Monday November 16, 2009
Malaysians still cling to their roti canai and teh tarik
By ZALINAH NOORDIN
KUALA LUMPUR: There’s just no sweet surrender from Malaysians who simply can’t give up their sugar-laden favourite food.
“Malaysians are generally not ready to trade roti canai for high fibre breads and teh tarik for plain water despite the risk of getting diabetes,” said Health Ministry’s deputy director of disease control, Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar.
He said Malaysia’s favourite drink – the teh tarik – contains about six teaspoons of sugar and a piece of roti canai contains about 350 calories with sugar equivalent to a plate of rice.
“The human body doesn’t need extra sugar. The food we consume like rice, vegetables and fruits already contain natural sources of sugar.
“Malaysians should opt for a sugar-free life if they want to be healthy and disease-free,” he said at the launch of the national-level World Diabetes Day organised by the Sungai Buloh Allied Health Science College and the Malaysian Diabetes Society yesterday.
The World Diabetes Day is observed every Nov 14 to commemorate the birthday of Frederick Banting who together with Charles Best had invented the drug for diabetes in 1921.
Dr Zainal said healthcare awareness was vital in preventing diseases as chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases all stemmed from unhealthy lifestyle and ignorance.
“Malaysia is not only advanced in technology and development but is also advanced when it comes to diseases, as shown by the escalating figure of diabetes cases which can lead to an array of other illnesses,” he said.
Currently, 14.9% of Malaysians are diagnosed with diabetes.
Dr Zainal urged Malaysians to start reading food labels for information on nutrition and calorie content before buying or consuming certain food.
Attributing the escalating number of diabetic patients to the current sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits, he said parents should encourage their children to be active in sports and outdoor activities.
“Parents should start training their children to observe healthy lifestyle from young and not choose the easy way out by giving their children fast food out of convenience and sheer laziness,” he said.
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