What Happens When You Don't Eat Right?

A dark figure looms over the hood of your car all of a sudden. You feel a rush of anxiety through your veins and you freeze in shock. The tyres screech as you hit the brakes. You feel a strong thud and your face hits the steering wheel. You don’t remember falling asleep just now but you did. You know this comes from more than your hectic work schedule. Good thing it was just a tree.

While you’re telling your friend about your accident and how constantly tired you are, he presses your shoulder and says to you, ‘I think this might have something to do with your eating habits.’ You start thinking about the times your friends and family told you about how not caring about what you eat will affect you in the long run. It’s finally time to make nutrition your priority.

How to Use the Power of Healthy Eating to Change Your Life

A typical Malaysian breakfast of nasi lemak, fried chicken and teh tarik equals to around 1000 calories¹.

An average adult needs 1800 calories a day. Thus, the average Malaysian meal does not meet basic nutritional needs.

Here’s what’s in store when you don’t take charge of your eating habits²:

• High chances of heart disease
• Hypertension
• Osteoporosis
• Poor cognition
• Fatigue
• Frailty³

Read ahead to find out how to take control of your nutrition once and for all.

To have a balanced diet, people need to⁴:

• Eat 5 portions of fruits & vegetables a day
• Base meals on starchy foods such as rice or pasta
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (eg. soya)
• Eat protein from beans, fish, eggs, meat and legumes
• Eat small amounts of unsaturated oil
• Drink plenty of fluid

As you age, these nutrients are what you need to focus more on^5,6,7:

• Protein
  • Getting protein directly signals your muscle tissue to build and strengthen itself
  • The amino acid leucine is important for regulating muscle growth
  • Rich sources include meat, fish, eggs and cereal grains
• Calcium
  • Needed for maintenance of healthy bones and reduce risk of osteoporosis
  • Recommended foods include yogurt, cheese and leafy green vegetables
• Fat
  • Minimise saturated fat intake to improve heart health
• Fibre
  • Adequate amount of fibre to keep the digestive system in working order
  • Recommended foods: wholegrain cereal/bread, porridge, brown pasta and rice, fresh fruit
• Fluid
  • Drink water as well as hot tea and fruit juice to stay hydrated even if not thirsty
• Iron
  • Maintain iron intake to avoid tiredness and lethargy
  • Recommended foods include meat, dried fruit and vegetables
• Vitamin C
  • Needed to heal wounds and repair bones and teeth
  • Antioxidant properties may help prevent heart disease and cancer
  • Recommended foods include fresh fruits and vegetables
• Vitamin D
  • Helps with calcium absorption
  • Sources include oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals and exposure to sunlight
• Zinc
  • Maintains a healthy immune system
  • Recommended foods: meat, shellfish, wholemeal bread and pulses (dry peas, beans,lentils and chickpeas)

Why You Need to Take Your Nutrition Seriously

Fast forward to a year from now. You're a retiree living alone. You wake up everyday feeling incredible and that's all that matters to you. You might be 70 but you have the same spirit of wanting to explore places as you did when you were 30. Because of that, you're coming close to ticking off your entire travelling bucket list.

When you have your health, there's really nothing stopping you.

Have you heard about how Japanese people live longer than the rest of the world? As of 2017, the number of people aged 90 or over in Japan hit the 2 million mark for the first time ever. Their secret is nothing extraordinary; a lean and balanced diet from young. Fish, seafood, wholegrains, vegetables, tofu.

When you live longer, you have more time to do things you love.

Did you know that all of us start losing up to 8% of muscle mass every decade after we hit 40?^9-11

Our poor eating habits are what saps our strength.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to enjoy everyday strength.
You have what it takes to fuel your body with energy and nutrition it needs!

Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your attempts at eating healthy? Tell us in comments.

Something new and exciting is coming! Stay tuned for more information.While you wait here's a video for you to watch about the muscles you use everyday. Watch video

Do you have other friends who could also benefit from the best health advice and premium products for the entire family? Refer 3 friends to Abbott Nutrition Malaysia's Share and care world; stand a chance to win a RM200 AEON voucher

REFERENCES:

¹https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/viewpoints/tell-me-about/2011/02/27/malaysian-calories/
²http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/longterm-effects-bad-eating-habits-10555.html
³https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/frailty-is-a-medical-condition-not-an-inevitable-result-of-aging/2012/12/10/ b1cca8a2-f6a7-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_story.html?utm_term=.c9f0e0424cd9
⁴https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx
⁵https://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/articles/adults-elderly.html
⁶https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/nutrition-by-age-a-guide-to-eating-healthfully-and-meeting-daily-needs/article23360909/
⁷https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sarcopenia
⁸http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/secret-japanese-longevity/
⁹Baier S, et al. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2009;33(1):71-82.
¹⁰Flakoll P, et al. Nutrition. 2004;20(5):445-451.
¹¹Grimby G, et al. Acta Physiol Scand. 1982;115(1):125-134.
¹²Janssen I, et al. J Appl Physiol. 2000;89(1):81-88.

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