By Asmahanim Amir
Pictures by Shahiddan Saidi

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Dec 2017 – Fasting on Monday and Thursday in addition to adopting a balanced nutrition can delay the process of aging, says UKM Nutritionist and Dietetician from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Dr Suzana Shahar.

“If the practice (fasting on Monday and Thursday) continues for the three months, it can help decrease weight, besides reducing fat body percentage, blood pressure and blood lipid levels,” she explained.

She added that the practice of fasting combined with self diet restrictions (FRC) can help one to reduce between 300 to 500 calories on weekdays.

Meanwhile, taking an excessive variety of foods, especially foods with high density nutrient can be regarded as wasteful and harmful to the body as it could lead to obesity and chronic disease.

Prof Dr Suzana said superfood diet that includes fish as well as other sources of protein aside from consuming fruits and vegetables in abundance is important for maintaining the health of senior citizens.

“Local fish such as kembung and cencaru contains a high amount of omega fatty acids,” she said.

“Another superfood is ulam such as daun kesom, ulam raja dan daun selom contains polyphenols. Daun selom can improve memory and social function of senior citizens who suffer from emotional disorders,” she said.