Dietary Tips: Birth to 18 Years Old

Please note that HPB has issued revised dietary tips for the birth to 18-years-old age range. You can download a pdf copy here.

Nutritional Analysis

NutritionData allows you to perform nutritional analyses of recipes and diets. Use it to complement the HPB 'Recipe Analysis' & "Energy & Nutrient Composition of Foods'. It is free to use but requires registration.

Please remember however that any recommended nutrient requirements given would be US-based and not Singapore-based! Make it a habit of giving Singapore-based information as far as possible.

Mind-Mapping

Here's a nifty web-based mind-mapping tool: Mindomo. Register for the free Basic Account. If, however, you'd prefer to download freeware, a simple search query such as "free mindmap software" should do the trick.

The purpose of including a mind-map or a summary is to demonstrate your understanding of the task and its related factors on the whole. Bear that in mind.

Warning!
I'm not looking for a visually attractive mind-map, I'm looking for a *meaningful* one so don't get too carried away and spend hours 'beautifying' your mind-maps. In fact, I suggest drafting a rough one on paper first. Remember, I will accept legible freehand-drawn ones!

NLB Digital Library

If you don't already have a DL account, go register for one NOW. Click here to register. It's free!

Why register? A DL membership gives you access to an amazing plethora of e-resources from the comfort of your PC! A lot of these resources are subscription-based (very expensive subscriptions mind you) to most internet users but FREE for DL members - a mighty good deal huh?

For example, whenever you read about some scientific or medical breakthrough in the news, the scientists involved usually mention that their findings have been published in Nature or The Lancet both of which are highly regarded scholarly journals. And now available to you too!

LexisNexis contains a database of newspapers including our very own Straits Times.

Why am I telling you all this? Because these are quality online sources you should be focussing on in your research.

Edit
I realise that some of you are experiencing access issues with the databases. Hopefully it is due to the quirky security settings in the school workstations. If you still can't access the e-resources from home, I strongly encourage you to go down to a NLB branch closest to you and resolve it.

Happy Niu Year!!!

Happy New Year everyone! Here's wishing everyone a restful, meaningful break :)

NB I will be checking my email and this blog so if you have any coursework questions, drop me a line and I'll try to reply asap.

Coursework Admin

1. Look at the Notes to Candidates handout for the font, font size, paper size and margin requirements. Not sure how to format it that way? Come see me please.

2. SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE your work!!! Keep a copy in
i. your thumbdrive
ii. your school project folder
iii. email yourself a copy (I highly recommend setting up a gmail account just for this purpose)
iv. email me a copy
v. print out your work periodically (say every month or so).
Please take the extra 5 min to do this. It is a pain i know, but nothing compared to the pain of losing all your hard work a few days before the deadline (This has happened before... learn from the mistakes of your seniors).
NB Please save your work in Word 2002 format if you are using Windows Vista. Come see me if you don't know how to do this.

3. I will be coming up with a consultation schedule, please stick to it as far as possible. Remember, I'm here not to torture but to help you! :)

Tackling the Essay Questions

I cannot imagine how any strategies I'm giving here differ from what you probably already know - but good, sound strategies are probably worth repeating so here goes...

1. Read the question carefully
Underline/highlight the key words. Read it several times. Make sure you understand what the question is asking you for. In a state of panic/excitement/grogginess your mind sometimes plays tricks on you - you see a key word and your mind races to throw you all the facts you have so diligently memorised, and distracts you from thinking and reading carefully.

2. Jot down very quickly all the facts you recall
This actually gets all that clutter out of your mind and frees up space for you to think clearly and logically.

3. Draft an outline. Plan the essay.
This is such a crucial step. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SKIPPING THIS STEP! I will hunt you down and eat you for breakfast. Definitions of the key words is always a good place to start. Look at all the facts you jotted down earlier, see how you can make connections/links in your essay. This is so vital. This is the key factor that separates a good essay with all the facts written down from an excellent essay that shows lots of clear thinking in the way the facts are connected and related to the question. This is how the examiners manage to squeeze a gazillion questions from the same set of facts - listing the facts may help you pass, however demonstrating application of this knowledge through the connections you argue will help you ace the essay.

4. Write the essay: Fact/Explanation/Example
Keep your essay neat and clear by using 1 paragraph per point. Keep your sentences short. Refer to your plan from time to time to make sure you do not stray off-topic.

5. Check, check, check
Read through your essay at least 3 times after you've finished writing it. What exactly are you checking for? Perhaps for the first round you want to ensure that you haven't left out any points from your outline. Then in the second round you check that the facts are accurate. Finally, read the QUESTION again and ask yourself: Does my essay answer the question well?

So there you have it. It seems like a lot to do but really, by the time you sit for your O Levels, you will all be such seasoned essay writers, you'd breeze through one within 20 minutes :)

Coursework Part A

The questions are out. We will discuss them in class on Tuesday. Have a think about which one you'd like to do. Meanwhile, have a super SuperTeen :)

Holiday Homework

This is a friendly reminder to please complete and hand in your Holiday Homework if you haven't already done so. I have so far received 2 submissions. If you feel compelled to do your part and save the trees, I am happy to accept email submissions.

What is Food Science?

Here's a video explaining what it is. I believe it's produced by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Maillard Browning

Here's the Maillard Reaction video as promised in class on Friday. Enjoy!

Welcome!

Ahh! Finally got down to registering and setting up the blog :) I hope you find the posts informative and thought-provoking, maybe even entertaining ;)