Facial and music spa for melons

A farmer polishes a Japanese muskmelon with facial pads at Mono Farm in Putrajaya, Malaysia in this picure taken April 8, 2021. A trio of Malaysian farmers are applying the right concoction of nutrients and treatments to successfully grow Japanese muskmelons, one of the world's most expensive fruits. 

The farmers regularly rub the melons with a soft cloth or glove, a practice called "tama-fuki" said to enhance their flavor, and play classical music over speakers in the greenhouses, which is believed to stimulate growth. 

-reuters-

Singapore ramps up rooftop farming plans as virus upends supply chains

SINGAPORE - Singapore on Wednesday announced new measures to accelerate local food production as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts global supply chains, including a plan to turn car park rooftops in public housing estates into urban farms.

The densely populated city-state produces only about 10 percent of its food needs but has plans to increase that as climate change and population growth threaten global food supplies.

Around the world, restrictions on population movement because of the coronavirus outbreak are wreaking havoc on farming and food supply chains and raising concern of widespread shortages and price increases.

"The current COVID-19 situation underscores the importance of local food production, as part of Singapore's strategies to ensure food security," authorities said in a statement. "Local food production mitigates our reliance on imports, and provides buffer in the event of food supply disruptions."

Authorities have repeatedly assured locals that the city-state has sufficient food supplies, amid bouts of panic buying that have gripped the island during the outbreak.

Farmers and the government have been looking at ways to overcome the shortage of land in Singapore, where only 1 percent of its 724 sq km (280 sq miles) is devoted to agriculture and production costs are higher than the rest of Southeast Asia.

In response to the outbreak, authorities aim to speed up local production over the next 6 months to 2 years.

This includes providing a S$30 million ($21 million) grant to support production of eggs, leafy vegetables and fish in the shortest time possible, and identifying alternative farming spaces, such as industrial areas and vacant sites.

As part of that project, the Singapore food agency will launch a tender for rooftop farms on public housing car parks for urban farming starting next month, authorities said.

($1 = 1.4280 Singapore dollars)

-Reuters-

Heading to Boracay? Try Chatime's 3 exclusive drinks

BORACAY – Planning to go to Boracay this summer? You might want to try the drinks served exclusively at Chatime’s branch at the White Beach.

The well-known Taiwanese milk tea chain recently launched a branch in Boracay, just a few steps from the White Beach shoreline. The new store offers all of Chatime’s bestselling products as well as three drinks that are served only on the island.

Taking a cue from the popularity of fruit shakes in Boracay, Chatime offers drinks made with crushed ice, tea and fresh fruits in season to beat the summer heat.

The Watermelon Lychee Fruit Tea is the most refreshing of the bunch, which also includes the sweet Mango Green Tea and the thick and creamy Banana Mango Milk Shake.

“These items are only for this store,” Chatime Philippines’ Chris Cua said as he showed the new products to selected members of the media. “For now, it’s mango, banana and watermelon. We’ll try using other fruits soon.”

“Over there is a famous fruit shake bar, and this is our take on that,” he added. “It’s not really a smoothie because we use crushed ice. You can chew on it and you get that added texture.”

Aside from the fruit shakes, Chatime has also introduced milk tea smoothies, which are only available in Philippine branches. Variants include Banana Milk Tea Smoothie, Strawberry Milk Tea Smoothie and Honey Oolong Tea Smoothie.

“The base is milk tea and it is made into a smoothie,” Cua said. “These are some of our bestselling milk teas.”

Soon to be available in the country is the global Chatime product Tea Air, which mixes tea with carbonated water.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

12 'lucky' fruits to ring in the New Year

MANILA – Preparing to welcome 2015 at home? Consider adding these fruits to your dining table on New Year’s Eve to attract prosperity and good luck, a feng shui practitioner said.

According to Hanz Cua, these 12 “lucky” fruits symbolize each month of the year, bringing anything from money and luxury to happiness and good health.

Here are Cua’s 12 suggested fruits and their respective meanings:

1. Pineapple – the Chinese word for pineapple is “ong-lai,” which means “fortune cones.”

2. Orange – represents gold in Chinese tradition. Its round shape signifies money.

3. Apple – the Chinese word for apple is “ping,” which means “harmony.”

4. Grapes – represents luxury as these are traditionally eaten by royalty.

5. Banana – comes in clusters, symbolizing unity. Its yellow color stands for happiness.

6. Mango – its sweetness signifies strong family ties.

7. Lemon – its fragrance and essence is known to cleanse and remove negative vibes.

8. Watermelon – symbolizes prosperity. Its many seeds stand for abundance.

9. Papaya – similar to the orange, it represents gold in Chinese tradition.

10. Lychee – its round, red body stands for happiness and good fortune.

11. Avocado – its colors – green and purple – symbolize prosperity.

12. Pomelo – its bright red or pink pulp represents good health.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Recipe: Caramel popcorn milkshake

No-cook blended drinks are easy options for a grab-and-go kind of morning. They're a cinch to make and can be done ahead of time with just one blitz using an all-purpose blender.

Here are some tips to help you get the best of your blender:

1. Choose your fruits. Almost any fruit in your refrigerator can help you whip up the perfect fruit smoothie. All you need is simple base of fresh or frozen fruit, natural yogurt, ice and some honey.

2. Don't waste. Store leftover smoothies in individual freezer safe containers with airtight lids. Allow some space in the container as the smoothie will likely expand when it freezes. This will kep for about 1 month. Thaw for at least 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

3. If you want your smoothie to be heavier so you can feel full longer, try adding some muesli, a scoop of peanut butter or a tablespoon of nuts into the mix. Special extras like protein powders, wheatgrass, barley, oats and flaxseed make for a healthier blend.

4. You can also let the kids in on the fun! Swap the fruit smoothie with a homemade milkshake and hear your kids scream in delight.

Here's a unique and yummy recipe you might want to try this weekend:

Caramel Popcorn Milkshake (Serves 4)

- 1 pack caramel popcorn
- 8 scoops mantecado or French Vanilla ice cream
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups fresh milk, chilled

1. Put the ice cream, maple syrup, fresh milk and half of the popcorn in a blender and blitz until well-blended but still thick.

2. Pour into chilled glasses. Top with popcorn and serve immediately.

For more tips and recipes, check out Food magazine's December issue, out in newsstands and bookstores. Digital edition available on Zinio.com and the iTunes App Store.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

More fresh fruit deters diabetes; juice boosts risk

PARIS - Eating more whole fresh fruit, especially blueberries, grapes, apples and pears, is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but drinking more fruit juice has the opposite effect, says a study.

British, US and Singaporean researchers pored over data from three big health investigations that took place in the United States, spanning a quarter of a century in all.

More than 187,000 nurses and other professional caregivers were enrolled.

Their health was monitored over the following years, and they regularly answered questionnaires on their eating habits, weight, smoking, physical activity and other pointers to lifestyle.

Around 6.5% of the volunteers developed diabetes during the studies.

People who ate at least two servings each week of certain whole fruits, especially blueberries, grapes and apples, reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 23% compared to those who ate less than one serving per month.

"Our findings provide novel evidence suggesting certain fruits may be especially beneficial for lower diabetes risk," said Qi Sun, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

On the other hand, those who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice each day saw their risk of the disease increase by as much as 21%.

Swapping three servings of juice per week for whole fruits resulted in a 7% reduction in risk, although there was no such difference with strawberries and cantaloupe melon.

The paper, published on Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), says further work is needed to to explore this "significant" difference.

It speculates that, even if the nutritional values of whole fruit and fruit juice are similar, the difference lies with the fact that one food is a semi-solid and the other a liquid.

"Fluids pass through the stomach to the intestine more rapidly than solids even if nutritional content is similar," says the paper.

"For example, fruit juices lead to more rapid and larger changes in serum [blood] levels of glucose and insulin than whole fruits."

The study also points to evidence that some kinds of fruit have a beneficial effect for health.

Berries and grapes, for instance, have compounds called anthocyanins which have been found to lower the risk of heart attacks.

But, say the authors, how or even whether this also applies to diabetes risks is for now unclear.

The investigation looked at data from the Nurses' Health Study, which ran from 1984-2008; the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2009); and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2008).

Ten kinds of fruit were used in the questionnaire: grapes or raisins; peach, plums or apricots; prunes; bananas; cantaloupe melon; apples or pears; oranges; grapefruit; strawberries; and blueberries.

The fruit juices identified in the questionnaire were apple, orange, grapefruit and "other."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

5 ‘healthy’ habits that can make you fat

When trying to lose weight, some of the first things we do – such as cutting down on fat, drinking more water and eating more fruit – can also be the things that cause us to struggle to lose weight or even pile on the pounds. Check out the 5 "healthy" habits that could be making you gain weight, as well as how to make them more diet-friendly.








1. Cutting fat from your diet

Hands up who’s ever checked a packet and then rejected your food choice based on the fat content? If you’ve ever been on a diet, we’re guessing your hand is probably up. For many dieters, fat seems like the ultimate enemy. However, opting for low-fat products can be much more of a diet disaster than opting for those that contain moderate amounts of fat.

Firstly, many low-fat meals are packed with sugar to compensate, meaning that they can still inevitably lead to weight gain. Furthermore, contrary to what you may think, not all fats are bad for you, and studies have found that eating good monounsaturated fats – found in olives, nuts and avocados – can actually help to promote weight loss.

2. Drinking water

Drinking plenty of water is undoubtedly good for you; helping you to stay hydrated and energized and to keep your organs and digestive system in good condition. However, studies have shown that the chemicals found in water could also be making you fat.

Not only have research results published in PLoS ONE shown that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastic water bottles encourages the body to create more fat, our drinking water can also contain the hormone estrogen, which affects the way our bodies store fat. The more we are exposed to these chemicals, the harder it becomes to lose weight. However, there’s no need to panic just yet – while ditching water clearly isn’t an option, experts suggest that filtering your water or using a reverse osmosis purification system can limit the chemicals you are exposed to.

3. Exercise

While exercise is essential for good health and, when approached correctly, can help you to shed excess pounds, many exercisers make vital mistakes that can lead to them gaining weight. Firstly, research has found that relying solely on exercise to manage your weight can actually be ineffective. Studies have shown that exercise, when not combined with dietary changes, does very little in respect to losing weight.

Additionally, many of us overestimate the amount of calories burned through exercise and adhere to the myth that exercise continues to boost the body’s ability to burn fat well after our workout is over. Therefore, we often end up overcompensating for workouts with pre- or post-workout snacks, leading to weight gain. For maximum weight loss benefits, try to incorporate both exercise and dietary changes into your day.

4. Looking on the bright side

While impulsive and optimistic people may be happier (and therefore have stronger immune systems) than their more anxious and pessimistic counterparts, research suggests that they could also have more trouble losing weight.

According to research by America's National Institute on Ageing, impulsivity is the strongest predictor of who will become overweight. Furthermore, researchers from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan studied obese women and men partaking in a six-month weight loss program and found that those who were more positive and optimistic in their outlook lost the least weight. It is believed that positivity may cause weight gain by causing optimists not to worry enough about their weight to resist temptation and stick to a strict healthy eating and fitness regime.

5. Snacking on fruit

Fruit is undoubtedly nutritious, being packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. However, due to its healthy properties, many people overindulge on fresh fruit, juices and smoothies, forgetting about the fact that many fruits are also high in calories and sugar.

Although fruit is healthy, remember that a calorie is still a calorie, and the ones in fruit are as likely to make you overweight as the ones in any other food.

Furthermore, research results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that fructose (the sugar found in fruit) can help to trigger overeating, as after consuming fructose the brain doesn’t register feelings of fullness and satiety as it does when we consume glucose. While it is still important we feed our bodies with the nutrients found in fruit, those struggling with their weight should ensure they don’t go overboard. You should also try to obtain some of these nutrients and fiber through vegetables, which are lower in sugar and calories. Read more at www.realbuzz.com.

source: abs-cbnnews.com