SINGAPORE - Take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle by exercising more regularly, going for health screenings for early detection and watching your nutrition.
That was the theme of the morning at Hong Kah North Community Club on Sunday (Dec 3) where residents were joined by Dr Amy Khor for an exercise and cooking demonstration.
The Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources said: "The important thing to remember is that we all have to start somewhere and doing a little is better than doing none."
The 2018 Health Calendar, which was launched at the event, featured exercises tailored for women at all stages of their lives, and some were demonstrated for participants this morning.
The calendar also contains information on well-balanced diets, healthy recipes, as well as useful information about breastfeeding and weaning foods that could help with infant nutrition.Some 15,000 copies will be distributed to women from lower-income families in the Hong Kah North constituency and islandwide. An electronic version can be downloaded from the Health Promotion Board's Health Hub and Hong Kah North's Facebook from Monday (Dec 4).
In her speech, Dr Khor also urged women to go for health screenings, adding: "Many of us have to juggle work and family, amongst other responsibilities. We play a key role in taking care of our families, and we have to be role models and set good examples by leading a healthier lifestyle ourselves."
Dr Khor also said that maintaining a healthy lifestyle would help reduce the risk of falls. The Health Promotion Board will launch the second run of the National Falls Prevention Awareness Campaign today.
Statistics have shown that six in 10 falls among seniors occur at home. This year's campaign will focus on simple ways we can keep our homes safe to prevent falls, Dr Khor added.
Healthy Food Love Packs, sponsored by the Hong Kah North Grassroots Organisations, were also distributed at the Hong Kah event to the constituency's lower-income residents.
The packs contained healthy food options such as brown rice vermicelli, jasmine brown rice, canola oil, sardines and baked beans. They will replace the food rations given to eligible families in Hong Kah North on a monthly basis for one year at a time, subject to a review after each year.
Celebrity chef Eric Teo, together with Dr Khor, demonstrated how to cook healthy and tasty dishes using some of the items from the Healthy Food Love Pack.
Besides nutrition, Dr Khor also raised the growing issue of food waste in Singapore.
Food waste accounts for about half of the waste disposed of by each Singapore household a day, and the amount of avoidable food waste is equivalent to each household throwing away a 2.5kg bag of rice every week.
These results came from a household waste study commissioned by National Environment Agency, conducted from November 2016 to March 2017.
Dr Khor said that with the festive season around the corner, she hoped Singaporeans will keep in mind healthier eating habits and eat in moderation as "reducing food waste also helps us save on the resources needed to produce the food as well as to dispose of it. This in turn reduces our carbon footprint."
The event was organised by the community club's Women's Executive Committee and LadiesFirst, a group of local female professionals championing causes for women and children.
