Nature Vegetarian and Madras Woodlands Food Shop

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Nature Vegetarian and Madras Woodlands 

Today, I will talk about Nature Vegetarian food shop, found at Blk 11, Bukit Merah Road, and Madras Woodlands, at Upper Dickson Road, off Serangoon Road. I had been from the past visiting these food shops as I am able to get my food fast. They are the two shops that I used to go to when I was doing marathon training for my SEA Games which was held at Chiengmei Thailand in 1995, where I did 2hr 24min 22sec for the race.  

Usually, as a runner, I go for food that is simple and it has more varieties and at the same time, it is very healthy and tasty. 

At Madras Woodlands, I usually narrow down my choice to South Indian lunchtime food, which has rice as the main diet. In the food, you will have Tumeric in it, usually. The food comes with some vegetarian side dishes. Tumeric will bring the inflammation down in our body and it has the highest antioxidant score of food. As for the side dish, there is yoghurt which is good for the digestion as it has good bacteria. Yoghurt, I believe alkalines the body. It has cooled down body from not getting heated up and one may find it easy to go to sleep because of this. In some parts of India, it was found that yoghurt can prolong lifespan. 

There is Rasam as well. Once we have eaten, one can take it at the end of food and it is found that Rasam is good for the digestion of the body. Hence, the food is healthy so long one does not go for the second round. One could drink water a few minutes just before eating and again drink water a few minutes after food. By doing this, I believe that one will not get overweight. 

Another food that one can consider buying is a Thali meal, North Indian meal. Thali meal has rice as well as chappati, pancake-like food which is made of wheat. Chappati is very good for health and I believe that one should consume it to stay healthy. However, it is also important not to overindulge as chappati comes with ghee as well. Ghee is very healthy for the body, especially the skin. When one eats more than required, it will become detrimental to health. One's cholesterol score can go up. I saw runners in Kenya taking Thali food in their diet, besides taking ugali on other days, apart from their training. 

In Madras Woodlands, there is idly, a South Indian food made of flour which is not fried and it is steamed. If you eat with dal or curry, it is healthy. If you eat with chutney, a gravy-like substance which is made up predominantly of coconut, it is good to limit the quantity. Chutney's coconut will be good for the hair but it is not good for health if we take too much. Cholesterol will increase in the body if we overindulge. 

If you ask me on which food shop I go more, whether it is Madras Woodlands or Nature Vegetarian. My answer to this is I go to Nature Vegetarian more. The favourite food that I take at Nature Vegetarian is non-other than Wanton noodle, which is made of wheat. As for some fried onions,  which is also included, I usually ask for more vegetables to be included and the fried onions to be excluded. 

During my 1995 SEA Games preparation, one of my favourite diets was the vegetarian wanton noodle. I used to see my weight easily managed by doing this for most of my lunchtime. 

It is also good for me to share what Nature Vegetarian believes in when they have gone into the food business. They do also encourage people to become vegetarian in an educational way. 

They summarise that besides improving the immunity system, it is good to get a number of health benefits and at the same time, avoid killing the animals. 

I have listed out the reasons giving by Nature Vegetarian on why should we become a vegetarian. In another blog post, I will be writing details of the shop and the varieties of food offered by them. 

Why Vegetarian

There are so many good reasons for being vegetarian (health, animals, the environment) that a better question might be, "Why NOT be vegetarian?" When you can easily...

• significantly improve your health,
• dramatically reduce your environmental footprint,
• and greatly lessen the suffering of animals

Improve your health

The medical evidence is clear, consistent and overwhelming. Vegetarians and vegans:

• are far less likely to get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis.
• are far less likely to be overweight.
• have lots more stamina.
• consume far less pesticides in their food.
• have a superior immune function. 

Prevent cruelty to animals

Nobody wants animals to suffer, but it's easy to forget that when we eat them, that's what we're supporting. The easiest action a person can take to reduce animal suffering is to simply stop eating them.

Save the Earth

Eating vegetarian saves more land, energy, and water than any other choice you can make. That's because livestock eats several times more grain than they produce as meat. So raising livestock uses:

• several times as much land to grow the grain to feed them
• several times as much energy to harvest the grain and transport it
• several times as much water to grow the grain and to water the animals
• Several times as much pesticides, etc.

Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.