Obesity....

Once again the issue of obesity has taken limelight in the media. The current measures spelled out for the types of foods that can be sold in school canteens have indeed been the core of debate in the past weeks. In a nutshell, the intention of the Health Ministry must be appraised, no doubt; but does the buck stop there? This is crucial for all of us to ponder and take a step back and ask ourselves what is the fundamental issue in the rise of obesity in our society?


Food per se is not the culprit, but it is how much we consume. It is sad that we have missed the essential point of argument. It is the composition of the lifestyle we live in today that have moulded the eating habits of not only children but also adults alike. Take any urbanite family and the chances are that they eat out regularly on a weekly basis citing lack of time to cook. Not everybody can afford a maid to cook at home! And most do not live inextended families that can take some burden off the shoulders of many working adults. In the yesteryears, parents and grandparents lived under one roof and that made lots of difference in the type of food we consumed. Unlike today.


There is also a drastic lack of physical activity in many school going children. Parents are obsessed with their children achieving maximum "A"s in exams, that they are laden with a string of tuitions everyday. Excellent academic acquirement is definitely encouraged, but is it worth if it's done at the expense of ill health in the future? And with the computer age, the spare time is often spent in front the screen for hours.


Making certain foods unavailable within the school vicinity is only a drop in the ocean solution to obesity. Fast foods, sweetened carbonated drinks, fried foods and alike are available freely everywhere. It will be an impossible task to ban such foods within a certain radius of the schools as proposed. Some schools are just a 2 minute walk to many restaurants and retail shops that equally sell such items. Even 24 hour convenient stores sell nasi lemak these days.


Tackling obesity is no small matter. It starts from the very home the child grows in. Parents must take the responsibility to educate the young on the types of foods to consume and practicing healthy life style. Limit the time allocated to play computer games and surfing the net. Encourage outdoor activities but do not engage in thereward system of buying them expensive gifts or a treat in fast food outlets just because they have accomplished a task. It is sad that many parents use fast foods as pacifiers for demanding children. That does not mean we cannot indulge in them totally but it must be enjoyed responsibly. We are blessed for having abundance of food whilst many around the world die of hunger every second.