Why Replace Healthy Food with Unhealthy Food?

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Obesity is not an issue in Cambodia… yet. After all, Cambodian food is naturally very healthy; it’s light, tasty and full of healthy nutrients. Don’t you ever wonder why Cambodians are generally very petite? It is due to their healthy diet.

 
The Cambodian diet consists of lots of rice, fresh vegetables, and not too much meat. The amount of calories in a serving of Cambodian food is nowhere near as high as a comparable amount of western fast food.
 
Now with rapid development, many foreign fast food outlets are opening up in Cambodia, potentially bringing with them the many problems associated with fast foods, unless nutrition education follows.
 
Fast food is becoming more popular amongst young Cambodian people, who are becoming used to the tastes as they grow up with it. Back in the days when the only fast food chain was Lucky Burger, many Cambodians would describe fast food as strange tasting, unhealthy, funny looking, and cheese was definitely a no-no.
 
What do locals think?
 
Oum Sonita, a 21-year-old university student, acknowledges how unhealthy fast food is, but said she had no choice as the food saves her time.
 
“We have no choice as the culture has been change due to technological advance. Therefore, we have to learn to adapt with the new environment, and time has become more and more priceless, so it is hard to compromise between being healthy and work,” she said.
 
Like Ms. Sonita, 19-year-old Thai Sokcheng knows fast food is bad, but he finds fast food  tasty, though he rarely eats it.
 
“The reason is obvious that fast food contains high calories and fat and it is not really healthy. I do like it but rarely consume it,” he said. To me, eating it quite often makes us unhealthy, but in some occasions only, it’ll be fine.”
 
Meat stall owner at Psa Kabko market, 29-year-old Chenda, says “It’s tasty but I would not eat it every day, I will get fat! Young people seem to really enjoy fast food.”
 
Chan Sav Keng says, “My kids like it, but I only let them eat fast food once in a while, it’s fattening and can cause heart problems. Khmer food is healthy, – we eat it every day.”
Four year old Nita, however loves fast food. “I think pizza is very tasty.” she declares.  
 
Reasons why Fast food should be eaten in moderation.
 
1. Fast food can be very high in calories and low in nutritional values.
2. Fast food plays a major role in the obesity epidemic, which is a huge problem in western countries like America, England and Australia.
3. Obesity increases the risk of contracting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic health conditions.
4. A healthy diet plays a huge role in keeping hormone levels balanced, unlike fast food.
5. Children who consume a lot of fast food can develop nutrient deficiencies, which can cause mood swings, low energy, and sleep disturbances, among other health conditions.
6. Fast food often contains a high quantity of sodium. The over-consumption of salt contributes to high blood pressure, liver, kidney and heart disease.
 
Ironically, Cambodian and other South–East Asian diets are world famous for their simplicity, healthiness, and lightness. Fast food is the total opposite of Khmer food.
 
As western fast-food chains become more integrated into the Cambodian food scene, consumers should take care not to replace a healthy diet with an unhealthy one.