The food scene in Singapore has always been exciting for foodies, thanks to the everlasting sprouting of innovative and instagrammy food. As much as we love to indulge in each and every of these food trends, the thought of queuing just kills every bit of our desire to do so. Thankfully, with some creativity, we can still embrace these food trends in the comfort of our home.

Cherry Tomato Toast (Serves 1)

Ingredients:

2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread

Garnish for bread

1 slice of Low Fat Cheese
1 cherry tomato (cut into half)
1 alfalfa sprout

Avocado Spread

1 ripe avocado
3 tablespoons of Magnolia Omega Lo-Fat High-Cal Milk
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup mixed vegetable (shredded iceberg lecture, diced tomato, corn)

Directions for avocado spread

Peel avocado and remove its pit.
In a bowl, mash the avocado. Then add milk, lime juice and mixed vegetables, and mix well with the mashed avocado. Side aside.

Directions for bread

Smear the avocado spread on the first slice of the toast, and top with second slice of the toast.
Layer the slice of cheese on the second slice of the toast.
Assemble the cherry tomato and alfalfa sprouts on top of the cheese as shown in the photo.
Pair the toast with a cup of Magnolia Omega Lo-Fat High-Cal Milk and serve.

Omega 3s like the one found in Magnolia Omega Lo-Fat High-Cal Milk are necessary for human health and must be obtained through food as the body cannot synthesise them. Various studies found that Omega 3s aid in reduction of inflammation ^[1]^[2]^[3] , as well as benefit the heart by preventing the formation of blood clots ^[4] and raising the good cholesterol ^[5].

Skinny Merlion Frappe (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen raspberries
160 ml of Magnolia Lo-Fat- Hi Cal Milk
1 cup frozen mango chunks
160 ml of Magnolia Mango Yoghurt Smoothie

Optional toppings

Greek yoghurt, and sliced fruits of your choice

Directions

Blend the frozen raspberries and milk in a blender.
Pour into two cups, filling them halfway.
Rinse out the blender and then blend the mango and yoghurt smoothie. Pour the mango mixture on top of the raspberry mixing a little bit at a time so that the pink and orange don’t blend together.

The Magnolia Lo-Fat- Hi Cal Milk used in this recipe contains 67% more calcium than regular milk. Calcium is crucial for the development of strong bones and teeth. A calcium-rich diet can significantly increase bone mass in growing children and young adults and minimises bone loss during ageing. Having adequate calcium in the diet also help the cardiac muscles to contract and relax properly ^[6]^[7]. Magnolia Yogurt Smoothie contains BioLive, a specially formulated ingredient that contains live cultures to maintain a healthy digestive system and support the body’s ability to absorb nutrients ^[8] and enhance gut’s immunity ^[9]^[10].

Sources

[1] Simonpoulous, A.P. (2002) Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases, Journal of American College of Nutrition, 21 (6), pp.495-505.

[2] Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K., Belury, M.A., Andridge, R.,Malarkey, W.B. and Glaser, R. (2011) Omega-3 Supplementation Lowers Inflammation and Anxiety in Medical Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Brain Behaviour & Immunity, 25 (8), pp.1725-1734.

[3] Li, K., Huang, T., Zheng, J., Wu, K. and Li, D. (2014) Effect of Marine-Derived N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor α: A Meta-Analysis, PLoS One, 9(2),pp.e88103

[4] Singh, R.B., Dunbnov,G., Niaz, M.A., Ghosh,S., Singh, R., Rastogi,S.S., Manor,O., Pella,D. and Berry, E.M.(2002) Effect of an Indo-Mediterranean Diet on Progression of Coronary Artery Disease in High Risk Patients (Indo-Mediterranean Diet Heart Study): A Randomised Single-Blind Trial, Lancet, 360 (9344), pp.1455-61.

[5] Bernstein, A.M., Ding,E.L. Willet, W.C. and Rimm, E.B. (2012) A Meta-Analysis Shows That Docosahexaenoic Acid From Algal Oil Reduces Serum Triglycerides and Increases HDL-Cholesterol and LDL-Cholesterol in Persons Without Coronary Heart Disease, The Journal of Nutrition, 142 (1), pp. 99-104.

[6] Marks, A.R. (2003) Calcium and The Heart: A Question of Life and Death, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 111 (5), pp.597-600.

[7] Marin-Garcia, J. (2010) Cardiac Function in Heart Failure: The Role of Calcium Cyclinghttps://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjt3JeI6ebTAhUJr48KHedhttps://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjt3JeI6ebTAhUJr48KHed
8BBgQFggvMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_
downloaddocument%2F9781607611462-c1.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0- 0-45- 940544-p173890014&usg=AFQjCNGLj7ww5wSoc28mpLJVMcUMeFLVow&sig2=uJlvsgb5wwp74Qy-uCzilA

[8] Scholz-Ahrens, K. E., Ade, P., Marten,B., Weber,P.,Timm,W.,Acil,Y., Gluer,C. and Schrezenmeir, J. (2007) Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Synbiotics Affect Mineral Absorption, Bone Mineral Content, and Bone Structure, The Journey of Nutrition, 137(3), pp.838S-46S.

[9] Vieira, A. T., Teixeira, M. M. and Martins, F. S. (2013) The Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics in Inducing Gut Immunity, Frontiers in Immunology, 4, pp. 445.

[10] Kobler, M. M. and Bowe, W. P. (2015) The Effect of Probiotics on Immune Regulation, Acne, and Photoaging, International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 1 (2), pp.85-9.