EAT LIKE A RABBIT FOR A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- Usher in the Chinese New Year by incorporating a rabbit’s diet with more vegetables to improve health and well-being, said Sunway Medical Centre’s consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist Dr Jasminder Kaur. 

She said people have become more receptive to plant-based diets in recent years, as they are packed with healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals, free of cholesterol, and are much lower in calories and saturated fats.

“They are also rich in antioxidants which can help protect against heart disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes,”  she said in a statement today. 

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However, Dr Jasminder acknowledges that doing a complete overhaul on one’s diet can be intimidating and requires a lot of hard work and discipline.

As such, she said those who are just starting this journey, a gradual or partial cutting of meat products may be a more suitable option.

“Luckily, there is a wide variety of plant-based diets to try out if you feel that the standard practice of cutting out meat products is not appealing,” she said.

She said they include lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, pescatarian and vegan, where some of these diets get their main source of protein from fish while others exclude meat and poultry but allow eggs and/or diary.

While adopting a plant-based diet is a great step for fully grown adults to take if they’re looking to improve their health and well-being, Dr Jasminder noted that it is also important to remember that simply becoming vegetarian will not cure ailments or make a person healthy overnight.

“To see proper improvements, it is essential to plan well, ideally with a nutritionist that understands your current bill of health.

“A healthy approach to plant-based dieting means including a variety of nutrient-rich ingredients and protein substitutes, since meat products are not being consumed,” she added.

Dr Jasminder said to have an overall healthy lifestyle, one also needs to be active and have enough rest.

-- BERNAMA