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THE HEALTH | JUNE-JULY , 2021
| Halal Health |
Nurturing a healthy generation
Children are our legacy ; teach them about halalan toyyiban diet
OVERWEIGHT and obesity have impacted nations globally , with the rising trends observed even in the poorest countries in the world .
No nation is spared from this plague , including Malaysia . Our country is , after all , considered by many as the world food paradise . But this reputation comes at a price - the tag as the fattest nation in Asia .
Our children are getting fatter !
Statistically , about 50.1 per cent of Malaysian adults were either overweight or obese in 2019 . Unfortunately , our children did not fare better . We are ranked as the second-highest in Southeast Asia for obesity among children aged five to 19 years .
Without proper intervention , it was predicted that 1.65 million Malaysian children would be overweight or obese in less than four years .
Childhood obesity is worrisome for some reasons . Dietary habits formed during childhood are challenging to break and can last a lifetime . Chances are , overweight and obese children are more likely to become obese adults .
This also increases their likelihood to develop non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ) such as diabetes and heart disease at an earlier age . NCDs burden national healthcare , affect national productivity and thus impede our social and economic
BY ANIS NAJIHA AHMAD AND
YUMI ZUHANIS HAS-YUN HASHIM
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HALAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING ( INHART ), INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA development . This calls for early education and intervention .
No one-size-fits-all intervention
Obesity is preventable . Education and intervention in the early years of life could nurture healthy behaviour well into adulthood . Researchers have developed and tested multiple interventions to prevent obesity among children by realising the importance of early intervention .
The orientation and range of interventions are diverse , from knowledge to behavioural orientation , from a single component and setting to multi-components and multi-setting approaches .
The focus of intervention also varied and range from individual to the food environment . All these are in efforts to inculcate healthy diet and lifestyles .
Despite the ongoing efforts , experts are sceptical on how effective these measures are to universally curb the overweight and obesity threat .
Especially as most of these measures were developed and tested in the western context . Many interventions are noninclusive with very little consideration of cultural aspect .
It seems that there is no one-size-fitsall intervention that works for all .
Halalan Toyyiban diet — the key to solve our national health threat ?
Interventions need to be culturally appropriate and tailored to the target participant and community . As such , we should look for solutions closer to home — reflecting and pondering on solutions that are not only closer to our culture but deep-rooted in our faith .
Faith is intrinsically interwoven in the lives of many Malaysian Muslims . So , could the halalan toyyiban diet , a centuryold diet , be the critical component of an intervention to nurture children ’ s healthy eating ?
HALAL yay , TOYYIB nay
There are ample verses in the Quran that command us to embrace and practice
“ halalan toyyiban ”. The embodiment of this Quranic command would make the Muslim countries among the healthiest in the world - ideally .
But this is far-fetched from reality . For example , none of the Muslim-majority countries made it to the Top 10 in the Bloomberg Global Health Index 2020 . Quite the contrary , the previous study has shown that more than a third ( 37.4 per cent ) of adults in 46 Muslim countries are either overweight or obese .
One may ask , what hinders Muslims to benefit from the halalan toyyiban diet and healthy lifestyle ?
The answer may lie in our failure to embrace the “ halalan toyyiban ” concept holistically . And worryingly , we falsely pass on this notion and practice to the next generation .
We expose our children early about the sources of halal food and drinks . But how many would point out that Islam also commands us to choose foods that are toyyib ( good , wholesome )?
Nowadays , we are very particular in reminding our children to purchase products with a halal logo , but are we asking them to check the nutrition label ? With very little expectation for the children to choose toyyib food , it came as no surprise that many end up purchasing halal foods and drinks that are not toyyib .
Reviving the real halalan toyyiban
Toyyib needs to be advocated together with halal to be visible ; it is repeatedly mentioned in the Quran . Therefore , intervention is necessary to promote a healthy diet and re-introduce the real meaning of the halalan toyyiban diet to our children .
We must arm our children with the correct knowledge and understanding about the halalan toyyiban diet . It is the role of the adults to shape children ’ s belief systems , habit and conduct .
Steering the children into a direction in line with Islamic teachings , including in their eating conduct , is part of Prophet Muhammad ’ s ( PBUH ) tradition .
It has been narrated that on one occasion , Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH )