Do you believe in counting calories to stay fit and fab? We sure need it for energy, however the body will store excess calories in the form of FAT when we consume too much calories than what we actually need.
Surely everybody knows that too much calories can cause overweight and a long list of negative consequences such as risk of having heart attack or stroke, risk for fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, and the list goes on, especially if you are inactive by nature.
Our country – Malaysia has enjoyed one of the best economic growth records in Asia over the last five decades. In recent decades, Malaysia has experienced a rapid phase of industrialization and urbanization. It is interesting to note that the rapid demographic and nutrition transition towards achieving a developed economy status has inevitably generated changes in dietary habits and lifestyles of Malaysians. These changes are associated with changes in nutrition and health status and increased occurrence of chronic diseases and non-communicable diseases in the population.
According to The Economist’s 2017 study on obesity issues in ASEAN countries, Malaysia has the highest obesity and overweight prevalence in the study sample. Fat and sugar intake increased by 80% and 33% respectively between early 1960s and 2005. The Malaysian Adult Nutrition Study also indicated that most of the Malaysians are not performing adequate levels of exercise. All these factors are contributing to the increasing number of overweight or obesity populations in Malaysia. The economic costs of obesity are considerably high as the total (direct and indirect) costs is the highest in ASEAN, accounting for 10-19% of national healthcare spending.
In the effort to assist Malaysians in achieving, sustaining and maintaining a healthier lifestyle and diet, Ministry of Health through their publication on Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Malaysia has provided some guidelines on the appropriate level of calories consumption for various age groups.
Below is a summary table:
As tabulated in the table above, the recommended energy intake for an active adult female of age 27 is 2,080 kcal. The usual fried rice with fried chicken as lunch (926 kcal) and fast food dinner plate as dinner (1,204 kcal) would have exceeded the recommended calories intake (926 kcal + 1,204 kcal = 2,130 kcal > 2,080 kcal). The meals mentioned are quite common for a ‘regular’ Malaysian who usually wants a ‘fast’, ‘cheap’ food on daily basis. It is with no surprise that there are more Malaysians suffering from the issue of overweight just because of these fried, sweet and fast foods.
Various national blueprints and policies are being established to steer the development of food industry and improve the quality of diet for Malaysians. In the recent year, Ministry of Health has developed a National Plan of Action for Nutrition of Malaysia 2016-2025 (NPANM III) with the goal to address the nutrition issues and challenges in the country. Numerous nutrition programs and activities are planned continuously to help achieve the good habits of healthy eating and active living.
Given sufficient time and effort for the implementation, these strategically crafted blueprints and policies would help to deliver healthier and happier Malaysians. To achieve this, Malaysians will need to be more cautious on what they put into their mouth and count their calories!
Written by Ivan Yee
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