UCSI FOOD FAIR

Finally our food fair was done. It was held on Wednesday and Thursday (15 & 16 of July 2009). For me, it was successful. Do you why I said it was successful? It is because I was not only found smile in costumer but also found in our face (the students). I felt that we enjoyed it (even we were tired). Yes we did it. Some more it’s only happy, but also sad because it’ll be very hard to have chance work together again…
In food fair most people interested on food development, the food which were sold at the time. But some people also had a look on posters. Actually the posters were also our assignment. These posters were just summarization of our assignments. Every group came with different topics and difference idea on it. Generally the poster’s topics were food safety and food combination. Posters with topic food safety was assignment for Food Microbiology and food combination was come Nutrition and Metabolism. However, our group didn’t do the poster for Nutrition and Metabolism, we did the presentation on it. Not only us, but Penny’s group also prefer presenting to doing poster.
As our report, I will flashback and write all the process, begin from decide the title and end up with the blog and presentation as the ‘baby’.

Choosing the title
Actually choosing title is important because it is the ‘start’, something that route the process. Honestly, it’s confusing about food combination. Moreover the material should be local material and halal. At the first Yee Ying suggested combination tofu and honey as our title but it was rejected by Mr Wong. Then finally we ended up by chocolate and soda drink which were believed as cause of hyperactivity in children.

Doing the assignment
At the first we chose chocolate and soda drink as our topic, I already searched roughly information about it and at the time I concluded that it’s impossible that their combination will cause hyperactivity in children. When I search for further information, I realized that we do cause the hyperactivity. It may happen because both of them contain sugar, caffeine, and also food addictive. Basically, sugar and caffeine may not cause hyperactivity itself. Because of high refined sugar content, all people not only limited for child, will have more energy because body can easily use up them and convert to ATP. However theobromine and caffeine contents in chocolate together with high caffeine in soda drink can increase heart rate, respiration, and also blood glucose level. Energy produced and increasing heart rate make child looks more active. In addition, food addictives on them make it worse. There were researches that found link between hyperactivity and food addictive. Even the hyperactivity looks worst, it actually can be reduced by removing food addictive which inside the food. Our hard copy was ended in here.
I thought that it was enough. Since we chose to present it, we needed to make the slide presentation. Yee Yong made the slide presentation and Fendy presented to our classmate as our trial presentation. However it was not satisfying at all and I was so upset (TT). Many things need changes, exclude the soft copy. The hard copy is not complete, need further information. The slide presentation also looked bad and the presenter was shaken in front, seemed not prepared it. Actually after that, I blamed ourself because root of this problem was the hard copy which did not complete.
Mr Wong and Alice helped alot. Mr Wong was very curious to our group, he asked here, asked there, asked a lot and somehow it was making me more confused. We tried to find further information and it seemed not enough for him. He asked about food addictives which cause hyperactivity and also suggest to put more information for healthy children. However, because of his compulsion, we learned much and further. However, after learn it further, we still concluded that researchers have not found the type of food addictive that cause hyperactivity but they suspect that sodium benzoate is the one who plays important role in here. As further information, we also put recommendation for healthy children. While Mr Wong suggested to put more idea in presentation, Alice helped us in slide presentation. She told that our slide presentation should have bigger word and also was needed changes in here and there. She is so nice, heard and watched our presentation once more. After that, she gave Fendy many suggestions in way to give presentation to audience. Really need to thanks for her.

During the presentation
Finally the time was come. Honestly even done many trials, I still was not confident with our presentation but Alice made sure that we could do it since we had done many trial and searched further information. Actually we were the first presentation for that day, 16 of July 2009 and none came for our presentation. There was nothing to do, only waited for people who wanted to watch the presentation. Dr Ho finally took the microphone and spoke loud that we have presentation and welcomed others to come. Even Dr Ho did it, not many people came and watch, only few of them.
Even there were only few people that watched our presentation, they asked a lot. Most of them asked about the recommendation for healthy children. It was so surprise because at first time we did not put it in slide, this part was suggested by Mr Wong. All of us tried to answer all the questions. When someone asked question, we made a little discussed and one of us answered it. We shared all the questions, no one was dominant and all of us answered the question. Finally it was over. Yeah, finally and the ‘baby’ was born. Seems like normal baby born, there were laughs and tears together, I also felt it during food fair. Laugh for the result and process, tear because it was ended.

Video of Hyperactivity

This is two video that support my work... Stay tune...

This is my first time... Fuih fuih fuih...

Chocolate and Soda; how harmful they are? hyperactivity in children?

Chocolate and soda drink. Who’s not love them? Almost everyone loves it and I do. Sometimes we even cannot control to eat them more and it is commonly happens in child. Child will eat what he/she wants without compromising their nutrient value. And the problems are how safe chocolate and soda-drink if child consume them in large quantity, how worst the effect and also how we can prevent it happens.

SUGAR CONTENT and SECRETION CORTISOL

Both of chocolate and soda drink are high sugar food and can be categorized as empty kcalorie foods. These high sugar foods can elevate the secretion of cortisol ‘the stress hormone’. In other words, high sugar intake have same influence similar to stress. In stress condition, the CRH in the hypothalamus increases and secretes more the ACTH in the anterior pituitary. As a result, cortisol releases and goes into the bloodstream within 10 – 30 minutes (Tanke, M., 2008). High condition of cortisol level can disturb immune function and other functional processes such as memory and learning (Maglione et al., n.d). This link between cortisol and high sugar food is proved by Gonzalez-Bono et al in 2002. They conduct this research by giving glucose solution, protein, fat, or water fast participants. In this reaches, they pointed out that cortisol levels were higher in participants who consumed glucose relative to the other dietary conditions. Calmness also was decreased in all subjects.

CHOCOLATE and MOOD
People believe that chocolate can elevate MOOD. It’s true, it stimulates production of serotonin. Serotonin is neurotransmitter system that contributes to appetite, reward and mood regulation. In perfect serotonin level, people feels calm and relaxed, however low levels on it, cause depression, poor sleep, and increased appetite (Farndon, J., 2007). But it is suspected can cause addiction because of ‘high’ felling which they stimulate (Chocolate Expert, 1997). Other good content in chocolate is phenylethylamine, chemical that stimulate nerve to release endorphins. Endorphins are natural painkillers induce a sense of mild euphoria (Farndon, J., 2007).

CHOCOLATE, SODA DRINK and CAFFEINE CONTENT
Caffeine is famous as major component coffee which can stimulate body to keep awake. Therefore many people does not realize chocolate and soda drink also contain caffeine. A cup of cocoa or glass of chocolate milk contains 5-10 mg of caffeine and 250 mg of theobromine. Actually the consumption of caffeine is not harmful for human body if in moderate amount. Both of caffeine and theobromine can lift mood and make mentally more alert. But in bigger quantities, they may cause anxiety, panic and insomnia. Furthermore they may cause headaches and raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels (Farndon, J., 2007).

CHOCOLATE, SODA DRINK and FOOD ADDITIVES
Other ingredient that needs to have a look is food additives. Even food and color additives are strictly studied, regulated and monitored for safety, Benjamin Feingold, M.D. still doubted about their effect. In 1973, he proposed that salicylates, artificial colours, and artificial flavours in food process caused hyperactivity in children. He found that the correlation but only little evidence has been generated to support this hypothesis. In 2007, McCann et al. also built research in effect of food additives. In their research, they removed food additives from the diet of a group of 3-year-olds and the children's hyperactive behaviour reduces. When they added back the food colourings and preservatives, the parents reported an increase in hyperactivity. They were not only brought this research in hyperactive children but also in general population and they still have gotten the same result. Another thing that found is the hyperactive behaviours increases more significant in children at least up to middle childhood (8/9 years old) compare to group of 3-year-olds children.

CHOCOLATE AND SODA’S CONTENT AND HYPERACTIVITY
Chocolate and soda drink contain high sugar, caffeine and food additive. These three components may reflect in their behavior. First, high sugar intake increases cortisol level which is also happen as response of stress. Second, caffeine increases heart rate, respiration and blood glucose level. Lastly, food additive relate to hyperactive behaviour. This combination affect hyperactive behavior but this symptom is not permanent and go back to normal condition when the food additive was removed from the diet. Besides that, chocolate also can increase secretion of serotonin in the brain and has chemical called PEA as mood elevator. These two components may slightly bring calmness in hyperactive children.

SUGGESTION
Since people know that it is only temporary condition of hyperactive, people need to eliminate any foods (not only chocolate and soda drink) which contain food additives to prevent food additives in children. Somehow chocolate and soda drink can be consumed but only in proper amount, not more than recommendation intake. This suggestion on limit the chocolate and soda drink also to remind that they are not only can increase children's hyperactive behavior but also major causes of childhood obesity and related health problems such as diabetes due to their high sugar content. Any parent should be more pay attention in choosing snack for children. It will be more beneficial to have more balanced diets with more fresh fruit and vegetables and less fast food fare compare to processed foods. They are many foods which can consider as healthy snack such as sandwich, fresh fruit, milk, yogurt and etc.

Keep healthy with Food