Singapore's Economy is Growing, and so is Her Average Girth!

In her letter to the Forum, Dr. Sara Oh, a doctor now residing in Perth, but who returns once a year for vacation to Singapore, sounded her alarm. She was shocked to see Singaporeans growing sideways!

Dr. Oh felt that there seems to have been an almost-overnight increase in the number of Singaporeans who are overweight in the last couple of years. She was also struck by the food portions served by hawkers, which she felt are almost equivalent to those served in Australia. Dr. Oh's eagle eyes observed that half of the people between the age of 30 to 60 are overweight.! Hence, Dr. Oh's conclusion is that we are eating more than we need and are not burning the calories fast enough.

I have to agree with Dr. Oh. Even when I was teaching 12 years ago, I noticed that quite a number of my students were heavier than they should be. Pass by any fast food joints and you will see that the majority of the customers are children and youths. Sadly, some parents are compelled to join their kids to tuck in the hamburgers and fried fish and chickens. While it is easier for the young ones to burn the fat, it is harder for the parents to do so. How often have we said, "Oh, just once; just a little". And that little multiplied many times become quite risky to the health, especially if we are not exercising enough.

Of course there are some very lucky people who just don't seem to put on weight. My best friend, Mrs. Phoon Yew Tien, eats six to seven meals a day, and she is always so slim. And so is my boss, Mr. Dennis Wee, who eats a lot and remains reasonably trim. He attributes it to his fast metabolic rate that burns off food easily. He has three teaspoons of sugar in his coffee and his daily cup of milo is a must before bedtime. Gosh! If I were to eat like him, I would most likely put on 2 kgs every month!

I have always been plump and blame it partially on my genes as I am the only sibling in the family who takes after papa 99.9 per cent! I like most of the food that papa liked, except that unlike papa, I am not fond of meat. I am most fond of fruits and vegetables. However, horror upon horrors! My weakness is nuts and chocolates! I am nuts about nuts - you name it, I love it. Macadamia, walnut, pistachio, cashew, pine, Brazil, almonds, peanuts, etc., etc. In the past, when I was younger, I could finish a tin of chocolates with nuts within 30 minutes! And I love noodles - any type of noddles. I can go without bread or rice for a year, but noodles is a must everyday! And boy! I cook excellent noodles and have a hundred and one delicious ways to cook the long strands of wheat dough! However, an incident that took place in Edmonton changed my habit.

While studying at the university, I worked part time with a cleaning company called Cinderella Maid Services. I was sent to help a lady, Mrs. Myer, to clean her apartment. When I first met Mrs. Myer, I was somewhat stunned by her obesity. When I told her I had put on 5 kg since I came to Canada, she suddenly gripped me by the shoulders and coerced, "Take it off, girl, take it off! Don't end up fat like me. I used to eat and comfort myself, "Only a little." She showed me her wedding photo. I was shocked to see a lovely lady one third the size of Mrs. Myer's build!

Mr. Myer, on the other hand was trim and robust looking. He exercised every morning and had salad for lunch every day. He loved his wife very much, and for her sake, the refrigerator was almost bare of food that had carboydrates and fat. I could only find plain water, vegetables, fruits and fish in the fridge. Mrs. Myer was so overweight that she could not do any housework which would leave her breathless. She was so fond of me that I became her regular cleaner until I graduated and left Canada.

It has been 27 years since I last met Mrs. Myer. Till today, I still keep the special diary which had metallic cover with floral prints. On the first page, Mrs. Myer had written, "Dearest Choo, please keep trim and healthy for my sake. Love you, Mrs. Myer." Sometimes when I became greedy I looked at Mrs. Myer's diary, and I would be able to overcome my temptation. No longer am I eating chocolates and nuts like I used to and I avoid desserts and buffets as much as I can. My friends love my Penang Char Koay Teow and Hokkien Mee which I fry with vegetable oil instead of lard. When I watch TV I try to exercise at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone. I try to walk especially if the destination is only two bus stops or one MRT stop away. I still am overweight for my liking, but at least I make a conscious effort not to add more kgs! At more than half a century years old, it is not easy to lose weight, but I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks, Dr. Sara Oh, on behalf of all Singaporeans, I thank you for your timely reminder and advice that we will "strive towards health and wealth, refusing to slide down the path to obesity, which brings disease, pain and poverty." As the Singapore economy expands, Singaporeans must be careful to guard that their waistlines also do not expand! It takes a lot of determination to resist all the temptation in this food paradise of an island, but if there is a will, there is a way!

Gan Chau :-)

PS: I don't have any evidence, but I would also like to attribute my plumpness to constant laughter! :p I grew up laughing a lot because my beloved papa and siblings are all great jokers. Once I was at a dog show at World Trade Centre and laughed so hard that I no longer felt hungry! Any enlightenment on this, Dr. Oh?