According to the press, South East Asia is fast catching up with the West in terms of obesity. 49% of women and 44% of men are found to be obese. Obesity is a medical condition where extra fats are not needed by our body and over time it will have negative impacts on our health. A common way to know if one is obese is to use the Body Mass Index chart. The calculation works like this :
Eg. My weight : 66kg , height : 1.7m
Take your weight divide by your height multiply by height
ie. 66/1.7x1.7 = 66/2.89 = 22.83
Map your readings with the chart here which will indicate whether you are normal, slightly obese or heavy weight.
As a safety precaution, I have to also watch my BMI to avoid it hitting 23 and above which put me in the moderate risk category. My diet change has been fairly drastic but it suits me well. Brown rice, lots of green veggies, tofu, tempeh , seaweeds, juicing and soy milk. At my best, I try to prepare my lunch if I am heading out for my training. I have recently added dried fruits like apricot, blueberries and figs to bring along. I make bread for my son to bring to school daily so coming up with new recipe that is healthy is important for me.
Yesterday, he had apricot, chia seed and pumpkin seed bread at school. I wonder between the poor countries that are dying from malnutrition to the more developed countries like Singapore and Malaysia, could we have forgotten the importance of eating? Or are we so caught up in the busyness of life to acquire more wealth, more material goods and status that eating is merely part of the game. When we are not conscious of what we are putting into our body, we allow garbage like refined sugar (think of all the sweet savoury bread, snacks, drinks), fried food (chicken, burgers,pizza,etc) to go into our body.
Our body, created by God is a unique system and definitely a intelligent one. It sends signals to us that the body is crying for help. Hypertension, diabetes, skin problems, gout, headache, sinus, IBS, high cholesterol and many more are nothing but signals to tell us that our body can't cope with certain food. Instead of listening to these important signals, we do like what most people do. We check in to hospitals and specialists to get treatment and relieved that it is covered by our medisave or medical insurance. The cycle repeats once we are out of the hospital and our eating habits resume.
Yes, it is a tough battle, I agree. There are more advertisements, discounts vouchers, new eateries that sprout up faster than you can patronise each one daily. And they look so tempting with all the "likes" on FB and photos showing how people are enjoying the food. Don't get me wrong! It is alright to have a day or two in the week to indulge in these food but the challenge become IF we can be disciplined to stick to healthy, basic food type on the remaining days.
IMO, one of the good way to ensure longevity, good health and abundant energy is to really watch what you eat. And it is not difficult when one eliminates or reduce slowly some of the food they take. Like a pail filled with filthy water, how do you change it to clean one?
1. Pour away the entire water inside and filled up ONLY clean water - this is my method and you know better if it suits you
2. Pour away consistent amount of filthy water each time and replace with good water - recommended for most people who may find it hard to kick their favourite food like fried chicken, ice cream, snacks and white bread.
CNY is coming in a few days time and for many, it is a feast celebration of ba kwa, lots of goodies and eat and eat and eat. We can still enjoy the festive season without expanding unnecessarily our waistline and endanger our health over time. It is not right to associate having a tummy or double chin as a sign of prosperity like most Chinese believe.
Health matters because it is when one is healthy one can continue to pursue his dreams and do the things they like, spend time with their loved ones and make contribution to the society.
Have a great New Year ahead !
Eg. My weight : 66kg , height : 1.7m
Take your weight divide by your height multiply by height
ie. 66/1.7x1.7 = 66/2.89 = 22.83
Map your readings with the chart here which will indicate whether you are normal, slightly obese or heavy weight.
As a safety precaution, I have to also watch my BMI to avoid it hitting 23 and above which put me in the moderate risk category. My diet change has been fairly drastic but it suits me well. Brown rice, lots of green veggies, tofu, tempeh , seaweeds, juicing and soy milk. At my best, I try to prepare my lunch if I am heading out for my training. I have recently added dried fruits like apricot, blueberries and figs to bring along. I make bread for my son to bring to school daily so coming up with new recipe that is healthy is important for me.
Yesterday, he had apricot, chia seed and pumpkin seed bread at school. I wonder between the poor countries that are dying from malnutrition to the more developed countries like Singapore and Malaysia, could we have forgotten the importance of eating? Or are we so caught up in the busyness of life to acquire more wealth, more material goods and status that eating is merely part of the game. When we are not conscious of what we are putting into our body, we allow garbage like refined sugar (think of all the sweet savoury bread, snacks, drinks), fried food (chicken, burgers,pizza,etc) to go into our body.
Our body, created by God is a unique system and definitely a intelligent one. It sends signals to us that the body is crying for help. Hypertension, diabetes, skin problems, gout, headache, sinus, IBS, high cholesterol and many more are nothing but signals to tell us that our body can't cope with certain food. Instead of listening to these important signals, we do like what most people do. We check in to hospitals and specialists to get treatment and relieved that it is covered by our medisave or medical insurance. The cycle repeats once we are out of the hospital and our eating habits resume.
Yes, it is a tough battle, I agree. There are more advertisements, discounts vouchers, new eateries that sprout up faster than you can patronise each one daily. And they look so tempting with all the "likes" on FB and photos showing how people are enjoying the food. Don't get me wrong! It is alright to have a day or two in the week to indulge in these food but the challenge become IF we can be disciplined to stick to healthy, basic food type on the remaining days.
IMO, one of the good way to ensure longevity, good health and abundant energy is to really watch what you eat. And it is not difficult when one eliminates or reduce slowly some of the food they take. Like a pail filled with filthy water, how do you change it to clean one?
1. Pour away the entire water inside and filled up ONLY clean water - this is my method and you know better if it suits you
2. Pour away consistent amount of filthy water each time and replace with good water - recommended for most people who may find it hard to kick their favourite food like fried chicken, ice cream, snacks and white bread.
CNY is coming in a few days time and for many, it is a feast celebration of ba kwa, lots of goodies and eat and eat and eat. We can still enjoy the festive season without expanding unnecessarily our waistline and endanger our health over time. It is not right to associate having a tummy or double chin as a sign of prosperity like most Chinese believe.
Health matters because it is when one is healthy one can continue to pursue his dreams and do the things they like, spend time with their loved ones and make contribution to the society.
Have a great New Year ahead !
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