Functional Food

Topic paper for Sunday Mar. 25, 2012 (in the “FOOD” series)

There are different ways to maintain a good health status. In addition to medical treatment and sport activities, a lot of people select functional food as a supplement for the shortage of vitamins, substances and micro minerals.

Functional food, which is used to support the operation of body organs, creates comfort for the body, increases resistance, and reduces pathogenic dangers. It consists of food supplements, health protective food and medically nutritious food. A qualified functional food is evidenced by a report on the analysis of main contents of the food and criteria of food safety and hygiene issued by the manufacturer of the function food, or otherwise issued by a relevant analyst in the country of origin.

Some people even believe that functional food can also help them kill diseases or own a more beautiful appearance.

1. From your point of view, what are pros and cons of using functional food?

2. Why has functional food become popular not only in Vietnam but also all over the world? Would functional food replace fresh food in the coming times?

3. In fact, functional food is costly. How do you allocate your budget to purchase this luxurious product?

4. What is the difference between functional food and medicines or cosmetics?

By: Hồng Dịu

Editor: Trọng Hiếu

Food Poisioning

Topic paper for Sunday Mar. 18, 2012 (in the “FOOD” series)

Vietnam is well-known for “street food” which can be seen at every corner of the country. ‘A trip to Vietnam is not complete without tasting the street food’, said my foreign friends who are so much into Vietnamese food. However, a report shows that three in ten foreigners are afraid of food safety when they first see local people eating happily on the side of busy roads. Many questions are raised whether they are prepared in hygienic conditions? Or do we confront any health problems relating to food?

In 2011, Vietnam Food Administration estimated that food poisoning causes more than 4500 hygiene illnesses, 80% of them hospitalized. Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhoea that occur suddenly (within 48 hours) after consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow. These symptoms may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same thing (called an outbreak).

The known causes of food poisoning can be divided into two categories: infectious agents and toxic agents.

• Infectious agents include viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

• Toxic agents include poisonous mushrooms, improperly prepared exotic foods (such as barracuda – ciguatera toxin), or pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

Discussion questions

1. What do you think about the food safety in Vietnam?
2. How could we protect ourselves from food poisoning?
3. What should we do when we or our friends/ relatives have got the symptoms?
4. How could we reduce the rate of large scale food poisoning in Vietnam?
5. According to some resources, food poisoning is good to people’s health to some extends. How do you think this could be?

By: Bich Lien & Phuong Loan

Food Tourism

Topic paper for Sunday Mar. 11, 2012 (in the “Yum Yum!” series)

When I travel to any place, the first thing that excites me is local food. The stranger it is, the more it attracts me. I used to disgust when saw people, eating by hands, enjoying raw fish/beef, “currying” everything all year round, eating rotten meat, smelly cheese, dry cockcroaches or rats etc. But now you can find me at any conner of the locals, enjoy local food even if that means I need to sit by a drainage.

I love to travel. As long as there’s instant food I’ll be survived. Most of street food is unhygienic. Local food is hard to eat because it has strange flavor. Sometimes it smells funny too. To be save, my advise is to eat instant food if you don’t have much time of traveling. 

Discussion questions

1. Where are you in these two cases?
2. In which way food can be tourism
3. How food can depict a nation’s culture?
4. What should be the national food in Vietnam? Why?

By: Bao Chinh