If you are worried about gaining weight this holiday season and have prepared a must-not-have list, you can safely take bread out of your roster.
Lydia Slater, writing for Mail Online, says experts now say bread is actually good for you. According to her, “nutritionists have declared that far from being a food to avoid, bread is positively beneficial. It’s full of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, especially if you opt for whole-grain varieties with added nuts, seeds or dried fruit.”
Even white sliced bread—called “tasty” by many Pinoys and pan amerikano in some parts of the country—has some nutritional value. Among other things, nutritionists say it is a great source of calcium, Slater reports. She adds that the American diet book “The Carb Lover’s Diet” also declares that far from being fattening, bread actually helps to burn calories: “Whole-grain bread is rich in ‘resistant starch,’ a type of carbohydrate that leaves you feeling fuller for longer because it’s hard to digest.”
Slater says authors Ellen Kunes and Frances Largeman-Roth cite studies that show resistant starch can help curb cravings, control blood sugar levels and boost metabolism. “As it has only 80-100 calories a slice, bread can be a positive aid to weight loss rather than a diet-buster, as long as you don’t slather it with prawn mayo,” Slater writes.
Worth emulating
Other local governments should follow the example of Quezon City, which passed an ordinance prohibiting motorists from putting infants and young children in the front passenger seats of motor vehicles. People seated beside the driver face greater risk when accidents happen.
You do not need a scientific study to know that those seated there are usually the ones who suffer the most in accidents, while drivers often survive with minor injuries.
A major reason is that the human instinct for survival will have most drivers automatically veering away from a perceived danger to themselves, regardless of who their passengers are. The decision is made in a split second, and the driver is probably unaware he has instinctively made a choice to save himself or herself first.
And, of course, the front of the car has metal and glass that can cause severe injuries in accidents. At least in the back, padded seats can offer greater protection to vulnerable children.
Infants should be put in proper car seats and strapped to the back seats. New cars now have belts for all seats, so children seated in the back should also be made to wear the belts.
QC Councilor Raquel Malangen is quoted in media reports, saying that the ordinance, which she authored, takes a provision of Republic Act 8750, or the seatbelt law, a step further by penalizing those who will be caught driving a motor vehicle with an infant or a young child in front.
Indeed, governments should take steps to save people—especially their children—from their own indifference and carelessness.
Tap to pay
With more and more people using smartphones, Bank of the Philippine Islands has launched the BPI Mobile Wallet designed to make over-the-counter purchases more fun, convenient and easy.
Initially set up for Blackberry and iPhone, BPI clients with any of those phones can buy things without the need for cash, credit or debit cards. They simply have to “tap” their phone over TAP terminals in commercial establishments to pay for purchases. Visit www.bpiexpressonline.com to find out more about this service.
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail [email protected]
