'Fatty food is no bad food for you, but...'

JAKARTA (JP): Can't give up fried chicken? No problem if that's your pleasure. Same with pizza, burgers, chocolate, ice cream and milk shakes, or anything else included in your daily menu.

More and more working people in Indonesia's big cities are rushing to fast-food outlets for lunch.

Donny Sulistyo, a bank officer, prefers to eat a hamburger, french fries, a chocolate sundae and diet coke for lunch, while Windy, a public relations officer, chooses a baked potato topped with broccoli and cheese, taco salad and corn soup.

"The food is delicious and is served instantly. That's the main reason we choose fast food for lunch," said Windy.

Dina Adriana, on the other hand, can't skip a lunch or dinner invitation from her business colleagues at classy restaurants or cafes. "The meetings are important to boost my business ventures, but I also just can't resist tasting all the food. Over the last few years I have put on weight because I don't have enough time to exercise," said Dina, a finance director at a multinational company.

Dr. Paul A. Lachance, professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Rutgers University in the United States, said at a recent seminar on nutrition and physical activity here that there was no such thing as bad food.

"It is a matter of balancing foods, portion control and knowing yourself. Obviously you can't eat foods high in fat and cholesterol all day, everyday; no one can without jeopardizing their health," explained the professor, who was the first Flight Food and Nutrition coordinator for NASA.

Many executives and working people have lunches high in cholesterol and then plop down in front of their computer screens until 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Between meals, they snack on cookies, nuts, pies, candy or chocolate with cups of coffee, he said.

Under such conditions, he said, fewer of the consumed fatty compounds are burned off. Instead they are stored in fatty tissue and contribute to a buildup on artery walls which leads to various health hazards including heart disease and obesity.

"It is still reasonable for you to eat such food once on every weekend, for example. It is almost impossible to avoid fast food or other high-fat and high-cholesterol food if you live in big cities. But you have to be smart and wise to eat the best and the most nutritious ones if you want to stay healthy," he said.

In addition to unhealthy eating habits, people are becoming lazy and physically inactive. They prefer taking an elevator or a lift rather than walking up stairs. They take a taxi or drive a car a short distance instead of walking, he said.

Fitness experts have long advocated physical activity is essential for optimal health. More recently public health authorities have been promoting the importance of good nutrition to reduce the risk of leading chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, the professor said.

Today the two areas are merging. It is becoming increasingly clear that both good nutrition and physical activity are essential for optimal health, explained Dr. Lachance.

"The combination of balanced diets and exercise will likely enhance people's health and physical condition which in turn will also improve their productivity," he said.

Many Americans are now trying to improve their health, he said.

Surveys by the American government reveals that Americans continue to decrease their fat intake. In l994, 33 percent of calories in the American diet was made up of fat, an almost 10 percent decrease since the late l970s.

Exercise

He also said that more and more Americans exercise seriously. More than 70.8 million of the 266 million American population walk for exercise, 60.3 million swim, 49.8 million ride bicycles, 11.5 million do aerobics.

He said dietary guidelines for physically active people and athletes alike emphasize a diet that is high in fiber, low in fat, and includes at least five serving of fruits and vegetables a day, regardless of whether a person is just starting a fitness regimen or exercises vigorously several days a week. Those whose diets do not provide adequate nutrition should consider adding fortified foods or dietary supplements to fill in dietary gaps, he said.

Indonesian food, he said, is nutritious and rich in vitamins. Vegetables, fruits, meats and rice are abundant here, he added.

"You don't have to consume food supplements if you think you already have smart eating habits -- adequate protein, fiber vitamins, carbohydrates and a lot of water. The aging process as well as work-related stress could be prevented with healthy food and exercise," he said.

Dr. Lachance also explained certain consequences of aging may be slowed by liberal intakes of antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables to prevent the decline of the immune system and the development of certain eye diseases.

Studies also found that vitamin E which is found in vegetable oil, nuts, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and B6 found in chicken, fish, peas, bananas and dried beans play an important role in maintaining the body's immune responses for fighting infection and disease.

These studies also suggested that the elderly and children may need higher amounts of both vitamin E and vitamin B6 to maintain optimal immunity.

Vitamins and nutrition are an important dietary issue for all people, whether they are trained athletes, everyday workers, children or elderly. Thus, good nutrition is a natural complement to exercise and an important component of a healthy lifestyle, the professor said. (raw)