Stay healthy as Mahathir

Generally, people acknowledge Tun Dr. Mahathir is a respected statesman in our country. Besides his position as Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years, he also has his own secret to staying healthy despite his age has already reached 85+ years.

However, lately his health a little disturbed, perhaps even its related to the first coronary bypass surgery in January 1989 he carried on HKL and the second in September 2007 at IJN. However physically cannot doubt his eager remains actively involved in delivering the opinion of other visited several conventions organized. What is the secret that he is having to look so?

He gives his opinion on what are the benefits of that things BUT he states his own stances accordingly:

1 - No smoking

There are opinions stating that cigarette is somehow healthy to be having. It refreshes the body if ones had taken it in the correct proportions. It also stated that smoking can increase the rate of metabolism and best taken as a warmer if you are in cold climates. 

But for Mahathir, he said that this info just look "authentic" and can be adopted if the tobacco used comes 100% from tobacco leaves, and not as commercial cigarettes that have been enriched with chemical substances collected out of nowhere, also taking be causal (mentally) and not because of addiction (wants).

2 - Do not drink alcohol

Apart from the disadvantages of belonging, there are also agreed that alcohol is beneficial to the body if taken in several quantities and in the right way. Recent studies show that red wine contains phenol which acts as an antioxidant for cardiovascular health. This fact may have a point, but does not mean  he encourages people to drink alcohol, because alcohol is already clearly ILLEGAL in Islam.

3 - Eat in moderation

Remember the message of the Prophet on "stop eating before fullness"? Eating in moderation is not limited to the quantity of food consumed, but also the quality of the food that goes into your mouth.

4 - Eat Multivitamin

There are several reasons why you should take a tablet of multivitamin daily. One of the secrets why Tun Dr. Mahathir successfully maintain healthy until his age now that he practice taking one multivitamin pill brand "Shaklee" every day.

5 - Sleep adequately

Sleeping is like human reset button. Just the concept is not as simple as pressing the reset button of a machine that only takes a period of a few seconds, but takes about 7-10 hours a day (at night), depending on the lifestyle of the individual (they are active like sports athletes need more sleep time than normal individuals).

"In short, if we adopt a healthy lifestyle .. do not use cigarettes, especially cigarette and alcohol, so that we can at least to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, others all (disease) it is God's gift .. we do not know .. "- Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

So, what are we waiting for people? Great people will always have great ideas on things. Why don't we follow what he has been doing to stay healthy..

That tips from Tun Dr. Mahathir published in "Fresh" published by TV3 13 years ago (1997).
Source: http://redcomelmall.blogspot.com/2012/06/tun-dr-mahathir-idola-saya.html

Choose your foods, teenagers!

Good nutrition is essential for everyone, but it’s especially important for growing teenagers. A survey done by the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity, teenage boys and girls aged 14 to 16 consumed only half the recommended serves of fruits and vegetables per day. One in four adolescents buys unhealthy takeaway food every day or even a few times a day. Which means, teenagers are more likely to have unbalanced diet.

 Adolescence is a time of rapid growth, and the primary dietary need is for energy - often reflected in a voracious appetite. Ideally, foods in the diet should be rich in energy and nutrients. Providing calories in the form of sugary or fatty snacks can mean nutrient intake is compromised, so teenagers should be encouraged to choose a variety of foods from the other basic food groups which they have to think about these kind of foods' contains:

• Plenty of starchy carbohydrates - bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, chapattis, couscous and potatoes
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables - at least five portions every day
• Two to three portions of dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt, fromage frais and pasteurised cheeses
• Two servings of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses
• Not too many fatty foods
• Limit sugar-rich food and drinks
• Other important dietary habits to follow during adolescence include:
• Drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day.
• Eat regular meals, including breakfast, as it can provide essential nutrients and improve concentration in the mornings. Choose a fortified breakfast cereal with semi-skimmed milk and a glass of fruit juice.
• Take regular exercise, which is important for overall fitness and cardiovascular health, as well as bone development.

NTV7 The Breakfast Show - 

Diets for Teenagers by Wong Yu Jin

(Nutritionist & Wellness Guru) 

Not to forget, they also have to avoid from eating too much foods and not to take foods such as:

• Junk foods - which might give harm to their body because, most of it contains ingredients that are not good for health. It can also be considered as a bad fuel to your body system.
• Soft drinks - which can make your body feels unease
• Alcohol - as teenagers are unsuitable for this kind of drink. Because it will always bring bad affects to the mind. Besides, our religion Islam has forbids us from taking it. 

So, Malaysian teenagers, let us eat good foods for better life. It will always come with benefits if we avoid what we have to.. 

Sources: http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/heteens.asp

Be Malaysian & Stay Healthy

Sometimes people do have the awareness of eating good foods for their life. But, they did not sure where, what and how they are going to start. Plus, it might be they are having no courage  unfortunately no one encourage them to do that way. This is especially for persons who are having trouble with their eating lifestyle. In the previous entry, I've stated that Malaysia has targeted the people to be in healthy lifestyle in this era. This is shows that Malaysia did giving the awareness to the people and they did showed the efforts of doing so, as we can see nowadays. BUT, it is always depends on the persons itself whether they wanted to follow it or just let be as a wind advice. Thus, there might be the idea of "Malaysian have to eat Malaysian foods" in the people itself. Who knows? That is somehow true that Malaysian have to eat Malaysian foods because they are used to it, but sometimes, we Malaysians have to take other places' people eating style and make it as example or maybe as inspirations. For those who might take it as hard thing to do, they can always stay with eating our foods and stay healthy with Malaysian foods. Here are five simple steps you can take to enjoy our local delights while still keeping the health in mind. 

Balance is key!

Remember! A drastic diet change and over vigilant can lead people hard to maintain the diet. So, do not completely give up your favorite foods just because you are on diet to make a healthy lifestyle. It is very simple. If you love to have roti canai for breakfast, then eat it BUT make it balance with having mineral water or warm water after it rather than ordering sugary drink. Lean your lunch and dinner with more proteins such as, eat more vegetables, salad or maybe you can pair it with soup to make it varieties.

When cooking, substitute!
If you’re cooking local dishes you can always find a way to substitute ingredients to make the dish healthier overall. For example, instead of using santan in cooking, we can always replace it with some low fat milk or yogurt or maybe some good oils such as olive oil and virgin coconut oil. It does not only give the same aroma, but it has many health benefits such as stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, and increased immunity due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing properties. In cooking, you can always make a small changes in order to make the food healthier to eat.


Kurang manis is the way to go!

Majority of the calories consumed in Malaysia are purely through the sugary and often milky drinks. Eat fatty foods and take sugary drinks can instantly lead to unhealthy lifestyle. If you’re not likely to drink mineral water, you can always ask for any other drinks BUT make sure it is kurang manis because no sugar is way vigilant. Just giving up a few sugary drinks here and there can already make a world of a difference.

Make smart choices!

As we are used to Malaysian foods we cannot simply assume that all of our foods are fatty and high in calories. This is because, we owned the choices, so make used of it by always choosing to eat good foods. We can always pick a lighter meal, for example, pick mee instead of rice. If you love fruit rojak, ask for the sauce to be packed separately and dip it your own. It'll still be the same taste BUT you will have fewer calories. Indulge in a nasi ulam, packed with nutrition from all the various herbs. Making smarter choices on a daily basis will help you reach your health goals.

Enjoy but don’t finish!

Eating less overall will contribute to healthy life. Do not make yourself starve but be mindful in eating. Make sure you are eating good foods in good quantity. Eat what you wanted to eat yet don't make it finish, by meaning, you may eat little by little amount of it. If you are eating something heavy, take it slowly and if can do not finish it. You have the choice to pack and continue later. Make sure that your plate is filled with more veggies and grains and less proteins.

Lastly, you have to enjoy eating what you want. Be proud of being Malaysian because we have varieties of foods to eat. But make sure you make it as a good foods for you and your health. See if you can find a way to eat lighter throughout the day so that your caloric intake balances out. When you’re about to indulge in a local dish planning is important. Think about what you’ll be having for the rest of the day to balance it out. Remember, frequent doing will make it as habit and you will get used to it.