I'm a full-time mummy

I came across this article which I must definitely share with you guys as I'm very interested to know your thoughts on this. For your convenience, I have copied the excerpts from the article here:

"Worried about your child’s vitamin and mineral intake? Most healthy children get what they need through their regular diet—however imperfect. And that means most children do not need to take multivitamin supplements.

That hasn't stopped parents in nearly seven out of 10 U.S. households with children from giving their kids over-the-counter multivitamins. That's according to the  market-research firm Mintel, which estimates that Americans spent some $440 million on children’s vitamins, minerals, and other supplements in 2013 alone. Makers of children’s multivitamins have zeroed in on this growing market, creating an array of products such as gummies and liquid vitamin drops that appeal to both kids and parents who are anxious about their children’s health.

“They are marketing to parents’ fears that their child is somehow going to miss out on something,” says Mark Corkins, M.D., pediatrics professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn.

In fact, the concept of taking a daily vitamin supplement originated not from scientific research, but from the marketing departments of  pharmaceutical companies such as Miles Laboratories in the 1940s, says Consumer Reports chief medical adviser Marvin M. Lipman, M.D. “Convincing the public to take a daily supplement as a preventative health measure was part of a very effective marketing strategy to increase sales of its One-A-Day brand vitamins,” says Lipman. "But there is no reliable medical evidence to support healthy people of any age taking a daily multivitamin,” he says.

In fact, Consumer Reports knows of no U.S. government health organization or professional medical organization that promotes the regular, across-the-board use of a multivitamin at any age. On the contrary, a nationwide study of children under age 4 published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that most children got the nutrients they needed from their usual diets and did not require a supplement. Another national study of more than 2,000 children in grades 1 to 12 found that the majority of children generally ate nutritionally adequate diets.

Ironically, doctors have noted that the very parents who give their children a multivitamin are the ones whose children are least likely to need it. “The very concerned parents, the ones who make sure kids wear a helmet when they ride a bicycle, wear seatbelts, and eat healthfully, their children are the ones who are least likely to need a supplement,” says Corkins, who is also a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Nutrition.

It’s also important to note that dietary supplements, including multivitamins, do not undergo Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review and do not require FDA approval before they hit store shelves, so there’s no guarantee that they contain what’s listed on the label, or that they’re safe and effective.

Of course, some children with special dietary needs may need a multivitamin that’s prescribed or recommended by their doctor. But for everyone else, it’s OK to leave the multivitamin on the store shelf."

Growing up, I don't recall much about getting any vitamins or supplements except the rare ocassions where this neighbour uncle giving me vitamin C chewables when I played with his daughter once in a while at their house. Other than that, no recollection at all.

As a parent now, I do give multivitamins to our kiddos. I personally feel I should do that especially since I'm not giving them enough fruits and vegetables in their meals and I worry they might missed out on some nutrients or something, but that's just the paranoid me.

How about you? What do you think?

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Last year, I wrote about a look back into my home-cooked journey so far. Then shortly before the end of 2014, I wrote a post on my preparation when cooking. Then I thought, "Why not snap a picture of before start cooking and the final results after cooking?"

So, here you go..

Left part of the picture is the ingredients all ready to be cooked on 29th  April 2015. Ingredients on top (clockwise): A bowl of chopped small red onion with dried chilli, a bowl of sliced garlic, a bowl of chopped tomatoes (deseed), chicken marinated with turmeric powder + chilli powder + sliced onions + salt pepper, a bowl of chilli powder + sugar + water, a can of red beans, 2 eggs, a bowl of minced pork marinated with sweet soy sauce and sugar, chopped long green beans (not in picture).

My dinner dishes for that day? Click on the dish name to check out my recipe.

• Minced pork with green beans in sweet soy sauce and garlic.
  

• Ayam Masak Merah
  

• Red Beans with Eggs (not in picture)
  

In case you are interested to view my other recipes, feel free to hop over to my Recipe Library page for more info!

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews since 2014 and only accepted those that I feel will definitely fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

Few months ago, I received an offer to review Corelle’s latest dinnerware line. Wow, I would be crazy to turn down this opportunity for my whole family to try out new products right? Anyway, let's continue with my review below...

About the product:

"In celebration of Corelle’s 45th anniversary, World Kitchen introduces a brand new collection Rosabelle. In line with World Kitchen’s commitment to provide and innovate to meet the world’s evolving needs in homes, the kitchenware world leader has produced a new collection available in both dinnerware and cookware.

Inspired by the French language, Rosa means rose and Belle means beautiful. Rosabelle is available under both of World Kitchen’s Corelle and Corningware brands. Chip-resistant, stain-free, durable, easy to clean and fashionably designed, Corelle Rosabelle is ideal for home use, for the busy yet innovative Malaysian home cooks. It is a favourite among households for its revolutionary material that is comprised of a special three layer glass laminate called Vitrelle® glass. This material is responsible for Rosabelle’s exceptional lightweight and durability. Under its cookware line, Corningware Rosabelle acts as a uniquely versatile cookware that allows you to cook and serve beautiful dishes with just 1 pot."

Those of you who followed my blog will know that I've only started buckling up and cooking for the family since this beginning of 2014 (prior to that, my mum-in law cooked for us mostly) and I do feel that the look and feel of the dinnerware plays an important part in building up the excitement of the dishes I whipped up every weekdays LOL.

I received 5 pieces of Corelle Rosabelle dinnerware and 1 Corningware casserole for my review. The moment I received the items, I was already plotting and planning for opportunities on how I should use these dinnerware.

FYI, Corelle dinnerware is made out of Vitrelle®, a unique three-layered laminated glass for superior strength and durability. The Vitrelle® makes its dinnerware resistant to breakage and chipping. I took a while admiring the beautiful designs, love love love the pastel colors of the flowers. I also tried to scratch and chip off the designs to no avail LOL.

One thing that impressed me the most is how light and thin the dinnerware are. Everytime I hold one of the dinnerware, I have to remind myself not to get too excited as it is just so so so light! It also stacks up easily and takes up lesser space compared to my other dinnerware.

I love it so much! I looked forward to using them during mealtimes!

Btw, Corelle dinnerware is also oven and microwave safe, I've tested this out haha..

Now back to how I used these dinnerware...

I used them for my famous ayam masak merah dish.

I used them for my stir-fry chicken in ginger and scallions, Sweet & sour pork, curry chicken,

Spinach in anchovy soup...

Stir-fry sweet potato leaves with Japanese tofu and fishballs...

And...

Yes, even durians. I don't know how, I can't explain it, that piece of durian just looks so gorgeous on the plate!

Apparently the Corningware cookware can be used straight from the freezer, to the stovetop or oven, and onto the dining table for fuss-free yet stylish serving, I have yet to try this out due to being tied up these recent 2 months with GST, year end closing and auditing queries for hubby's company. Possibly will do so one of this days with my other famous dish, braised pork.

Overall feedback, I'm very happy we get to review these products!

Definitely will be using them again and again and again!

The Corelle Rosabelle 16 piece set is priced at RM729 and the Corningware Rosabelle 6 piece Casserole Set (1L, 1.5L & 3L) is priced at RM629.

Both are available in leading departmental stores.

For more info such as product updates, promos, and tips on cooking and kitchenware care, do check out World Kitchen Facebook page.

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.