OCTOBER, 2019 | The HEALTH Plus
19
p19
Being healthy
is a family aff air
The Health met up with some participants from
the Palm Oil Nutrition School program to fi nd out
their thoughts on keeping healthy
T
HE school program organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board have impacted several
families in keeping healthy. The Health talked to a few mothers and their children
who were a part of the program, and most of them agreed that the use of palm oil is
immensely benefi cial, not to mention more cost-effi cient. The Health managed to
catch up with three of the families during our meet and greet.
SUPER MOMS: The passionate ladies spreading the awareness on palm
All three moms are all smiles when it comes to palm oil.
oil for the betterment of their families.
Bawani loves the benefi ts palm oil has on her family
and encourages others to try it out. Crystal Chong with her two children found out about
the palm oil school program from her son’s school. Juliana is a big advocate for palm oil since it contains
beta carotene which is essential to our body.
Karate and
healthy food Pizza dinner fun Proper diet
plus yoga
Bawani a/p Ponnusamy,
mother to Madhushaa Kalithass G
“I
CAME to know of the program from my
daughter’s school, SJKT Puchong (Batu
14). Before I joined this program, I was
using another type of oil. Back then, I did not
know what health benefi ts my oil provided – it
was simply a word of mouth thing. However
after joining this program, I learnt the many
benefi ts of palm oil so I quickly made the
switch. I also make it a habit to not reuse the oil.
Plus, palm oil gives the food extra fl avour so it’s
tasty!” notes Bawani encouragingly.
“My daily routine involves waking up at fi ve
in the morning every day, cooking, heading
to work – I make it a point to cook on a daily
basis. I make sure my children have a healthy
lifestyle by sending them to karate classes on
the weekend,” she adds.
Crystal Chong,
mother to Cheryl Ong and son, Joshua Ong
RAPHIC designer Crystal actually came
to learn about palm oil from YB Teresa
Kok. However after attending the Palm Oil
Nutrition School program at her son’s school, she
came to know of the various benefi ts of palm oil.
“I prefer cooking and since I am part of my
son’s school’s Parent-Teacher Association, I took
the initiative to attend this program. Then I
understood how palm oil plays an essential role to
our heart. Plus, if you use palm oil to fry chicken,
it’s crispier,” she says.
The mother of two reserves the weekends to
eat out so she makes sure the food she serves her
children are healthy and fun at the same time. “I
make homemade pizzas because my children love
cheese – so I hide the vegetables under the cheese.
I also teach my kids how to make their own pasta
sauce instead of buying the canned ones. Not only
is it healthy, but we get to have fun as a family,”
smiles Crystal.
Juliana binti Megat,
mother to Ilham Shah
“I
USE palm oil in my cooking and
frying because it is more stable at high
temperatures when compared to other
vegetable oils which tend to release free radicals
which are toxic to the body. Palm oil also possesses
beta carotene which has numerous health benefi ts
for our hair, eyes and skin, “comments Juliana.
Other than having a deep understanding of the
nutritional values of palm oil, Juliana also adopts a
non-sedentary lifestyle.
“I also enjoy exercising, and I go for yoga classes
three times a week. However exercise is only 20
percent, the leftover 80 percent of healthy living
comes from a healthy diet.” She believes that a
healthy lifestyle doesn’t just consist of proper diet
and exercise, but to also do it together as a family.
— The Health Plus