We must build a healthier relationship with food

WE love our food in this country – and we can have it 24 hours a day thanks to ubiquitous open-all-day-and-night mamak restaurants and fast food outlets.

Mamak shops especially are practically cultural institutions, places where we socialise, watch sports and enjoy a late-night teh tarik and mee goreng with friends and family.

Busy lifestyles, long working hours, shift work and the convenience of readily available food all contribute to this habit.

In fact, according to the just launched “National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2024: Nutrition”, a significant portion of Malaysians have late night meals: 41.8% of adolescents and 33.5% of adults indulge in heavy suppers at least once a week.

But those night owl suppers cost a lot when it comes to our health, according to the NHMS 2024, as late-night eating can negatively impact sleep quality, cause digestive issues and increase the risk of heart disease.

The body’s metabolism slows down at night, making it less efficient at processing calories, which can lead to weight gain and obesity.

“Reduce heavy suppers before going to bed, not that we can’t have them, but always in moderation,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters after launching the NHMS 2024 on Thursday, adding that heavy meals eaten late at night contribute significantly to health problems such as obesity and metabolic disorders.

Changing our eating habits won’t be immediate or easy. Who can say no to a late-night teh tarik and a plate of mee goreng?

Remember the fuss when all eateries had to close by 10pm at one point during the Covid-19 pandemic?

And every now and again someone suggests doing away with 24-hour restaurants all together for the sake of our health, and there is always serious pushback – not just from businesses but also from the public.

Yes, we Malaysians do love our food.

But we must demonstrate some control over how much of it we eat and when.

The 2023 NHMS found that 53.5% of Malaysians were overweight or obese, with 31.3% overweight and 22.2% obese – we are, in fact, the most obese South-East Asian nation.

And along with that comes diabetes: In August last year, Dzulkefly announced that one out of six Malaysians has diabetes.

There is a Strategic Plan to Reduce Sugar among Malaysians 2024-2030 that was launched in June last year since we can’t seem to control our use of it.

Can we control our late night consumption of food?

As the Health Minister said about suppers, “not that we can’t have them, but always in moderation”.

The next time we go to a mamak shop to watch the latest football match, let’s make a pact to have teh tarik kurang manis and refuse the mee goreng, OK?

Let’s embrace a healthier relationship with food and build a healthier Malaysia.