Adapted from Yen Ang published writings.

I have been away from Malaysia for a long time, close to 30 years. Now that I am back, it is not shocking that I am facing some culture shock. Among the things that shock me is the fact that Malaysians now are so similar to the Americans in terms of our health status and diseases pattern. This is bad news.

Take a look of our health profile as a nation:
• 32% of us are overweight
• 11% of us are diabetes
• 53% of us have high cholesterol
• 60 % of us don’t exercise
• And a whopping 73% of us don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits

No wonder the two diseases that kill the most number of people in Malaysia in 2006 were heart disease and cancer.

I’m sure the nation health status was not like that some 30 years ago. How did we get into this mess?

We are eating and living more and more like the Americas: McDonald, KFC, pizza, donuts, Starbucks, lattes, and lots of time on internet, twitter, facebook and TV watching. And so we are suffering and dying like the Americans. That’s how.

But we really don’t have to. We want to learn and import the best technology from the Americans and the West, but we don’t have to eat and die like them.

One way to stop this worrisome trend is to go back to the way our grandma and grandpa lived and ate: A plant-based diet, and more physical activity. Spend more time in nature, walk in the botanical garden, look at the Penang Bridge, breathe in some fresh air, and eat less processed food.

Get out of this mess now.

Yours in wellness,

Yen Ang
DrPH, RD, ACSM
Lifestyle Intervention consultant
Adventist Wellness Center

Happy reading

Samantha