Company Founders/Owners

James Ong, M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons.), who co-owns VitaKids with his wife, Samantha Ong, has served as managing partner and general manager of VitaKids since its founding in 2002. James is passionate about natural health and the use of ancient, traditional and natural remedies for the prevention and treatment of ailments and the maintenance of good health. He reads voraciously on natural health topics and holds to strong opinions about the role of conventional medicine in today’s healthcare and the validity of mainstream dietary advice.

Samantha Foo, co-owner, has served as VitaKids’ advisor and financial controller since its founding in 2002. She looks deceptively young for her age, testimony to the benefits that good nutrition and a healthy, active lifestyle brings to one’s physical appearance. Her other passion in life is in the creative arts and she has been involved in many TV dramas, documentaries, plays and musicals. She was last seen in the musical, Man of Letters.

Both James and Samantha are avid students of natural health and medicine, keeping abreast with the latest developments in natural health science . More importantly, they practice what they learn and teach. Maintaining a regular exercise program, careful diet and disciplined supplement regimen, they have remained in excellent health over the last six years. When asked if they have a regular family doctor, they often scratch their heads and reply, “Well, actually, no. You see, we haven’t seen a doctor in years. Anyway, we believe that drugs should only be used as a last resort when other gentler natural remedies, as well as dietary and lifestyle changes, do not work and some form of medical intervention is absolutely necessary.”

They firmly believe in the inventor, Thomas Edison’s prophetic statement about the future of healthcare: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Quoting James, “Many are unaware that Hippocrates, the father of modern Western medicine, once said some 2,500 years ago, ‘Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food ... Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food.’ Unfortunately, this simple statement and smart way of thinking has yet to become a mainstay of modern culture. Yet significant changes are taking place in the healthcare industry and it may surprise everyone that in America there are now more visits yearly to alternative and complementary healthcare professionals than visits to conventionally-trained medical doctors. In Europe and China, naturopathy, homeopathy and traditional herbal medicine are highly regarded healing modalities.”

Both James and Samantha also firmly believe in Biblical kosher dietary principles (based on the Old Testament books of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14) and refrain from eating pork, shellfish and other “unclean” meats as far as possible. They believe that man’s nutritional advice may not always be correct but the Bible never makes mistakes because it is written under the inspiration of God’s Spirit. For who else knows how best to care for man’s frame than the Creator God himself? And the healthiest way to eat is to eat foods in as natural a state as God had created them for human consumption. In other words, eat whole, unprocessed and unadulterated foods, preferably organically grown.

Our Staff

Our retail executives are either overseas university graduates in Nutrition/Food Science or graduates of the Temasek Polytechnic diploma program in Applied Food Science and Nutrition or equivalent. Currently, our retail team at Forum and Paragon comprise Ivy, Kim Kim, August, Reinalyn, Serene, Pinky, Mariah, Joan and Sharon  (some of them may be at Pink of Health most of the time).  They will be happy to share their understanding of nutrition and natural health with you. Like James and Samantha, they have been well-trained to provide advice and guidance to our customers.

Memberships

We are proud to be members of these esteemed organizations and support their mission to enhance the well-being of people all over the world:

Life Extension Foundation, USA
Health Supplements Industry Association Singapore