The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:43 PM PST Celebrate your sweet tooth and live well with diabetes. MSD and Persatuan Diabetes Malaysia (PDM) recently launched Celebrate – The Dessert Cookbook, which consists of 12 timeless dessert recipes from Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western cultures that are suitable for diabetics. The recipes are created by celebrity chef Amy Beh with nutritional information provided by nutritionist, Madhavi Rai. The dessert cookbook is part of MSD's continuous efforts to encourage diabetics to embrace life and live it to the fullest despite their health condition. This is the crux of MSD's Living Well with Diabetes campaign, which was established in 2007. The first in the series, Celebrate – The Lifestyle Cookbook, launched last year, comprised of 12 Malaysian and international recipes based on various festivities in Malaysia. "Why shouldn't diabetics be able to enjoy their food?" That was the question posed by Dr Yeoh Boon Hock, medical director of MSD, at the launch of Celebrate – The Dessert Cookbook. "We have been working together with PDM for years in our bid to educate the public about exercising and the importance of eating healthy. Many people may find food defined as healthy to be supposedly unappealing. As such, we decided to publish a cookbook that could provide the public with healthy options that are not only tasty, but also nutritious and suitable for the whole family," he added. "It is a misconception that diabetics need to give up their passion for food, when in fact it is about managing what they eat. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to launch this cookbook, which is the second in our Celebrate series, together with chef Amy Beh and nutritionist Madhavi Rai," enthused Dr Yeoh. "As chefs, we want to see people enjoy the food we prepare. It is their contentment in savouring our masterpieces that drives our passion to cook. With that, I was determined to take on the challenge to make desserts, which may generally be sweet, suitable for those who need to be mindful of their blood sugar levels," shared Beh. Rai, who is also a fitness instructor, explained that many assume that sweets and desserts are the greatest enemies. "They do not realise that our body can also extract sugar from other food like bread, rice and fruits. So, while eating fruits may be good, eating too much can also spike blood sugar levels. "It is important for diabetics to not only be physically active, but also be aware and conscious about what is considered good food and what can be potentially harmful," clarified Madhavi. According to the recent National Health Morbidity Survey conducted in 2011, the prevalence of diabetes was surprisingly higher in rural compared to urban areas, and there was an indication that there was an increase in diabetic cases by 31% over a duration of five years. In fact, the prevalence of diabetes among adults above 30 years has increased by almost 6% from 2006 to 2011. K. S. Maniam, assistant general secretary of PDM, who was also present at the event, stressed that the increase, especially in rural areas, could be attributed to the detection of undiagnosed cases. He went on to add that due to the severity of the situation, it was imperative for Malaysians to be mindful of their diet so that they can continue to lead healthy lives. "We are, therefore, pleased to be able to continue our partnership with MSD with the support of chef Amy Beh and Madhavi Rai to remind the public that diabetes shouldn't be a deterrent to enjoying life. In fact, diabetes can be well-controlled if they manage their lifestyles and what they eat," said Maniam. "So there is no reason why diabetics can't have their cake and eat it too!" he added. Present also at the launch to lend their support to this initiative were sponsors such as BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd, Juice Works Sdn Bhd, Cempaka Ate 3 Sdn Bhd (My Roti Shop), Vital Fleetpac Sdn Bhd (mYoga), Original Bootcamp Sdn Bhd, VISTA Laser Eye Centre Sdn Bhd, Yeo Hiap Seng (Malaysia) Berhad and Zazen Health Solutions Sdn Bhd. Five thousand copies of Celebrate – The Dessert Cookbook will be made available in all PDM offices, pharmacies, clinics, as well as diabetic and medical centres across Malaysia. The full list of PDM centres is available on PDM's official website at diabetes.org.my Aside from the launching of the book, media and guests were also treated to a cooking session by Beh, a fitness demonstration by Original Bootcamp Malaysia on exercises suitable for diabetics both young and old, and a talk on food selection by Rai. "We hope that with our second edition, we can continue to encourage not just those with diabetes, but also the public in general to live well and celebrate their lives," said Dr Yeoh. References: (1) Ministry of Health, Malaysia. National Health Morbidity Survey 2011 Conference. Symposium 4, Current Burden of Diabetes in Malaysia. (2) The World Health Organisation. (2009) Diabetes Fact Sheet No 312. Retrieved 18 June 2010. From http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/index.html (3) International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas. What is Diabetes. Retrieved 18 June 2010 from http://www.diabetesatlas.org/content/what-is-diabetes |
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