptoms. Clicking on “fever” leads you to an emergency alert screen with symptoms that require a doctor’s immediate attention. Press “OK” and you are taken to a list of possible illnesses where you can learn more about the specific symptoms and treatment. If you are prescribed drugs while abroad, you can use the app’s drug reference table to double-check uses, doses and precautions. The table also lists alternative names – useful if you need to renew a prescription in a foreign country. There’s a lot of information laid out in an easy-to-read format. A few pictures would have been useful. However, it is not designed for
ASK THE DOCTORS DR ADRIAN WU
emergency situations such as administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. As Mills says in the disclaimer, there are many good apps to assist with CPR; the focus of this one is travel health. I would recommend downloading GoToAid (free with upgrade available) as a complement. GoToAid has step-bystep guides for administering CPR and using an automated external defibrillator, and also lists a country’s emergency numbers. Another feature that Travel Health lacks is a list of suggested vaccinations to take before you go. You can visit Mills’ website – www.thetraveldoctor.com.au – but for the final word, visit your doctor in Hong Kong at least a month before your trip. Despite its limitations, this was the best travel health app I found.
A: This is typical of allergic rhinitis. Symptoms include sneezing, nasal congestion, clear watery discharge, itchy nose, red eyes and tearing. Complications can include sinus infections, blocked Eustachian tubes, sinus headaches, asthma, sleep apnoea and chronic fatigue. Allergic rhinitis is caused by an inappropriate immune response to allergens. A change in environment can trigger or diminish symptoms, depending on the presence or absence of the relevant allergens. The first step is to identify the allergens. A thorough history, including the patient’s living and working environment, is needed, and laboratory tests based on these findings can confirm the diagnosis. The skin prick test assesses the immune response to allergens. If this is not possible because the patient is taking antihistamines or has chronic skin disease, a specific IgE blood test can be done. Once the cause is identified, the patient should minimise exposure. In Hong Kong, the most common allergens are dust mites, which live in bedding, carpets, cushions and clothing. They eat dead skin and thrive in humid environments. All bedding should be encased in microfibre mite-proof covers, which can reduce allergens by 90 per cent. Drugs can reduce symptoms, and your doctor might prescribe a steroid nasal spray for long-term use. However, drugs do not change the natural course of the disease. The only way to eliminate the allergy is through immunotherapy. This involves repeated use of allergen vaccines to induce a kind of immune response called tolerance, which is the normal response to harmless antigens. Once tolerance develops, symptoms gradually disappear. The effect is long-lasting, even after treatment is discontinued. Most patients can stop treatment after six months to a year, and recent studies show this treatment can prevent the development of new allergies and asthma in children. Dr Adrian Wu is a specialist in allergies and a member of the Health Post advisory panel. > CONTACT US Culture Editor: Janelle Carrigan janelle.carrigan@scmp.com Health Post Editor: Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com General inquiries: healthpost@scmp.com Advertising: tel 2565 2435
MEDICAL 3 CASE HISTORY
...................................................... Eileen Aung-Thwin healthpost@scmp.com An evening of music and fun at a pop concert for Mary Lau, 57, took a scary turn involving a trip to the emergency room, a wire inserted into her brain and a medical rarity involving her twin sister. The drama started when Lau (real name withheld for patient confidentiality reasons) fainted during the concert. She regained consciousness two minutes later, but gripped her head in pain, complaining of the “worst headache of her life”. Her neck felt stiff and the room spun. She was quickly taken to the emergency room of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Suspecting the worst, as Lau had classic symptoms of bleeding in the brain, doctors at the emergency room admitted her. Surgeon Dr Phillip H.K. Leung was called to administer her case. Leung ordered a computed tomography (CT) scan. This showed that blood had seeped into her cranial cavity and dangerously raised the pressure inside her head. This had caused her blackout, severe headache and other symptoms. In more severe cases, excessive pressure in the brain could kill brain tissue, resulting in stroke-like symptoms of weakness in parts of the body and neurological damage. It could also cause instant death. Lau was lucky. A ruptured aneurysm was the likeliest cause of the bleeding. Doctors are not clear why aneurysms develop, although a popular theory is that a weakness in the wall of the blood vessel allows a “balloon” to form on the side of the
vessel as the pressure of rushing blood pushes against the vessel wall. The balloon swells under the continued pressure, filling with blood and growing larger until it pops. When it does, internal bleeding occurs. The bleeding usually stops by itself as the body’s natural clotting function kicks in. Aneurysms can be found throughout the body, but they don’t often cause problems because they are likely to burst before they can grow large enough to press on important tissue. But in the brain, which is contained by the skull’s rigid structure, the leaking blood – with nowhere to go – creates excessive pressure in the cranial cavity, faster than the body can naturally reabsorb the blood. Leung now needed to pinpoint the location of the suspected aneurysm and bleeding. Lau was given a digital subtraction angiography (DSA), in which a special iodine-containing dye called contrast was injected via a catheter near the base of her brain so that her blood vessels would show up clearly in an X-ray. Although imperative to her diagnosis and treatment, the DSA carried a risk of stroke, as the dye could irritate her blood. As the insertion of the catheter injures the blood vessel, it could also cause a stroke-causing clot. Lau’s DSA showed that the aneurysm resided deep in the middle of her brain. If doctors left the aneurysm alone, Lau ran the risk of suffering another ruptured aneurysm. So despite the risks involved in tampering with a blood vessel inside her brain, treatment was necessary. Two decades ago, patients would have had to endure a craniotomy,
Illustration: Angela Ho
Blood connection between twins
where the head was opened to expose the brain and the aneurysm. But technological advances allowed Leung to use a much less invasive method called coiling to seal off the aneurysm. First, Lau was injected with contrast so that Leung could use an X-ray to guide him during the procedure. Then, a catheter was inserted into Lau’s femoral artery near her groin, as it was large enough for the
catheter and far away enough from the brain to avoid risking a stroke with a blood clot. The catheter was then guided all the way up the artery into her brain. “It is like a highway,” says Leung of the path of the artery. “There are a lot of exits, but if we stay on the main road, it will lead right to the brain.” In this catheter is a tiny wire made of an amazing “memory metal”. When it is travelling up the artery, the wire remains straight. But
when it reaches and is inserted into the cavity of the aneurysm, it “remembers” its original shape and curls into a perfect sphere to completely fill and seal off the blood vessel balloon. Lau’s treatment was a success. But the attention now turned to her younger identical twin sister, Amy. The medical community is aware that twins often exhibit a tendency to develop similar diseases. So there was a chance that Amy might also have an aneurysm. In the past, doctors could use only DSA to screen accurately for brain aneurysm. But the risks that were involved made screening in asymptomatic patients very controversial. However, in the past five years, a safer screening process – called a magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) – has emerged. In MRA, the brain is scanned after the contrast is injected at a more remote location, such as the arm. This method lowers the risk of a procedure-induced stroke. But the quality of the scan is still good enough to pick up the diluted contrast and provide a fairly clear look at the blood vessels. Given Lau’s close shave with death, Amy agreed to an MRA screening. It turned out that she, too, had an aneurysm – in the mirror position of her sister’s. Identical or mirror-position aneurysms in twins are so rare that only 15 cases have been documented in medical literature. With this rather unsettling information in hand, Amy is now much more aware of the health risk she bears. Her sister’s operation has informed her of the symptoms to watch out for if things go badly.
FROM THE EXPERTS
Do-it-yourself approach to health makes a comeback after 200 years In the 18th and 19th centuries, when people spoke of their “family physician”, they were referring not to a person but to a book. Detailed encyclopedias of lay medical practice were commonplace in many homes for self-care and treatment, one of the most influential being Dr William Buchan’s Domestic Medicine. “It is not to be supposed that men – who are totally ignorant of their causes – can be sufficiently upon their guard against diseases,” wrote Buchan in his 1769 home medical guide that had detailed instructions for dealing with a wide range of diseases and calamities. “Indeed, men of every occupation and condition of life might avail themselves of a degree of medical knowledge.” More than 240 years later, it seems this do-it-yourself approach to health is making a comeback. We are taking more control of our own health and wellness. Signs of this are reflected in different forms, from the growing number of health food shops popping up around Hong Kong
stocked with dietary supplements and other nourishment to the increasing array of home health devices for anything from measuring cholesterol levels to testing for urinary tract infections. Another sign of the DIY movement is the heightened interest in natural, preventive health, and complementary and alternative therapies. More people are taking a holistic approach to health care, encompassing the practices of naturopathy, nutrition, herbalism and manual therapy, for example. The internet, with its wealth of readily accessible information, has contributed to this trend. Along with myriad publications and talks, this growing pool of free information gives consumers a feeling that they are knowledgeable in health issues and creates a sense of confidence in self-diagnosis. Websites that offer direct communication and credible services in providing valuable health information include NHS Direct, which was developed by Britain’s Department of Health. With 14,000 calls a day and costing £123 million
(HK$1.55 billion) a year to run, it is by no means a fly-by-night service. Saving on the non-urgent calls to 999 numbers has been a successful objective of the service. This empowerment of the health consumer seems to have liberated Britain’s health care system and made transparency a buzzword among policymakers. In Hong Kong, the government has been encouraging empowerment among the already chronically ill by providing health management information through the Hospital Authority’s Smart Patient website, and developing
A self-help approach to health using Google is not risk free. The user must apply judgment MILES PRICE, FOUNDER OF ZENERGY
networks and services with NGOs. But this widening sea of public knowledge is not the only driver of the DIY health trend. Patients are becoming disappointed with ineffective treatments dealt out by modern medicine for allergic conditions, autoimmune diseases or chronic pain. They are searching for alternatives on their own. In an article published in 2008 in the Harvard Gazette, Harvard’s Professor Anne Harrington says dissatisfaction with mainstream medicine has contributed to the popularity of mind-body medicine. “For some,” says Harrington, “the ideas and practices of mindbody medicine – ideas about stress, about positive thinking, the health benefits of techniques like meditation – help to bring a person’s suffering into focus. It helps it to make sense and offers ways for a person to have perceived direct control over their experience.” While there is little doubt that allopathic medicine works well in the case of trauma and emergency, it is much less effective when it comes to prevention, chronic disease and
in addressing one’s mental, emotional and spiritual needs. These are precisely the areas where alternative medicine excels and why an increasing number of people are seeking it on their own after typically finding out about these therapies through the internet or word of mouth. A self-help approach to health is not entirely risk-free. When you Google “self-diagnosis”, you get 1.1 million results. With no strict regulation of internet websites providing diagnostic services, someone calling themselves a “doctor” can easily mislead the unsuspecting “patient”. It is up to the discerning web user to make an informed judgment about the site. DIY health is a positive trend – but only when the consumer applies a degree of healthy scepticism and rationality. Miles Price, the founder of wellness company Zenergy (zenergy.hk), is completing his master’s degree in holistic nutrition at Hawthorn University in Whitethorn, California, US.
4 COVER STORY
What’s Given how often food scares and scandals are occurring these days, you may be wondering if anything is safe to eat. But there are ways to reduce the risk, writes Margaret Wee
A
rsenic, cyanide, dioxins, clenbuterol, melamine, listeria, sulphur dioxide: these may sound like the names of biological weapons, but are in fact toxins that recently have been found in what we eat – from bubble tea to bean sprouts, broccoli to baby food. Food scares are happening with increasing frequency, the most recent large-scale scandal being the use of industrial plasticisers in food and drink products from Taiwan. The plasticisers include DEHP, DINP and DBP, which can affect the liver, kidneys and reproductive system, wreaking havoc, particularly in the young. Then there is the enterohaemorrhagic E coli outbreak, which has claimed more than 30 lives, left thousands ill and crushed European vegetable markets. The source of the infection has been traced to bean sprouts grown on an organic farm, quashing the notion that organic produce is safer. The widespread alarm shows how susceptible humans have become to food-borne illnesses. With experts warning that food scares are here to stay, the question is: is anything safe to eat any more? Last year, there were 346 food poisoning outbreaks in Hong Kong, affecting slightly more than 1,000
people. Of these, 246 outbreaks – or about seven in 10 – were due to bacterial food poisoning. Modern poultry and livestock farming methods have created favourable conditions for viruses and bacteria to make people ill on a large scale. Animals farmed for meat are confined in cramped and overcrowded spaces, making it easy for pathogens to spread from one animal to another. The sewage sludge generated by farming operations is used as fertiliser on fruit and vegetable farms, spreading the infection to plant produce. And when infected animals are slaughtered, their meat is sold to the market, while by-products such as trimmings, inedible offal and bones are processed into meat and bone meal, which in turn is added to livestock feed to improve its protein content. This recycling of infected meat was blamed for the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow disease”, among cattle in Britain in the 1990s. The disease was transmitted to humans when infected meat was consumed, leading to a pervasive ban on the use of meat and bone meal in livestock feed that is still in place today. Even when livestock are healthy, the quality of their meat is compromised by the routine feeding of antibiotics, which prevents the animals from becoming ill while
hastening growth and the production of more meat. Unfortunately, this encourages the development of drug resistance, and the creation of superbugs that can cause illnesses in humans who eat or come into contact with infected meat. Organic causes aside, food-borne illnesses are also caused by additives to cut costs or to make foods seem more nutritious or appealing, as was the case in Taiwan. “The fundamental problem is with food manufacturers and processors who are tempted to add untested or insufficiently researched additives to food to make it attractive to the consumer,” says Dr Donald Li Kwok-tung, a family medicine specialist with the Family Medical Practice. There has been an ongoing furore over the presence of cancercausing DEHP, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, in a host of food and drink products from Taiwan – some 900 products so far have been pulled from nearly 40,000 Taiwanese shops. It’s widespread use boils down to the fact that DEHP helps manufacturers cut costs. Not only is it a cheap alternative to vegetable oil in the production of clouding agents that enhance the flavour and appearance of food, but it also increases the shelf life of products. In Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety has been blacklisting an
COVER STORY 5
your poison? TOXIC SOUP Salmonella This is one of the most common causes of food poisoning worldwide. Usually found in poultry, eggs, unprocessed milk, meat and water, salmonella bacteria attacks the stomach and intestines. Symptoms include diarrhoea without blood, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever. Most mild infections clear up within a week with rest and plenty of fluids. Norovirus Highly contagious, this spreads easily in closed and crowded areas such as hospitals and schools. The virus spreads in the faeces of infected humans and animals, and is transferred by infected food handlers and contaminated food and water. Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vomiting within 24 to 48 hours of exposure.
The fundamental problem is with food manufacturers and processors who are tempted to add untested or insufficiently researched additives to food to make it attractive to the consumer DR DONALD LI, FAMILY MEDICINE SPECIALIST
Top: examples of a bacterial growth mediums at a microbiological laboratory at the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency in Sofia. The E coli outbreak in Europe is the latest in a long line of food scares. Photo: Reuters
ever-growing list of Taiwanese products – from fruit jelly to square cookies and instant noodles to asparagus juice – on its website, www.cfs.gov.hk. Authorities have taken steps to strengthen the food safety control framework. In March, the Legislative Council approved a new Food Safety Bill, which requires registration of food importers and distributors, as well as health certification requirements for meat, poultry, eggs and seafood imports. The law also includes record-keeping requirements and mandatory foodrecall powers. However, the onus is still on consumers to check that their food is safe. “Legislation such as the Food Safety Bill will help as more information is provided to the consumer,” Li says. “Nonetheless, Hong Kong is a free market, and the variety of foods that is available is enormous. Consumer awareness through public education is more important.” Statistics, however, suggest that getting people to comply with safe food-handling procedures is an uphill task. In a 2009 study, “Public Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Food Safety and Nutrition Labelling”, commissioned by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, most of the
respondents between the ages of 18 and 64 didn’t know the correct way to ensure that perishable prepackaged food was safe to eat. Here’s how: check if the package is intact, check the expiry date and the temperature of the storage area. More than 70 per cent of respondents did not know that the correct minimum core temperature to ensure thorough cooking of food is 75 degrees Celsius. “If food is left around in unfavourable conditions [such as room temperature], ensure that it is recooked thoroughly to destroy the existing bacteria before consumption,” says Carmen Lo, a dietitian with Premier Medical Centre. “Choose fresh foods because they have no preservatives. Read labels carefully, and don’t choose foods only by their colours. Make sure you refrigerate food to prevent bacteria growth, cook food until it is well done and eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods.” To help the public remember food safety tips, the World Health Organisation has developed five keys to food safety. 1. Keep clean Wash hands before handling food and after going to the toilet. Wash and sanitise all food preparation equipment and surfaces, and protect food areas from pests.
2. Separate raw and cooked To prevent cross-contamination, raw food should be stored at the bottom of the refrigerator and cooked food on top. This prevents juice from raw meat from dripping onto vegetables or fruit, which could lead to bacteria transfer from the raw to ready-to-eat food. 3. Cook thoroughly Particularly for seafood, this ensures that bacteria are killed. Fish should be cooked to 145 degrees Celsius or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, while shellfish should be cooked until the shell opens. 4. Keep food at safe temperatures That is, “serve hot food hot and cold food cold”. Although the temperature danger zone for bacteria is between 4 degrees and 60 degrees, bacteria do not die but simply become dormant at lower temperatures. Cooked food should not be left at room temperature for longer than two hours, and frozen food should not be thawed at room temperature. It should be thawed either in the refrigerator or in the microwave oven on a low setting. 5. Use safe water and raw materials During food preparation, use treated water and select foods processed for safety, such as pasteurised milk. Fruit and vegetables should be washed before eating, and expired food should not be used. healthpost@scmp.com
Vibrio parahaemolyticus This virus lives in brackish salt water and causes gastrointestinal illness in humans. Most people are infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. The bacterium can also cause skin infections when an open wound is exposed to warm sea water. Watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills develop with 24 hours of exposure and last no longer than three days. Ciguatoxin This is found in coral reef fish such as groupers, which eat algae that accumulate the toxin. In turn, it accumulates in the head, skin, viscera and roe of the fish, and it cannot be destroyed by cooking, refrigeration, drying or digestion. Symptoms include numbness in the mouth and limbs, vomiting, diarrhoea, and joint and muscle pain. In cases of excessive exposure, the circulatory and nervous systems will be affected. E coli Escherichia coli is transmitted to humans primarily through eating infected meat, unpasteurised milk, cheese and juices, and vegetables. Symptoms usually begin within five days of infection and include cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, headaches and watery and bloody diarrhoea. Some patients may develop haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a series of complications that can lead to acute kidney failure, haemolytic anaemia (anaemia resulting from the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells) and thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count, compromising blood clotting). Margaret Wee
6 FITNESS Try to stay upright; players say being tackled feels like hitting sandpaper. Photo: Felix Wong
MORE BEACH SPORTS Kayaking/canoeing, dinghy sailing and windsurfing Prerequisites: aged eight or above and able to swim 50 metres. Where: for beginners, Stanley Main Beach Water Sports Centre is the perfect place to pick up any of these water sports. It faces Tai Tam Bay, which has calmer sea conditions in summer, as it’s sheltered from southwesterly winds and waves by the Stanley Peninsula. The more advanced will prefer St Stephen’s Beach Water Centre, on the Stanley Peninsula. Facing southwest and overlooking Lamma Island, Stanley Bay is battered by gusts of southwesterly wind in summer. Find out more: details of training courses and equipment hire on the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website, www.lcsd.gov.hk/watersport
Photo: Felix Wong
SPORT FOR HEALTH BEACH RUGBY
A shore thing for fitness ...................................................... teams – many made up of nonJoanna Hughes healthpost@scmp.com
rugby players. Although it was beach rugby’s debut here, the game is gaining popularity worldwide. Major events are held in France, Italy and Tall and willowy, Nicola Sawyer the United States. But there is no looks as if she could audition for a international ruling body for the role in Black Swan, but today she’s sport – yet. at Repulse Bay ready to attempt a So, with summer upon us, gather sport infamous for its take-nosome friends (it’s five-a-side), get a prisoners play: rugby. rugby ball (or perhaps four), find a But there is a twist – the game is beach and play. There are simple taking place on a smaller pitch, rules to follow, such as no kicking, about one-twelfth the size of a no passing forward, tackle only the standard rugby pitch. There is no player with the ball, only tackle goal post. Rope, instead of paint, below the chest. One point is marks the boundaries of the 30metre by 20-metre playing area. And awarded for each try. Fitness isn’t usually an issue for rather than grass, the surface is sand, which adds a challenge to an already Sawyer, but the first day of play left her shoulders, arms and upper body vigorous game. aching. “It’s the constant grabbing Even though the halves are only five minutes long, just 30 seconds of and pulling that I’m not used to,” she says. Skills with a hockey stick sprinting on sand can send heart don’t quite translate to ball handling rates soaring. In fact, a study by Belgian researchers published in The – and they sure don’t prep you for the full body contact that makes Journal of Experimental Biology rugby so exciting to watch and play. found that running on sand burns Expect scratches, scrapes and about 60 per cent more calories than possibly bruises, says James running on a firm surface. Beacher, 23, who works in events “It’s short but intense, both management and plays club mentally and physically,” says football. “If you get tackled, it’s like Sawyer, 25, an events manager. hitting sandpaper.” Coming from one of the top scorers Speed, agility and aggressiveness in the Hong Kong Hockey definitely help, but size is not Association premier women’s everything, according to Alex league, this means beach rugby Brazendale, 33, the tournament must be a great workout. Her foray into this game resulted director of the Beach 5s. It is all about positioning and the angle of from the AirAsia Beach 5s Hong attack. “Some of the players are big Kong, which was held over a lads who thump their way across the weekend in March and featured pitch,” he says. more than 40 men’s and women’s
Some players are big lads who thump their way across the pitch. But nimbler players are also important ALEX BRAZENDALE, TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
“But the smaller, nimbler players are also important.” A combination of cardio, interval and circuit training, suggests Sawyer, would be ideal for anyone hoping to get into shape to take up the sport. It’s a great workout, she adds, but it’s also great fun, even for non-rugby types. “I never saw myself as a rugby player, but you could be a non-rugby person and not be out of your depth.” The Beach 5s was meant to be a one-off tournament, but plans are already in the works for next year’s event. If you are thinking of picking up the sport and getting involved, the website, www.hkbeach5s.com, has a Facebook link. Brazendale reckons it would be easy to match up with other players interested in a game there.
Beach rugby is gaining popularity in Hong Kong. The first Hong Kong Beach 5’s tournament took place at Repulse Bay in March. Photo: Edward Wong
Diving Prerequisites: aged 10 and above, able to swim 200 metres and comfortably maintain buoyancy for 10 minutes without any swimming aids. Green light from doctor. Where: Shelter Island, Sharp Island, Chek Chau, Ninepin, Tung Ping Chau, Hoi Ha, Crescent Island and Pak Lap Tsai are some of the best diving sites, according to the Hong Kong government website. Find out more: Hong Kong Underwater Association, www.hkua.org.hk Ultimate frisbee Prerequisites: none; a game for everyone. Where: Discovery Bay, Gold Coast, Tai Long Bay (Ham Tin and Tai Wan), Shek O, and Lower Cheung Sha. Find out more: Hong Kong Ultimate Players Assoc, www.hkupa.com
Surfing Prerequisites: guts and competent swimming ability. Where: according to the website of Hong Kong extreme sports shop and event organisers X Game, the popular spots are Big Wave Bay and Tai Long Wan. As the peak surfing season is winter, the best chance to catch a wave in summer is before or after a typhoon – but it could be risky. X Game suggests Cheung Sha or Pui O for summer surfing, but check that the southwest wind is force four to five before heading there, or the waves will be too small. Find out more: there is a Hong Kong Surfing Association, though it has no known website. Your best bet would be to search internet forums. Jeanette Wang
DIET 7 NUTRITION
The cold, hard facts about frozen yogurt Some claims are sugar-coated, says Jacqueline Yang It was believed that the biblical Abraham owed his virility and longevity to yogurt, while ancient Persians and Middle Eastern nomads used it as a way to preserve the goodness of milk. Hongkongers have also caught on to the health-giving benefits of the fermented dairy food – albeit the frozen version, a fad of the 1980s that’s now making a comeback worldwide. More than 25 frozen yogurt shops have popped up in the city in the past couple of years, proclaiming the food’s no- or low-fat probiotic powers. But is it really a healthy alternative to ice cream? Elaine Hsieh, a US-registered dietitian at Quality HealthCare’s iWell Centre, sorts the fact from the fiction. Frozen yogurt contains lots of healthy probiotics and live cultures. True and false: research has shown that probiotics can help regulate bowel movement, strengthen the immune and digestive systems and improve inflammatory conditions. While frozen yogurt is often marketed as containing probiotics, much of the beneficial bacteria can be lost during commercial processing. For products that come from America, look out for the “live and active cultures”’ seal by the US National Yogurt Association, which indicates that the yogurt contains 10 million cultures per gram at the time of production. American frozen yogurt franchise Tuttimelon Yogurt, with outlets in Sha Tin and Tsim Sha Tsui, for example, has this seal. But there isn’t a governing body for yogurt in Europe or Asia, so be aware that what the marketing materials say may not be the truth. It’s low in calories. False: we get calories not just from fat, but also from sugar. Frozen yogurt is lower in fat compared with ice cream, but it can contain more sugar. According to the US Department of Agriculture’s nutrient database, 100 grams of vanilla ice cream has 207 calories, 11 grams of fat and 21 grams sugar, while the same amount of vanilla frozen yogurt has 159 calories, 5.6 grams of fat and 24 grams of sugar.
True, froyo is lower in calories than ice cream, but that still doesn’t make it low in calories. It’s cholesterol-free. True and false: all animal products – including milk, a basic ingredient in frozen yogurt – contain cholesterol. But the fat and cholesterol have been removed in skimmed milk. So while low-fat frozen yogurt contains cholesterol, non-fat yogurt – with negligible amounts of cholesterol (about 2mg to 5mg per 100 gram serving) – can claim to be cholesterol-free. A pre-packaged product can be labelled as such as long as 100 grams of the product contains less than 5mg of cholesterol, not more than 1.5 grams of saturated fat and trans fats, and contributes less than 10 per cent of calories from its saturated and trans fats. Toppings don’t add many calories. True and false: sweet toppings such as syrup and sprinkles are calorie traps. Two tablespoons of gummy bears, for example, contain 110 calories and 16 grams of sugar; two tablespoons of crumbled Oreo cookies contain 130 calories, six grams of fat and 12 grams of sugar. Watch out for “healthier” toppings too, such as dried cranberries (96 calories, 0.4 grams of fat per two tablespoons) and mixed nuts (168 calories, 15 grams of fat per two tablespoons). Fresh fruit, on the other hand, is low in calories, with two tablespoons of fresh fruit containing fewer than 20 calories. They are also a source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. But stay away from fruits in syrup, as they have added sugars. It’s better than ice cream. True and false: overall, frozen yogurt is not high in nutrients such as calcium and vitamins. While it is a healthy alternative to ice cream when the sweet cravings strike, the halo that surrounds froyo may lead people into eating a bigger portion than they normally would. Give in once in a while to a small cup of froyo, but remember to eat in moderation. healthpost@scmp.com
Going nuts for a healthy alternative to ice cream ...................................................... Dr Wendy Yang healthpost@scmp.com Regular ice cream usually consists of milk, cream and sugar. Most ice cream from the supermarket also contains stabilisers, colouring, flavouring, emulsifiers and other additives. Nothing beats a home-made treat. It’s neither time-consuming nor messy to prepare: the raw and additive-free version here takes about 10 minutes to make and can be served straight away. Bananas are a great source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining heart health and regulating blood pressure. Bananas have healing effects on constipation and ulcers. Tahini is made from hulled sesame seeds ground into a paste. The seeds are a good
Nutty Monkey I-Scream Serves 4 Ready in 10 minutes
• Arrange the banana slices in a single layer in a large freezer-safe container, or place the slices in a single layer sandwiched between two silicon sheets and placed on a cookie sheet. Freeze. • Slightly thaw bananas and put in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Purée until mixture forms a smooth, solid clump of ice cream. Sprinkle with cacao nibs or crushed dark chocolate. • Can be stored in a sealed freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
6 ripe bananas, sliced ⁄3 cup tahini or sesame butter Optional: ¼ cup agave nectar or raw honey 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dr Wendy Yang is a holistic chiropractor and certified gourmet raw food chef and instructor. Find her at Holistic Central (www.holistic-central.com).
source of manganese and copper, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fibre. They have been shown to reduce joint pain in rheumatism, and support vascular, respiratory and bone health. In this recipe, tahini lends the dairyfree frozen treat a smooth, creamy texture. If you can’t find it, sesame butter, a less refined sesame product, will do.
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8 DIET/WELL-BEING PERSONAL BEST
...................................................... Catherine Macer healthpost@scmp.com If, like me, you are looking for a role model on how to age with health, happiness and grace, then look no further than Tao Porchon-Lynch, a 92-year-old yoga instructor from the United States. Her diminutive stature and grandmotherly manner belie a zestful, strong body and a spirited outlook on life. Porchon-Lynch started practising yoga in her 30s. Contrary to most of her peers who now have stiffening joints and more limited mobility, she does headstands and arm balances with agility and ease. Check her out on YouTube. Ageing is a reality for us all, and the choices we make in mid-life will greatly influence our old age. Too often the burdens of our 40s and 50s dominate – increased duties at work, a mortgage to pay off, a family to raise – and we don’t make time to take proper care of ourselves. If this sounds familiar (as it does to me), then you might also have (as I do) an assortment of aches and pains, and fatigue. Many of these may be symptomatic of our underlying inability to deal with stress. The American Medical Association reports that some 80 per cent to 85 per cent of disease is related to it. The good news, as PorchonLynch well knows, is that movement and meditative practice such as yoga can have a profoundly positive effect on our mental and physical wellbeing. Yoga is proven to be beneficial for the immune system, muscular strength, skeletal alignment, range of movement,
respiration and metabolism. It aids restful sleep, boosts energy levels and confidence, and brings a sense of peace and calm into our lives. “If there is one thing that people tend to lose more than anything as they get older it is mobility and trust in their own ability”, says Simon Low, one of Britain’s leading yoga teachers and founder of the Yoga Academy. His classes at the recent Evolution Asia Yoga Conference in Hong Kong were packed. “Through yoga you can learn to cultivate skills and awareness in ways that are really helpful, and it can give people a quality of life that they had lost,” he says. Low has practised yoga for many years but, now at age 53, has modified his practice to incorporate a slower, softer, more reflective approach that better suits his limitations. He strongly encourages others to do the same. But returning to yoga or starting afresh in mid-life can be daunting, especially if you’re out of shape and low in body confidence. Yoga advertising doesn’t help, with its images of youthful bodies stretched out in glorious, complex shapes. “Too often I hear people say: ‘I want to do yoga, but I can’t stand on my head, I can’t touch my toes ... I’m too stiff for yoga,’” Low says. “But if you can breathe, you can do yoga. It is how you observe the postures and respect your body that count.” Building proper strength with the right awareness is at the heart of Low’s teachings – as is a passionate understanding of the innermost workings of our anatomy – and he encourages other teachers to make these a priority. Often, yoga is taught
Illustration: Martin Megino
Stretch into the golden years
with an emphasis on fast, dynamic movements without much care for our unique body shape and size, or our associated capabilities and limitations. Such an approach could be harmful to any body, but especially older, stiffer ones. “People coming to yoga have to respect their limitations as they are at that time... in terms of injury, muscular tension and imprinted patterns in their connective tissue that give rise to limitations of movement,” Low says.
It is never too late to take up yoga ... Listen to your body because half the time it knows what is right for us SIMON LOW, YOGA TEACHER
“It is never too late to take up yoga. But one needs to find a teacher who speaks to them and respects them as unique individuals. Listen to your body because half the time it knows what is right for us.” If Porchon-Lynch is anything to go by, I’m making yoga a part of my wellness strategy for the future. First, however, I will do my research and find a teacher and a class that serve my new self – mid-40s, postchildbirth, undeniably older but hopefully a little bit wiser.
THE TASTE TEST BERRY SMOOTHIES
Forget the juicer, try these convenient pure fruit beverages ........................................ Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com mySmoothie blueberries HK$19 for 250ml, City’super To call this a smoothie is ironic, given that the blueberry skin and seeds not only needed chewing but also clogged up the straw. On the bright side, it’s a sign you’re drinking good stuff from Sweden. With no added sugar, additives or preservatives, it has just the right sweetness. Verdict: blueberries are said to have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fruits; this is a convenient way to get your fill.
Naked Juice strawberry banana HK$45 for 450ml, City’super Don’t chug it or you may choke – this smoothie is thick, like yogurt. The texture comes from its blend of (and boy, are they precise) 22 strawberries, 11⁄3 bananas, 13⁄4 apples, a hint of orange and nothing else. At about 250 calories a bottle, it fills you up, but at least you can taste that it’s natural and healthy. Verdict: with its thick texture, it’s not going to quench your thirst, but the refreshing blend of strawberry and banana will perk you up.
Nudie Crushie HK$26 for 250ml, City’super Since this has no added sugar or reconstituted juice, the manufacturers must have a knack for picking sweet, ripe fruits. Each bottle contains (just as precisely) 11⁄10 pressed apple, 29 crushed raspberries, 1⁄3 mashed banana, 1⁄5 squeezed orange and 5 crushed cranberries – producing the most drinkable consistency among the three products. Verdict: a tad too sweet for my liking; I couldn’t guzzle it all in one go.