This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
English to Malay: WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO EAT HEALTHY IN MALAYSIA?! General field: Other Detailed field: General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Source text - English Malaysians are not a healthy bunch and it’s something we can all relate to. Regardless of how close our destination seems to be it is always “too hot to walk lah”, and we end up driving instead of working our muscles. Then there’s the lure of delicious food everywhere we look. Cheap, oily and sweet food can be accessed on a whim throwing our judgement off course.
Plus, sugar is cheap in our country, making it a common addition in the food we consume both at home and outside. One too many 'pisang gorengs' later with little or no exercise resulting from a sedentary lifestyle, it is not surprising how packing on the pounds can be inevitable as age catches up and our metabolism takes a dip.
This study, dated 22nd Jan 2015, shows that the majority of South East Asian countries have an obese population of approximately 0-5%. Alarmingly, Malaysia stands out with approximately 10%.
Thankfully, an increasing number of Malaysians these days are becoming health conscious and beginning to hop onto the healthy bandwagon by resorting to healthier eating habits. There is a surge of healthy food joints mushrooming around the Klang Valley and many restaurants in general have started introducing healthier food options. But how many times have we hopped on only to find ourselves face flat, bottoms up and struggling away to stay on the wagon? We keep trying and we fail… but why?!
Eating healthy in Malaysia is NOT CHEAP, yo!
When it comes to food, it is not uncommon for us Malaysians to have at least one meal outside on a regular basis. The busier our schedules, the frequency of eating out follows suit. In fact, eating out has become a lifestyle amongst us Malaysians – we socialize over good food, celebrate festive seasons with food, have work functions and meetings in restaurants. Keeping it short, eating out has become second nature to us.
And although it is not difficult to find healthier food options when opting to dine out especially with the recent emergence of health food eateries, cafes and juice bars in the Klang Valley, healthy options in Malaysia do not come cheap.
But there are actually very accessible and healthy local produce
Honestly, healthy food does not have to be expensive and hard to source. Research suggests that the term ‘superfoods’ may simply be a marketing gimmick. In reality, local and not-from-an-angmoh-country produce that we see in wet markets and pasar malams are too often taken for granted and not given the credit they deserve! So before skipping past that row of local vegetables like kai lan, bayam, taugeh, etc to get to the imported produce section, perhaps we should all stop to consider and appreciate the nutrition content of our local produce.
At first glance they may not seem as glamorous to include in a perfectly curated salad for many reasons – how to make this kai lan taste nice? The recipe in my hand has no mention of bayam! Taugeh does not colour coordinate my salad! – but they will not compromise on health while being a perfectly affordable addition to our meals.
President of the Malaysian Dietitian’s Association, Prof Dr Winnie Chee recently said:
“Many of the “superfoods” we are aware of are imported and very expensive, such as avocado, berries, kale and so on. But Dr Chee says that there are some local foods that are just as healthy.
Many local fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For example, the local guava is one of the richest sources of vitamin C and fibre.
Local spinach, or bayam, is rich in calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin K, and papayas are rich in carotenoids and vitamin C as well.” – Prof Dr Winnie Chee.
Perhaps this is something that local health food vendors can look at. In turn we fellow Malaysians can look to change our perception about the superiority of imported foods over equally nutritious home grown food.
Food aside… Being healthy is also not about being an extremist, but about balanced choices and making smart decisions. Instead of going all out and opting for a complete health turnover by becoming a vegan or completely cutting out certain foods, we can make our mission to good health a bit more sustainable by making small lifestyle changes.
Switching up your usual Sunday morning roti canai with chapatti or char kway teow with Lei Cha will not burn a deep hole in your pocket, and still allows you the freedom of still lepak-ing at your favorite food joints. And similarly choosing a clear broth soup noodle dish as opposed to curry mee will help save some calories and possibly a trip down the indigestion road later on.
And as always, exercising is just as important as what goes into your mouth, so make sure to get active even if it is just 30 minutes a day, or even by opting to use the stairs instead of the elevator. That way, you can still have some of the yummy calorie laden local food that we are so known for and then resolve to burn it off with a run or a hike during the weekend. Again, balance is key.
May the Broccoli be with us all so that we can make healthier choices on a day to day basis and not fall off the green band wagon.
Translation - Malay Boleh dikatakan, rakyat Malaysia kurang mengamalkan gaya hidup sihat. Tidak kira walaupun dekat jarak destinasi kita, “kita panas sangat nak berjalan”, dan kita akhirnya berkenderaan dan bukannya memberi otot kita bekerja. Kemudian ada pula godaan makanan yang lazat di mana-mana kita melihat. Murah, berminyak, manis dan boleh beli apa sahaja membuatkan kita rambang mata.
Ditambah pula, harga gula yang murah di negara kita, menjadikannya kemestian sebagai ramuan tambahan dalam makanan yang kita makan samada di rumah mahupun di luar. Disusuli pula dengan pisang goreng petangnya, sedangkan kurang atau tiada langsung bersenam menjadikan gaya hidup yang tidak aktif, tidak hairanlah mengapa masalah obesiti terjadi apabila usia meningkat dan kadar metabolisme berkurangan.
Kajian bertarikh 22 Jan 2015, menunjukkan majoriti negara-negara Asia Tenggara mempunyai penduduk dengan kadar obesiti kira-kira 0-5%. Agak membimbangkan, Malaysia menonjol dengan kadar kira-kira 10%.
Syukurlah, semakin ramai rakyat Malaysia hari ini sedar dan mengambil berat soal kesihatan dan mula mengamalkan gaya hidup sihat dengan melakukan amalan pemakanan sihat. Terdapat penyediaan sajian makanan yang sihat bagaikan cendawan tumbuh di sekitar Lembah Klang dan kebanyakan restoran secara umum telah mula memperkenalkan pilihan makanan yang lebih sihat. Tetapi sejauh manakah kita mengenalpasti diri kita mampu untuk mengekekalkan gaya hidup sihat? Kami terus cuba dan kita gagal ... tetapi mengapa ?!
Pemakanan sihat di Malaysia BUKAN MURAH, yo!
Bila menyentuh tentang soal makanan, tidak hairan untuk kita rakyat Malaysia mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya satu hidangan di luar secara tetap. Sesibuk mana jadual harian kita, kekerapan makan di luar juga menyusul. Malahan, makan di luar telah menjadi satu gaya hidup di kalangan rakyat Malaysia - kita bersosial dengan makanan yang lazat, meraikan musim perayaan dengan makanan, melakukan kerja dan mesyuarat di restoran. Pendek kata, makan di luar telah menjadi amalan kepada kita.
Dan walaupun ianya senang mendapatkan pilihan makanan yang lebih sihat apabila memilih untuk makan di luar terutamanya dengan kemunculan kedai-kedai yang menyajikan makanan yang sihat seperti kafe dan bar jus di Lembah Klang dewasa ini, pilihan gaya hidup sihat di Malaysia menjadi begitu eksklusif.
Tetapi sebenarnya begitu mudah mencari sajian makanan tempatan yang sihat.
Secara jujur, makanan yang sihat tidak sepatutnya mahal dan sukar untuk mendapatkannya. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa istilah ‘superfoods’ mungkin hanya satu gimik pemasaran. Hakikatnya, ianya tempatan dan bukan dari negara barat, yang selalu kita lihat di pasar basah dan pasar malam yang kerap diambil mudah dan tidak diberi kredit langsung! Jadi, sebelum melangkau barisan sayur-sayuran tempatan seperti kai lan, bayam, taugeh, dan lain-lain untuk ke bahagian sayur-sayuran yang diimport, ada baiknya kita semua perlu berhenti mempertikai malah perlu menghargai kandungan nutrisi sayur-sayuran tempatan.
Pada pandangan pertama mereka tidak mungkin kelihatan sebagai glamor untuk dimasukkan ke dalam salad yang sempurna disusun kerana banyak sebab - bagaimana untuk membuat kai lan ini rasa sedap? Resipi di tangan saya itu tidak menyebut tentang bayam! Taugeh tidah sesuai dengan salad saya! tetapi mereka tiada berkompromi dengan kesihatan malahan patut menjadi ramuan tambahan yang berpatutan untuk makanan kita.
Presiden Persatuan Dietitian Malaysia, Prof Dr. Winnie Chee baru-baru ini berkata:
“Banyak “superfoods” yang kita tahu, diimport dan sangat mahal, seperti avocado, buah beri, kale dan sebagainya. Tetapi Dr Chee berkata bahawa terdapat sesetengah makanan tempatan yang kaya dengan sumber yang sihat.
Kebanyakan buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran tempatan kaya dengan vitamin, mineral dan antioksidan. Sebagai contoh, jambu batu tempatan adalah salah satu sumber yang kaya dengan vitamin C dan serat.
Bayam, kaya dengan kalsium, zat besi, zink, vitamin A dan vitamin K, dan betik kaya dengan karotenoid dan vitamin C juga. “ – Prof Dr Winnie Chee.
Mungkin ini adalah sesuatu yang pembekal makanan kesihatan tempatan boleh beri perhatian. Sebaliknya kita rakyat Malaysia perlu untuk mengubah persepsi mengenai keutamaan makanan yang diimport kerana ianya sama berkhasiat dengan makanan tanaman tempatan.
Abaikan soal makanan ... Untuk sihat, bukanlah untuk menjadi pelampau, tetapi mengenai pilihan makanan yang seimbang dan membuat keputusan yang bijak. Daripada bermati-matian untuk perolehan kesihatan yang lengkap dengan menjadi vegan atau langsung tidak mengambil makanan tertentu, kita boleh merancang kesihatan yang ideal dengan membuat sedikit perubahan pada gaya hidup.
Menukar sarapan roti canai pagi Ahad anda dengan capati atau char kway teow dengan Lei Cha tidak akan menambah perbelanjaan anda, dan masih boleh mengecapi kebebasan melepak di restoran makanan kegemaran anda. Begitu juga dengan memilih hidangan mi sup berbanding dengan kari mee akan membantu menjimatkan kalori dan melancarkan proses pencernaan seterusnya.
Dan seperti biasa, bersenam adalah sama pentingnya dengan apa yang masuk ke dalam mulut anda, jadi pastikan untuk bersenam walaupun hanya 30 minit sehari, atau dengan memilih untuk menggunakan tangga daripada lif. Dengan cara itu, anda masih boleh menikmati makanan tempatan yang lazat dan sarat dengan kalori yang ketara dan kemudian membakarnya dengan berlari atau mendaki bukit pada hujung minggu. Sekali lagi, makanan seimbang adalah kunci utama.
Semoga Brokoli yang bersama kita semua supaya kita boleh membuat pilihan yang lebih sihat setiap hari dan tidak tersasar dari amalan gaya hidup sihat.
More
Less
Experience
Years of experience: 9. Registered at ProZ.com: Dec 2016.
Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, VideoMakerFX, Powerpoint, Trados Studio
Bio
To obtain a challenging and responsible job/task where I can contribute the best of my skill and effort for the growth of the company and myself as an individual besides sharpening my critical thinking.
I'm experienced and hardworking translator for English to Malay. I'm expert in putting ideas into words and words into contents.
Software Expert :
- SDL Trados Translation
Article Writing:
- 100% SEO check
I have been a freelance translator for a year and have completed numerous translation and writing jobs for my clients. I'm fluent in written and spoken English and Malay languages.
I'm offering writing and translation services according to your budget and my priority is to keep my clients satisfy with my work and ensure to deliver exactly what and when my clients need it.
I am ready and eager to assist your project. I'm available for communication when ever needed.
Keywords: malay, photography, graphic, website, html, website, localization, general, translation
Expertise