Obesity Among Bruneians Trace To Local Delicacies, High Chicken Intake
By Azian Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - The increasing popularity of dining-out to consume local delicacies like "ambuyat" and take-way foods is making more Bruneians prone to obesity.

Compounding the problem is the worrying trend that Bruneians are taking less fish and more chicken and eggs, according to a survey conducted from 1993 to 2001.

More and more restaurants are mushrooming to the point that there is one restaurant for every 300 people in the country.

These startling statistics were highlighted by Hjh Masni Hj Ibrahim from the Community Food Section of the Health Services Department in her paper "Local Food Delicacies and Obesity Prevention" presented yesterday at the National Convention on Health Promotion.

"Traditional Bruneian foods like ambuyat is all right as it contains carbohydrates, but the side-dishes pose a problem like grilled fish and 'umbut', coconut shoot mixed with `santan' or coconut milk as both have high fat contents, contributing 16.4 g and 17.8 g respectively.

"However other side dishes like grilled fish, `udang rebus', 'ikan rumahan ampap' are high in protein contributing 22.1 g, 17.6g and 23.8 g of protein respectively," Hjh Masni said.

It is a common practice for social gatherings like weddings to offer foods like biscuits and delicious delicacies like 'Beryani' rice and various dishes of beef and chicken.

Hjh Masni said coconut milk rice has the highest content of fat contributing 40.3 g, followed by chicken rice (27.6g), Beryani rice (19.3 g) and fried rice (15.2 g). As for vegetables, coconutmilk `Rebung' has 57g, 'Dumis Rebung' (41g) and coconut shoot 'Nibung' (36g).

She revealed that based on the statistics obtained from the Agriculture Department, Bruneians are consuming less fish from 24 kg per person in 1993 to only 13.9kg per person in 2001.

However, the consumption of chicken increased from 15.6 kg per person in 1993 to 45.4kg per person in 2001.

The consumption of eggs rose from 236 eggs per person in 1993 to 275.5 eggs per person in 2001.

She advised the public to be more health consciousness, especially when eating the popular local noodle dish "Soto", a bowl of which contains 13g of fat, 50g of carbohydrates and 15g of protein as well as 370 calories.

A similar advice was given for the popular "tongking" or gizzard especially sold at night stalls, which contains very high amounts of high fat, protein and cholesterol.

Hjh Masni advised people to eat a balanced diet, more vegetables, ulam and fruits daily.

Bruneians should consume less fatty and oily foods, less sugar and less salty foods. They should eat more cereals and exercise at least three times a week.

A National Nutritional Status Survey conducted in 1997 discovered that obesity is more common among the Malays, followed by other indigenous communities and the Chinese.

A total of 15.50 per cent of Malay females were found to be obese compared to 12.20 per cent of Malay males. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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