Even the rich can suffer from poor nutrition

 

Proper school meals can ensure sufficiency in the consumption of nutrients, says Yasmin Ooi of University Malaysia Sabah.

PETALING JAYA: A nutrition expert has sought to dispel the common belief that only the poor suffer from malnutrition.

Yasmin Ooi of University Malaysia Sabah told FMT socioeconomic status was not the only factor contributing to nutrition poverty among Malaysian children.

“Families in low-income groups often spend a large proportion of their income on food that eliminates hunger, such as carbohydrate-rich food,” she said.

“As for children outside of poverty, the lack of supervision over food choices results in low intakes of vitamins and minerals for optimum growth.”

Yasmin Ooi.

Ooi said the government might want to consider legislating the provision of school meals to children from low-income families to ensure sufficiency in the consumption of nutrients.

Vera Saw, country manager of the food products company Danone, said about 644,000 Malaysians below the age of five suffered from iron deficiency anaemia (IDA).

Vera Saw.

“Children are usually prone to this condition as most parents are unaware that their nutritional intake, particularly iron-rich food, needs to gradually increase as they grow,” she said.

She also told FMT the economic stress of the pandemic had aggravated malnutrition, especially among children from the  B40 income group.

“This explains why almost a quarter of all children under five years of age in Malaysia are stunted,” she said.

Saw said IDA was hard to detect in children as the symptoms might not be as apparent.

Katyana Azman.

Child psychologist Katyana Azman said poor nutritional awareness among parents and children were among the factors contributing to poor diet.

“Food served in schools isn’t exactly replete with nutrients,” she said.

She told FMT food with poor nutritional value caused a chemical and biological imbalance in children.

“The quality of food greatly affects a child’s mood and has a severe impact on their physical and cognitive development, hindering their ability to achieve their full potential in the long term,” she said. - FMT