Malaysia is the fattest country in Southeast Asia, with the number of obese and overweight people increasing over the past ten years – but how can we change it?
The health ministry recommends adopting a balanced meal of “suku suku separuh”, which means eating one meal with a quarter plate of grains, a quarter plate of fish, meat, and eggs, and a half plate of fruits and vegetables.
But despite all the education and encouragement, the change has to come within ourselves.
In recent years, various types of diets have become popular, including plant-based diets and more detailed ones like the whole food plant-based diet. But what does that mean?
A whole food plant-based diet (WFPB) and a plant-based diet mean taking fresh foods sourced from plants, and this is not limited to vegetables such as leafy greens and raw fruits only.
Plant-based foods include a wide variety of whole grains like oats, brown rice, and quinoa; nuts like almond and pecan, seeds like the popular superfood chia seeds, beans, legumes, soy tofu, tempeh, olives, and more.
These foods are rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Both of these diets emphasise the same ingredient, but the WFPB diet eliminates processed foods like vegetable patties and canned drinks, and instead encourages taking fresh, whole foods into the diet.
There are several types of plant-based diets: vegetarian, for those who do not eat meat or seafood but who still consume dairy and eggs; and vegan, which means eating foods that are not animal-based, or even derived from animals (this includes eggs, and honey, which is produced by bees).
A semi-vegetarian or flexitarian eats predominantly plant-based foods but occasionally consumes meat, dairy, and eggs, while a WFPB diet excludes meat, eggs, dairy, and processed foods.
According to Dr. Jessreen Kaur, who was formerly a doctor at the Emergency and Accident Department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and is now attached to the Malaysian Vegetarian Society (MVS), a WFPB diet seems beneficial.
Jessreen recently gave a speech to employees of Berjaya Corporation at Berjaya University College on March 30, 2023.
She also shared information with theSun, after the event.
“The WFPB diet helps to improve many things; among them, health and energy, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, being good for higher longevity, and helping manage weight,” explained Jessreen.
Besides, immunity-levels among those who follow a plant-based diet have been shown to be higher.
