STOP ABUSING YOUR STOMACH!

By Melati Mohd Ariff

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- In the diet of many Malaysians, they have
the uncanny tendency to consume high fat foods with little vegetables as well as
fruits.

Malaysians have also gone haywire in their food portions. They purchase food
as value for money.

"It is not the recommended serving size that you are eating especially if
you dine at the Western outlets. For example the fish and chips, chicken chops
or lamb chops are out of portion and use a lot of butter and cream," Mary
Easaw-John, the senior manager for Dietetics and Food Services at the
National Heart Institute (IJN) said this to Bernama here recently.

TOO ABUSIVE

"I think we have come to a stage where we just do not realise how abusive we
are to our stomach. The poor stomach has a system. It works like a factory
machine with certain timing.

"Please remember your stomach can only take a certain amount of food and it
will help if you chew your food well," Easaw-John said.

She said after the food passes the esophagus, it would take some time for it
to be digested in the stomach which acts like a second 'grinder'. From the
stomach, the food ‘bolus’ would then be passed to the small intestine in small
amounts.

"Do not be a glutton. If you overload your stomach, it would not only make
the organ bloated but you are making it overworked and tired.

"Worse still if you continue to eat before the stomach can complete the
first cycle. If you eat breakfast at 8am then your next meal should be
around 12.30 pm as that would allow time for digestion to complete.

"Think what would happen if your stomach goes on strike? How are you going
to assimilate your food? What if you have stomach ulcers? Stomach problems?
Colitis? (acute or chronic inflamation of the colon).

"How are you going to handle this?" asked Easaw-John.

KNOW WHAT YOU EAT

According to Easwa-John, it is equally important to know what we are
'snacking' between meals.

A key question would be, she said, whether the snack is within the
recommended calories intake.

"For example, if your daily recommended calories intake is 1,800, then all
the three main meals and the snacks should be within this 1,800 calories.

"But if you are taking 2,200 calories, meaning you are 400 calories
in excess. This means you wil put on extra weight. Even worse if you are not
exercising as the excess calories are stored as fats," she explained.

Easaw-John had some tips for those who normally eat a hearty breakfast. "If
you want to eat nasi lemak, it is better to buy the small packet instead of
buying a whole plate of nasi lemak with fried egg, fried peanuts, sambal sotong
or sambal kerang or rendang daging or ayam.

"That small packet of nasi lemak is only about 200 calories but the plate of
nasi lemak with all the toppings is between 800 to 1,000 calories. The same
thing with fried meehoon, kue teow. If you really want to eat them, buy a small
packet minus any toppings including fried egg."

HIDDEN SUGARS

The IJN dietician also reminded the Malaysian public to watch their sugar
consumption if they want to stay healthy.

According to Easaw-John, a person only needs six to seven teaspoons of sugar
a day which include the 'hidden sugars'.

"Sugar is actually a form of simple carbohydrate compared to starches and
fibres which are complex carbohydrates. Sugar when assimilated is stored in the
body as fats. That is the problem with sugar unlike vegetables and fruits, they
contained minerals and vitamins.

"However, sugar alone will not cause diabetes and basically, people gain
weight due to their faulty eating habits," she said.

Speaking on the 'hidden sugars', Easaw-John cited some examples that include
bread, cakes, cookies, jellies, jams, candies and 'kaya'.

"Jam is 60 per cent sugar while kaya is 50 per cent sugar. A small piece of
kuih has about half a teaspoon of sugar, a moderate slice of cake with icing has
one teaspoon of sugar and a can of carbonated drinks has 8-9 teaspoon of sugar.
If you drink one can of carbonated drinks, meaning you have used up your sugar
quota for the day.

"In terms of calories, one teaspoon of honey is 21 calories, one teaspoon of
brown sugar is 16 calories, one teaspoon of table sugar is 15 calories and one
tea spoon of jam is 16 calories," she said, adding that fat contributes the
highest calories, giving an example, one gramme of fat would give nine calories,
as compared to one gramme of carbohydrate or protein which give 4 calories.

She also asked Malaysians to check food labels for sugars and fats in
processed food.

"If the labels say calorie free, it means less than five calories per
serving. If it says sugar free, normally it is less than 0.5 gram of sugar per
serving.

"Reduced sugar or less sugar which is available in Malaysian markets means
it is 25 per cent less of sugar per serving. This is very common in our country.
If the label says low sugar, it also means 25 per cent less sugar per serving.

"If it says no added sugar, it means no sugar is added during the processing
but the ingredients would contain natural sugar, for example from the dried
fruits," she elaborated.

For Malaysians who opt for 'sweeteners' instead of table sugar (the normal
white or brown sugar), Easaw-John cautioned that it is 180 to 200 times sweeter
than the table sugar. However, she explained, sweeteners have less calories than
table sugar.

"Only use one sachet per cup and most people would take three sachets per
day, for morning, afternoon and dinner," she said.

NEEDS GOVERNMENT'S INTERVENTION

In voicing her great concern over the bad eating habits of Malaysians, the
IJN dietician said the unhealthy behaviour was very much influenced by many
factors such as why and how people eat, which foods they eat, and with whom they
eat as well as the way people obtain, store, use and discard food.

Individual, social, cultural, religious, economic, environmental and
political factors all influence people's eating habits.

"In Malaysia you have food at every nook and corner. What would stop you
from eating," she said.

Easaw-John also questioned the safety of food served at these places and
also at night markets.

She also lamented at the attitude of some people who adopted the 'tidak apa'
attitude when choosing eateries.

"They tell me the food is tasteful and for all you know the stall is just
next to a drain. In this context, most Asians have the same mentality. They just
do not care about cleanliness and food safety.

"In Singapore, it is a different scenario. I was there for a holiday
recently and when I asked about stall, I was told to go to a shopping mall where
they had a food court or to a designated food courts. They told me to go to the
stalls that had a red colour Pyramid logo which states Healthier ingredients.

"These hawkers are participants of the Healthier hawker food Programme. This
programme aims to increase the availability of healthier food choices at hawker
centres. The food outlets in the Island Republic, she said, were not only clean
but they also received a certificate from the Singapore Health Promotion Board
which said the operator practised healthy food preparation.

"They also have an audit check and this would be recorded," she said.

FOOD SAFETY

According to Easaw-John, food should be prepared in a proper area with
available water outlets. In clear reference to temperature abuse, she said raw
materials including meat, fish and vegetables also, should be properly
transported and handled.

"This is crucial to prevent any food-borne illnesses caused by bacteria such
as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria.

"The bacteria can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps,
nausea and vomitting," she explained, pointing to frequent cases of food
poisoning particularly in residential schools.

Even cooked food, she explained has also a shelf life.

Citing chicken rice as an example, she threw the following questions. Where
do they kept the cooked chicken? Were the chicken left hanging in the hot
kitchen? At the rear of the stall? For how long?

She also took to task those who served seafood which she said if left
exposed for a long time would result in bacteria contamination.

Most cooked food is unsafe if consumed after four hours. Reheating the food
is another concern especially on time and temperature abuse.

"If you follow the international safety standard, food must be disposed
after four hours of preparation. When you cook a food, you must serve it
immediately. If there is leftover, it must be kept in a closed container in the
fridge. If you want to eat it the next day, you must reheat it at the right
temperature.

"At some stalls selling mixed rice, you see the dishes are left uncovered
and sometimes for hours. If left to sit at room temperature, bacteria in the
food will multiply quickly," said Easaw-John with grave concern.

Easaw-John said the people who handled and served food must understand the
three basic food handling guidelines for best protection against food borne
illness, which is, keep cold food cold, keep hot food hot and keep all food
clean.

She also stressed on the personal appearance and hygiene of the food outlet
workers.

"Some of the workers wear soiled uniforms and have long fingernails. They do
not cover their heads with proper caps and use the same cloth to wipe the table
and plates."

She also reminded the Malaysian public to be weary of the excessive use of
preservatives and cheap flavouring, oil and sauces by some food vendors which
she said "are the best friends of triggering cancer".

"It is safer if you cook your own meals, even it is only rice with
stir-fried vegetables and fried eggs. Take a lot of vegetables and fruits. Their
fibre contents help to clean the stomach.

"If you dine out with your family or friends, always share meals. It does
not only limit your food intake but also is cheaper and cost-saving," she
quipped.

-- BERNAMA