Nutrition Awareness For Hospital Staff

SUBANG JAYA, Malaysia - May 30, 2013 - PRLog -- Subang Jaya: In conjunction with Nutrition Month 2013, Sime Darby Healthcare (SDH) recently organized ‘Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day’ campaign to promote nutrition education and awareness on diet related diseases to staff members.

The highly successful week long event was initiated by the Dietetics and Food Services team of SDH.  More than 150 staff members of all Sime Darby Medical Centers took part in the various activities that were organized throughout the campaign period.

According to Senior Dietician of Sime Darby Healthcare, Nurul Aziah Musa: “Healthcare professionals play a central role in health promotion. Our staff should be wise about making healthy food choices and be more aware of the importance of good nutrition on overall health and well-being. As healthcare providers, we have to get it right!.”

According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2011, the number of individuals with a high cholesterol level rose from 20.7% in 2006 to 35.1%. To date, at least 1 in 5 Malaysians have a high cholesterol level. Unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyle have been the underlying causes for the increase of diet related diseases in Malaysia.

To address this issue, dieticians of Sime Darby Healthcare conducted health talks for the staff emphasizing on Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) as a type of eating plan that could help reduce cholesterol levels.  On top of that, all staff members were also encouraged to practice and teach their family and friends about the ‘rainbow’ diet.

“The individual colors in vegetables and fruits contain their own nutrients that are essential to our health. By mixing different colors in our diet, we get to maximize the nutritional benefits for our body, hence the term rainbow diet,” said Nurul.

She also emphasized that the rainbow diet should begin at home as this will educate adults and children to practice a healthy and balanced diet.  

Aside from the health talk, the organizing team also prepared daily ‘Healthy Eating Corner’ at the hospital’s cafeteria. The team also managed to reach out to patients and visitors in their Healthy Eating Walkabout to promote the nutrition month.

For more information about the Sime Darby Healthcare Group, please call the Customer Careline at + (603) 5639 1212.  

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About Sime Darby Healthcare

The Sime Darby Healthcare Group is a division within Sime Darby Berhad, Malaysia’s largest conglomerate. The Group is comprised of Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya (SDMC SJ), its flagship tertiary care 393-bed hospital; Sime Darby Medical Centre Park City, specializing in women, children and elderly care; Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara (SDMC AD), Malaysia’s first stand-alone Centre of Excellence focusing on the heart, brain, spine and joint cases; and Sime Darby Nursing & Health Sciences College.