Key message 6

Experts say…No, we do "Is it necessary to

"I know that not need to totally cut out
too much salt in sugars and carbohydrates totally get rid of sugar
the diet is bad from the diet. Your body and carbohydrate foods
needs glucose as the key
for our health, as sugar is bad for our
source of energy. Sugar can
but I think food be in the form of table sugar, health and can cause
will taste bland honey, molasses and syrup. obesity?"
without it. How You can also get glucose
much salt can I from rice, bread, noodles,
cereals, tubers and fruits.
take in a day?" It is excessive sugar and
carbohydrate intake that needs to be of concern as this will
contribute to extra energy your body does not need, which in
turn will be stored as body fat. You should consume adequate
Experts say… You are right! Consuming too much amount of carbohydrates, preferably whole grains and reduce
salt can lead to high blood pressure. Our body only intake of sugar-sweetened beverages as well as cakes, local
needs a small amount of sodium (salt) to function. kuih and sweets.
The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines recommend 2000
mg sodium per day or 5g of salt (approximately 1
teaspoon). However, it does not mean that foods will
taste bland if we reduce the amount of salt in them.
In fact, foods can still taste good if you use herbs and
spices to substitute salt in your cooking. Garlic, onion,
cardamom, clove, cinnamon, cumin, white pepper,
lemon grass and lemon can enhance the flavour of
dishes. Let’s enjoy the natural flavour of foods with
less salt.

Experts say… It is incorrect to say that fats are bad. We do need fats and oils as they are
important sources of energy. They also provide essential fatty acids that the body is not able to
produce, and help the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. However, fats and oils
should be consumed in small amounts.

There are indeed different types of fats, namely saturated (SFA),

monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA). Foods
"I thought fats are with high SFA include coconut oil, coconut milk (santan), palm kernel
bad for health, but oil, animal fat (ghee, butter or lard), skins of poultry and fatty meat.
Excessive intake of SFA has been linked to increased risk of coronary
I heard there are heart disease; they have therefore been termed as “bad” fat. The
good and bad sources of unsaturated fats include nuts, seeds, legumes, fatty fish
fats. What is the (e.g. tenggiri, sardine, salmon and tuna), and vegetable oils (e.g. palm
oil, soya bean oil, sunflower oil). These have been termed as “good”
difference?" fats as they have been recognised to lower risk for heart disease and
confer other health benefits. Palm oil has a mixture of saturated,
monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It is not just simply “eat foods
with good fats and avoid those with bad fats”. The fact is that our body
needs the different types of fats in small amounts and excessive intake
of any one type should be discouraged. And the easy way to achieve
this is to eat foods in moderation including a variety of foods! Use
minimal oil in cooking.

HE•AL 17
 High Fat Foods
High fat foods include fried food, food cooked with
coconut milk, and fatty meat.

Average amount of fat

recommended in a day (for
men and women 30-59 years) 63 g

% of recommended
Fat Content in 1 serving of some popular foods daily fat intake

1 plate fried rice with

chicken 52 g 83

You would have almost used up the recommended fat

intake of the day if you consume one plate of
fried rice or mamak rojak.

1 plate mamak rojak

51 g 81

1 bowl curry laksa 67

42 g

The amount of fat in one bowl of curry laksa or

10 sticks of satay is more than half (>50%) of the
amount of fat recommended for the day!

10 sticks of satay +
sauce 38 g 60

1 piece fried chicken

(thigh) 18 g 29

1 medium
packet of 16 g 25
potato
chips

= 5g of oil/fat
HE•AL 19
 Malaysian Dietary
recommendation for FAT intake
 Key message 8

Expert says…
Mr Ahmad suspected something was amiss as he
had frequent urination, excessive thirst, blurred Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the blood
vision, pain and numbness in his hands and feet, sugar level in the body stays consistently above normal.
and extreme fatigue. In fact, he has a wound on Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the
his foot that didn’t seem to recover after many risk of developing diabetes-related complications. Possible
weeks. He was also obviously overweight. complications include cardiovascular diseases (heart
disease and stroke), nerve damage, kidney damage, eye
After much persuasion by his family, he went for damage, and foot damage (which may lead to amputation
his first health screening at the age of 40. Mr if not treated).
Ahmad was shocked when the doctor told him
that he has diabetes! Having learnt this dreadful Mr Ahmad was able to take timely action as he did a health
reality, apart from taking his diabetes medicines, screening. Do you know that in Malaysia, 50% of patients
he also started to practise healthy eating, exercise with diabetes are unaware that they have the disease!
regularly and reducing his body weight. He Health screening is important for early detection and
managed to control his blood sugar and the wound timely treatment, which may slow disease progression
on his foot gradually recovered. and save lives.

How do you know if you are at risk?

Go for health screening!
Besides high blood glucose, having high blood cholesterol High blood
or high blood pressure, and being overweight or obese are pressure
some of the risk factors that you should be aware of. These (hypertension) is a silent
risk factors often do not show symptoms until too much killer. People with high blood
damage has been done to your body. Fat around the belly pressure have a higher risk of
(abdominal obesity) makes the body less sensitive to insulin getting stroke or coronary
High blood
and may lead to failure to control blood glucose level. High heart disease.
cholesterol
waist circumference, an indicator of abdominal obesity, is (hypercholesterolemia),
also associated with increased risk of health problems such if untreated, can lead to the
as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. If you are build-up of plaque in the blood
overweight (BMI more than or equal to 25.0 kg/m ) or obese
2 vessels (atherosclerosis),
(BMI more than 30.0 kg/m2), losing some weight (5-10%) may and increase your risk
help to lower your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, for heart attack and
sleep apnoea and cancer. stroke.

Start health screening annually if you are ≥ 40 years old. However, screening
should be done earlier and more often, if you have one or more of the following risk factors:

• Family history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and stroke

• Being overweight or obese

HE•AL 22
 Keeping tab on your health risk

Do-it-yourself at home
Check once a month or as advised by your healthcare professional.

Waist Circumference
• An indicator of the
amount of fat stored at
the abdomen area.
• Measure using a non- Body Mass Index (BMI)
stretchable measuring • Quick indicator to determine weight status.
tape, just at the level of
• Calculate using the formula:
the belly button.
weight (kg)
• Aim for:
height (m) x height (m)
< 90 cm for men
• Aim for: 18.5 kg/m2 to < 25.0 kg/m2
< 80 cm for women

Screen at clinic, hospital or

pharmacy annually
Do-it-yourself at home if you
have the equipment
Note: The levels suggested in “aim for” are general
recommendations; you should refer to a medical
doctor for a definitive diagnosis.

Blood Pressure
• A blood pressure test Blood Glucose
using the blood pressure
• A blood glucose test helps to determine if
monitor is the only way to
you are at risk of getting diabetes.
know if you are at risk of
getting hypertension. • You can check at home using glucometer.
• Aim for below • Aim for:
140/90 mmHg o Fasting blood glucose < 5.6 mmol/L or
o Non-fasting blood glucose < 11.1 mmol/L

Screen at clinic or hospital annually

Lipid Profile
• Indicates if you have high levels of blood cholesterol and/or triglycerides.
• Aim for:
– Total cholesterol ≤ 5.2 mmol/L
– Triglycerides ≤ 1.7 mmol/L
– LDL-cholesterol ≤ 2.6 mmol/L
– HDL-cholesterol ≥ 1.0mmol/L for males ; ≥ 1.2mmol/L for females

HE•AL 23