KUALA LUMPUR: According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) study conducted between 2000 and 2008, developed countries, such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, rank among the world’s top 10 nations with the highest number of obese people in their population.
On top of the list is American Samoa, with 94 per cent of its population classified as obese.
That is said to be due to the drastic changes in people’s eating habits.
The people in American Samoa are said to be no longer consuming traditional foods; instead, they have turned to processed foods from the United States and Europe.
These processed foods are much cheaper and easily available.
The number of obese people in the Republic of Kiribati, which is located in the Pacific Ocean, is close to 82 per cent of the population.
This has also been attributed to higher processed food consumption.
Among the food types listed under the processed category are fast foods, liquor, fatty foods and corn syrup, which is high in fructose.
Another factor is that the people in these countries are no longer interested in engaging in traditional activities.
For example, people in New Zealand and the United Kingdom are adopting lifestyles that are devoid of recreational activities and games.
“Our forefathers were small-sized people.
“Back then, it was difficult to see big-sized or fat villagers.
“(But) now, we are so used to fast and fatty foods, plus high cholesterol items, such as chicken rendang,” said Tengku Azwil Tengku Abdul Razak, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association’s (PPIM) chairman of the advisory committee.
However, Tengku Azwil disagrees with the notion that traditional foods, like nasi lemak, are to blame for obesity, pointing out that such dishes have been in existence for ages.
However, in recent times, nasi lemak has been transformed into a high cholesterol-containing food item after the addition of ingredients, such as chicken and beef rendang, prawn sambal and others, he noted.
Tengku Azwil also pointed out that children are now able to spend more on food since their parents give them more pocket money.
He called on parents to avoid giving too much money to their children, since that could lead to unnecessary spending.
“I know one student whose parents give him RM10 a day. The boy spends the extra money at a cybercafe and plays virtual games all day. He does not exert any physical energy at all,” said the father of two.
Tengku Azwil called for the monitoring of food prices, as well as of the quality of foods sold, in school canteens nationwide.
He also said parents should not give their children too much money since children could bring healthy, nutritious food from home to school.
Parents should also exercise ‘discipline’ with their children in matters of food consumption.
“Stay away from fast foods because they contain artificial flavours, preservatives and lack nutritional value. Sweets, such as chocolates, ice-creams and cakes, should also be avoided since they contribute to diabetes and tooth decay,” he noted.
Exercise helps to burn fats through rigorous activities, while consuming foods with more fibre content, such as fruits, vegetables and cereals, is also beneficial. – Bernama