MALAYSIA sees a worrying epidemic of obesity (about 45 per cent of the population) and diabetes (about 15 per cent of the population) — both of which have resulted in healthcare costs spiralling for preventable diet-related diseases.
The latest international research on nutrition, health and ageing reveals that the Health Ministry’s nutrition guidelines and the Malaysian food pyramid are outdated — they have major flaws and even suggest dietary foundations that are unhealthy. Our nutritional guidelines and the food pyramid need urgent revision.
The Malaysian food pyramid suggests that starchy carbohydrates, such as white rice, potatoes, noodles, bread and cereals, are the foundation of a healthy diet. Research by the University of California, however, show very differently. Starchy carbohydrates consist of long chains of glucose, better known as sugar. Sugar and starchy carbohydrates are unhealthy. They are a fuel for weight increase, type-2 diabetes and cancer cells. Next to increasing weight and diabetes, it also increases the body’s ageing process.
So, if you want to look young, drastically reduce the intake of sugar and starchy carbohydrates. A healthy diet has as little as possible starchy carbohydrates and is one of the main reasons why Malaysia has one of the highest obesity and diabetes figures in the world. The suggestion by the Malaysian food pyramid of four to eight servings of this category is a serious flaw. Eating white rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner is evidently unhealthy! A far better alternative would be eating plain oats, brown rice and the German sourdough rye bread.
Many research studies show that an excess intake of protein is not healthy. An overdose of protein also increases ageing as protein causes more “growth”. Protein-rich food from meat increases the risk of cancer, heart and diabetes. Also, protein plays a key role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and deteriorating sight, hearing, heart, kidney and liver function.
Interviews with people that reached the age of 100 years have all in common that they consumed little meat. There is a direct correlation between protein intake and old-age diseases like type 2 diabetes. However, instead of red meat, white meat such as poultry is much healthier. Even better would be to switch to fish, cheese, soya, nuts and legumes. In fact, the Chinese and Indian kitchen offers a grand variety of healthy vegetarian dishes.
Most people know that trans fats found in margarine, deep-fried food and fats in cakes and candy are unhealthy. Animal fats should be consumed in low quantities. Omega-6 fatty acids, which can be found in products like palm oil, are less healthy. On the other hand there are also fats and oils that are very healthy, which have been proven to be beneficial for your health. Monounsaturated fatty acids, found in olive oil, and polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds (omega-3) are examples of these.
The Malaysian food pyramid must be revised to incorporate the latest research available on nutrition, health and ageing. Instead of carbohydrates, foremost vegetables are a key foundation of a healthy diet, which requires ideally at least 300 grammes per day, of which half should be raw and the other half cooked. Fruits, mushrooms, legumes and whole grains are also part of this foundation.
Government policies can be instrumental in averting the glooming healthcare crisis. Subsidies and taxes have proven to be an effective instrument in making healthy food cheaper and unhealthy food more expensive, leading to more healthy food choices by the consumer. From a nutritional perspective, price support should move away from red meat to fish and poultry; from general cooking oil to olive oil; from white rice to brown rice; from wheat flour to whole grains; and from sugar to pure stevia.
Given the epidemic nature of obesity and diabetes in Malaysia, drastic and painful measures will be needed to change our diets and avoid a collapse of Malaysia’s healthcare system! Besides revising the food pyramid and amending Malaysia’s dietary guidelines, the Health Ministry should start a national campaign to communicate the new dietary guidelines and promote healthy cooking; introduce sugar taxes; move subsidies from white rice to brown rice and bring the price of brown rice below that of white rice; issue new dietary guidelines for school canteens, eating outlets in universities and other higher learning insitutions.
The writer is a professor with ELM Graduate School (Help University), Malaysia