Malaysian Lite

Published on Thursday, January 3, 2008, by Kara Zuaro / Edit Post

Reuters describes Malaysia as “a country where eating is a national pastime,” but unfortunately, this national habit is contributing to a rise in obesity, diabetes, strokes, and heart disease. “With ingredients such as high cholesterol coconut milk, clarified butter and sugar cane, the traditional Malaysian diet may be among the most unhealthy cuisines in the world,” writes reporter Liau Y-Sing.

Now some chefs are attempting to reinvent this traditional cuisine, replacing coconut milk with soy milk and white rice with brown rice. And Ismail Ahmad, a Malaysian celebrity chef, altered the menu of his restaurant, Rebung, to include more vegetables and less meat. That said, the traditional Malaysian diet, which is indeed high in fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt, isn’t the only cause for the recent rise in the country’s health problems. Experts also blame “rising affluence, a sedentary lifestyle and a growing trend of working mothers.”

Personally, I don’t think I’d ever choose a healthy soy milk soup over a bowl of coconut milk–heavy sayur lodeh, but I hit the gym regularly to balance out my unhealthy (and delicious) food choices. If anyone else wants to celebrate Malaysian food at home, there are plenty of traditional recipes at MalaysianFood.net. Remember, folks, moderation is the key.

ALLFood Media
POST A COMMENT |3 Comments

COMMENT

  • The reporter who is quoted in this piece is irresponsible. While coconut milk may be high in saturated fats (which may lead to cholesterol problems), it is not "high cholesterol." Neither coconut milk nor any purely plant-based food has cholesterol.

  • Wait, this does not make any sense to me.

    AFAIK, Malaysia has been consuming Cocnut Milk (and other Saturated Fatty things like Coconut Oil, and Clarified Butter) in relatively large amounts for a fairly long time. Yet the Health problems are pretty recent. So why blame the "old" foods. What are the new ones?

    I have a guess: Refined Carbohydrates with a focus on Sugar.

    Lets not forget...+READ

    Wait, this does not make any sense to me.

    AFAIK, Malaysia has been consuming Cocnut Milk (and other Saturated Fatty things like Coconut Oil, and Clarified Butter) in relatively large amounts for a fairly long time. Yet the Health problems are pretty recent. So why blame the "old" foods. What are the new ones?

    I have a guess: Refined Carbohydrates with a focus on Sugar.

    Lets not forget that Thailand consumes more Coconut products per capita than any other country in the world (historically speaking, at least) yet they were often rated has having the lowest rates of Cancer and Heart Disease.-COLLAPSE

  • Yeah, let's just hope they don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

    I'm all for making things healthier - less meat, less frying, less salt, etc. - but not to the point of killing the basic flavours of the cuisine. There's a happy medium, people.

    I mean, I love soymilk, but it's no substitute for coconut milk.