BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI should include herbs and vegetables in the menus of their school canteens to help curb obesity in students.

Nazli Anwari, Singaporean Health Consultant at Medicine Woman Asia, told The Brunei Times that young people will be able to start living healthy when they include fruits, herbs and vegetables in their daily diet.

She said this during the Pesta Ulam organised recently by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources at the Bio-Innovation Corridor.

“There should be more health campaigns at schools to introduce to the young children the benefits of eating healthy fruits and vegetables. When they grow up, eating healthy will not be new to them anymore,” she said in response to the rate of obesity in Brunei which the Minister of Health described as a worrying factor earlier this year.

In a recent report, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yussof pointed out that 17 per cent of teenagers aged 13 to 17 in Brunei were obese.

The figures were obtained from the World Health Organisation’s Global School Health Survey 2014.

In the study, a total of 2,599 students participated in the survey.

Findings also showed that there were more obese males than female students.

Nazli suggested schools in Brunei to introduce carrots or salads because these are considered healthy snacks to be consumed between breakfast and dinner.

The Brunei Times