Eat ri ht thi hari raya

Health Ministry reminds M’sians to follow 55555 guidelines

PUTRAJAYA: Enjoy Hari Raya in moderation and know the “55555” guideline when you savour the many delicacies when attending open houses, says the Health Ministry.

The numbers refer to the Ministry’s campaign to encourage healthy eating by reinforcing five healthy lifestyle messages recommended for the festivities.

They are: eat from five types of food groups to obtain a variety of nutrients; eat five servings of food and vegetables a day; eat no more than 500 calories for each meal; limit sugar in drinks to five grammes or one teaspoon; and exercise five times a week.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said many local dishes are high in calories, fat and sugar content.

“Our behaviour towards food must change, particularly during the festive season like Hari Raya.

“With all the open houses and the large spread of delicacies to enjoy, we must pay attention to the amount of food we consume.

“Eat moderately and put some effort to stick to the 55555 guideline,” Subramaniam said here yesterday.

According to the ministry’s calculations, 300gm or three small cuts of lemang is equivalent to 500 calories, while 150g of ketupat accompanied by 100g of chicken rendang can measure up to 650 calories.

To burn off 500 calories, a person would need to do 90 minutes of intense walking or 50 minutes of running or cycling.

The recommended daily calorie intake for an adult woman is 1,500 calories and 2,000 calories for men between 18 and 59 years old.

Dr Subramaniam said eating moderately would also cut wastage as records showed that some 8,000 tonnes of food went to the bin each day during festive seasons.

“That amount of wasted food can feed 5.3 million people with three meals for one day,” Subramaniam said.