I recently had an amazing opportunity to visit Yakult in Indonesia. Due to future expansion of Yakult sales in the country, the company constructed a second plant in Surabaya, East Java, to strengthen product supply. The production capacity is of the plant is currently 610,000 bottles per day.

An important delivery service for approximately 49% of Yakult sales in Indonesia is through the Yakult ladies, and I was fortunate to visit one of their offices in the outer Surabaya. The ladies sell Yakult door to door, riding push bikes with cooler bags to carry bottles.

There are now 5,700 Yakult ladies working in Indonesia.

These Yakult ladies are highly motivated about their role in the company, taking part in daily role plays, so that they can then educate Indonesians about the importance of having a balanced digestive system.

Last year Yakult Indonesia reached average sales of 4 million bottles per day.

It was a fantastic experience to attend the Asia Oceania PR & Science Meeting 2015 in Surabaya.

Tania King, Education Coordinator

It’s getting darker earlier, the days are getting colder, and the rain is becoming more frequent- all clear signs winter is coming!

I don’t know about you, but around this time of year, my motivation to exercise really drops off! So this month I thought we should explore why exercise is so good for us, how much we should be doing, and ways that we can keep our exercise routine going (or starting!) during the colder months.

Staying active and exercising is really important- it can help to reduce our risk of chronic diseases (e.g. type 2 diabetes), assist with weight management, improve heart and bone health, and (my favourite benefit) help us to relax and improve our mood!

We should all be aiming to do 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most, if not all, days. To give you an idea of that level of intensity, if you can comfortably talk, but not sing while exercising, you’re doing moderate-intensity exercise (a good example is briskly walking).

When we talk about exercise, a lot of people envision extremely strenuous exercise, or believe they have to do a certain type of exercise they don’t particularly enjoy for it to be “worth it”, and therefore do nothing at all. Any exercise is better than none at all- so start small and slow, and find an activity that you enjoy! Walk with your dog, join a team sport, have a hit of tennis with a friend, or even pop a CD on at home and dance around while you’re doing the housework to get your heart rate up- it all counts!

The benefit of heading outdoors to exercise is that you’ll get a dose of vitamin D at the same time, and with rates of vitamin D deficiency increasing in Australia, that’s something we should all be aiming for. However, if it’s cold, rainy and just generally gloomy out, there’s plenty of ways to keep fit inside too! Try popping a CD on at home and dancing around while you’re doing the housework, hire or buy a fitness DVD that you can do in the comfort of your own home, or if you have a gym membership- put it to use!

Of course, if you have any specific health or injury concerns, speak to a professional (your GP, exercise physiologist or personal trainer) before commencing any exercise routine.

Rachael Thompson
Yakult Dietitian APD

With recent food safety scares for consumers in Australia, it’s important to remember that Australian food safety standards include legislated procedures for food handling, from raw ingredients through to consumption. Maintaining the safety of food requires constant vigilance by government, industry and consumers. Any company or business producing food must strictly comply with the legislation and follow an appropriate food safety plan which shows that every reasonable precaution is being taken to assure safety controls for physical, biological, and chemical risks throughout the food processing.

The food safety plan at Yakult means our manufacturing areas have strictly controlled procedures in place to ensure the product is not subject to any hazards that might compromise its safety. The plan identifies hazards and necessary risk control measures known as Critical Control Points or CCP, and determines critical limits and establishes monitoring procedures of these.

Yakult’s manufacturing ensures that product quality is continually monitored and meets the highest standards. More than 100 tests are carried out during production to ensure that each batch of Yakult is of a consistent high quality. Samples of the final bottles are checked for Lactobacillus numbers, acidity, potential contaminants and taste. Our commitment to quality extends to cold storage and transportation ensuring that the cold chain is not interrupted and the temperature in delivery vehicles is between 0-4°C.

Bacteria play important roles in many aspects of our daily life. Many are useful and help to produce foods and medicines, while others cause illness. Bacterial cultures are used to make yogurt and many of the most important antibiotics come from Streptomyces bacteria, found in soil. Yakult’s probiotic bacterium helps to balance your digestive system. Yakult contains only one strain of a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain. A food safety risk includes consuming food or drink which has been contaminated by bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, which cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, weakness and headaches.

If you are ever experiencing symptoms of ill health, or are concerned about another person’s health, you should immediately contact your health professional.

With all the media attention garnered by recent food safety issues, it’s easy to forget that food poisoning can occur in the home, too.

Food manufacturers, supermarkets and restaurants must comply with Australian food safety laws to ensure the food they provide is free of contamination and safe to eat.

However once you have purchased food and taken it home, it’s up to you to keep it safe to eat by storing, preparing and cooking food properly. Here’s how you can help reduce your risk of food poisoning at home;

It starts at the shops

• Check the use by date on all packaged foods before purchasing
• Avoid damaged or dinted cans and containers
• Avoid eggs with cracks in them
• Buy hot and cold items at the end of your grocery shop, to minimise significant temperature change

Safe storage

• Cans often don’t have a use-by date, but they do have a manufacture date. Canned foods usually have a shelf life of over 2 years, so just make sure you put newer cans at the back of the pantry, and have a good pantry clean-out once a year
• Check the storage directions; foods may be shelf-stable until they are opened, after which they must be stored in the fridge

Be careful when cooking and preparing

• Always thaw frozen food in the fridge or microwave
• Rinse raw fruit and vegetables with clean water before consuming
• Don’t use the same equipment/utensils for raw foods and ready-to-eat foods without cleaning them thoroughly
• Bacteria can grow quickly when food is in the “temperature danger zone”, which between 5°C – 60°C. It’s important to cook most foods to above 75°C, and when cooling foods, wait until the steam has stopped rising, then immediately cover and refrigerate.

Image courtesy of Food Safety Information Council

And it always pays to remember- if in doubt, throw it out!

Check out the Food Safety Information Council webpage for more information on how to minimise your risk of food poisoning at home.

Rachael Thompson
Yakult Dietitian APD

Adults should be aiming to eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables every day. Children’s requirements depend on their age. Currently, most of us only manage 50% of our requirement.

Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre, and are also low in kilojoules relative to other foods! Diets high in vegetables, legumes/beans and fruit help to protect us against chronic diseases such as heart disease, and may also help to prevent weight gain.

In light of this information, it’s worth learning some ways to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat daily. But first, just how much is 1 serve of fruit or vegetables?

One serve of vegetables is equal to:

· ½ cup cooked veggies, or ½ a medium potato or other starchy veg

· 1 cup raw salad vegies

· ½ cup cooked dried or canned beans, peas or lentils

One serve of fruit is equal to:

· 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear

· 2 smaller fruits such as kiwi fruits or plums

Although fruit juice does count towards daily fruit intake, it is recommended that we only occasionally consume fruit juice as it l contains little to no fibre, and is high in kilojoules.

It’s a good idea to try and include a variety of fruits and vegetables, particularly a range of different colours, as different coloured fruit and veg provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

These amounts may seem like a lot, but it’s actually easier than it sounds- take a look at this website for a pictorial guide of what one day’s worth of fruit and vegetables looks like: http://www.thekitchn.com/10-photos-that-show-you-your-daily-recommended-servings-of-fruits-vegetables-207261

Helpful hints to up your intake!

· “Hiding” vegetables in meals (grating/finely chopping carrot, mushroom or capsicum into Bolognese sauce, using half meat/half lentils or beans in curry or pasta recipes etc)

· Serving vegetable soup (pumpkin, leek and bacon) as an entrée, or side salads alongside main meals

· Serve vegetables as part of every dinner

· Have frozen vegies on hand to quickly add to stir-fry or curry etc.

· Incorporate fruit into dessert- yoghurt and berries, banana ice-cream (pop a banana in the freezer for a few hours, then blend with a tablespoon of yoghurt for a yummy ice-cream alternative)

· Get creative with toast toppings- beans, avocado tomato and asparagus, or spinach tomato and egg.

· Green smoothies made with celery, spinach, cucumber and apple

Remember, aim for progress before perfection!

If you’d like to learn more, visit http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/

Rachael Thompson
Yakult Dietitian APD

Now that summer is really starting to heat up, it’s important to make sure we stay well hydrated.

We’ve all heard that we should be drinking 8 glasses of water every day, but is it true?

While for some people, drinking 8 glasses of water daily is easy, for others it seems unachievable.

The truth is, everybody’s hydration requirements are different, and hydration doesn’t just come from drinking water. Other liquids, such as milk, juice, tea and coffee (not quite as hydrating due to the caffeine content) all contribute to your water intake. Even foods like jelly, custard and watermelon that have high water content will contribute to your water intake.

So how do you tell if you’re adequately hydrated? The best way to tell is by checking the colour of your urine. If it’s dark yellow, or you are urinating less than usual, that’s a pretty good sign you need to up your water intake!

Here are some common signs you’re dehydrated:

• Dry mouth
• Sleepiness or fatigue
• Extreme thirst
• Headache
• Confusion
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

There’s lots of ways to make sure you’re getting enough fluid in over the day:

• Carry a drink bottle with you
• If you don’t like plain water- try adding fruits or herbs to infuse flavour to the water
• Snack on foods with high water content- watermelon, icy poles and yoghurt

Rachael Thompson
Yakult Dietitian APD

What are busy year it’s been showing just over 7,000 people through the factory!

And now that our training room has been re-painted and cleaned, we expect 2015 will be another busy and fun year.

Merry Christmas and have a happy and safe new year.

Tania King

We are (fast) approaching the end of 2014, and at this time of year it’s all too easy to lose our daily routines in the merry-go-round of work, family life, social and work gatherings, and Christmas shopping.

This year I’m making a conscious effort to try and slow down, and try not to get too caught up in the hectic-ness and overindulgence that often accompanies the holiday season.

Easier said than done I know, but I thought I’d share some tips in how to maintain your health (and sanity) during the silly season.

1. Keep a diary of all your commitments, and take a look before the start of each new week. Then you know how many meals will be eaten at home, and can plan your food shopping list accordingly.
2. Go for quality over quantity when at social or work events. You’re more likely to really enjoy and savour a beautiful home-made fruit mice pie or dessert than a mass-produced one.
3. Don’t beat yourself up for indulging occasionally- nobody’s diet is perfect. If you eat 3 meals a day, you’ve got 21 meals. A couple of more indulgent choices in a week are not the end of the world; just make the rest of those 21 meals your usual, healthier options (this is where the diary becomes important).
4. Be mindful of your alcohol consumption- alcohol contains 29kJ per gram and have no nutritive value. Offer to be the designated driver, have a wine spritzer (half soda water), have water in between every alcoholic drink or just savour one or two glasses of a more expensive wine rather than three or four of a cheaper drop!
5. Make the best use of your time- shop online for groceries (then the lolly aisle can’t tempt you!) or Christmas gifts, and utilise their gift-wrapping option! Think of all the time you’ll save not competing for a car space at the shopping centres or wrapping gifts. Then you have more time to get outside and go for a walk, swim or play with the kids/pets.

From all of us here at Yakult Australia, we wish you a holiday season and new year filled with happiness and good health.

Rachael Thompson
Yakult Dietitian APD