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.
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