KUALA LUMPUR: Sweet traditional kuih and traditional dishes made with coconut milk often get a bad rap as they are deemed unhealthy.
But is that actually true?
The National Heritage Department (JWN) World Heritage Division Director Mohd Syahrin Abdullah dismisses the claims.
He says traditional foods use recipes that had been passed down for generations. As such, they are made using only natural ingredients and without using any artificial preservative or colouring.
“For example, nasi kerabu obtains its blue colour from bunga telang (butterfly pea flower). The dish is eaten with a variety of fresh ulam (local salad) which are good for health,” he explained.
The Head of Dietetics and Food Services Department at Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Negri Sembilan, Basmawati Baharom agrees that traditional foods are not to be blamed for health problems.
“Studies have shown the problem is not in the (traditional) foods but the quantity in which it is consumed and its method of preparation.
“Traditional foods like nasi lemak and nasi minyak are generally not unhealthy. Many traditional foods are actually even good for health,” she told Bernama.
She says it is the unrestricted consumption and unhealthy preparation of such foods that lead to diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary diseases.
Basmawati says fans of traditional foods can continue enjoying the dishes for as long as they prepare it in a healthy way.
“It is not hard to practice good eating habits once we understand the nutritional content of foods and its effect on our health. It is not wrong to eat curries made with coconut milk, as long as it is in moderation,” she advises.
She says that the previous generations led healthier lifestyles and dietary habits, and as such they were rarely afflicted with chronic health diseases like diabetes, obesity or heart diseases.
“They were also highly active. Their jobs were physically laborious and whatever they ate were burned for energy.
“In addition to that, they also prepared their meals from scratch. People today get their coconut milk from a carton but back then, they had to climb the coconut tree to pluck the coconut, grate the meat and go through a series of activities before they can get the coconut milk,” she added.
In contrast, she says, today’s generation are so dependent on technology that even the process of making and getting meals are tasked to others – all through virtual applications.
“People today are more sedentary. They want everything fast and easy. They only need to order their food and do nothing else. That is among the reasons why so many people are sick today,” she said.
The Health Ministry has released a recommended dietary guideline for better health, but few pay heed to it.
“It’s really easy – the most important thing is to take food in moderation.
Malaysia is known as a food heaven where we can get almost anything we desire, but we need to be moderate in our consumption.
“We need to vary the foods we eat for proper nutrition and we must also take into account our daily activities,” says Basmawati.
Meanwhile, local celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, says that today’s generation has not been properly exposed to heritage foods – and they are not too concerned about it either.
“People today, particularly those who live in the city, prefer meals that are quick prepare. They also like fast foods as those are readily available almost everywhere,” he says.
Chef Wan says that most heritage foods are nutritious and are prepared in a healthy way.
“The previous generations roasted, steamed or grilled their foods and we know those to be healthy cooking methods,” he says.
He recommends for culinary courses to include heritage food preparation to raise better awareness of its health benefits.
“There needs to be a book or an encyclopedia with all our heritage foods for the reference of future generations,” he says. - Bernama