Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Herbalife’s Media Roundtable in conjunction with the launch of their 3rd Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour to raise awareness on the importance of a balanced nutrition and healthy active lifestyle. We had a special guest, Dr. Nataniel Viuniski, a Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board (NAB) member and a paediatrician and nutrition expert in weight management and childhood obesity to speak to us that afternoon. We learned a wealth of information in that one hour that is totally priceless.
Before we started, we were addressed by Sridhar Rajagopalan, Sub-Regional General Manager of Herbalife Malaysia and Singapore on the success of the previous two tours and how they hope to delve deeper into the prevalent health-related issues in Malaysia and impart useful tips in curbing these issues through talks and dialogue sessions.
Dr. Nataniel who is also advisor to Brazil’s Health and Education Ministry for Childhood Obesity and director of nutrition service for Unimed Hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, immediately gave us a one hour talk on causes of childhood obesity and ways to curb this issue that is getting prevalent in Malaysia. I learned so much from this session and this is a summary of what I find applicable to me.
1) Obesity begins in the womb so the mother’s nutrition and ways of eating is of utmost importance
2) Obesity in childhood can be treated by having a Proper Eating Plan and NOT a restrictive diet
3) Obesity can cause not only physical illness such as diabetes, hypertension and other coronary diseases, but it also causes psychological issues like depression, low self-esteem and more
4) Obesity in childhood can carry into adulthood with many complications even if the person had lost weight, such as orthopedic issues in the bone structure that possibly won’t go away
5) Sedentary lifestyle causes obesity, obesity causes more sedentary lifestyle and the cycle goes on
6) We can teach our children to eat healthy by not buying junk and leaving it around the house, instead leave healthy food so the chance of them eating that is higher
7) We have to limit screen time (TV, iPad, phones etc) in order to let our children spend more time doing physical activities inside or outside the home
There is so much more, but basically, it is not an unimportant issue if a child is obese, and we cannot just do nothing about it hoping it will go away. It can be treated and it doesn’t have to be suffering to the child with restrictive diet. However, the best way is always prevention from when a child is conceived in the womb. Parents then have to be made aware of the types of food to give a child and the physical activities as a child becomes mobile. We can encourage them to go out more, be involved in sports and be active rather than to sit in front of the screen daily. I think even the proper eating plan that Dr Nataniel suggests can be used on adults like me that want to get to a healthy weight. Our children will definitely learn a healthy eating habit and lifestyle from watching us as well, which is why we aim to live active and healthier ways to be a good example to our children.
Dr Nataniel Viuniski also had a Wellness Tour health talk at Asia Metropolitan University which is known as the leading provider of Nursing and Allied Health education in Malaysia.
About Asia Pacific Wellness Tour
The Asia Pacific Wellness Tour is running from 3-26 April 2015, and will see seven Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board (NAM) members visiting 28 cities in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board is made up of leading experts from around the world in the fields of nutrition and health whose role is to educate and train Independent Herbalife Members on the principles of good nutrition, getting regular physical activity, and leading a healthy lifestyle.
About Herbalife Ltd.
Herbalife is a global nutrition company that has been changing people’s lives with great products since 1980. Our nutrition, weight-management , energy and fitness and personal care products are available exclusively to and through dedicated Independent Herbalife Members in more than 90 countries. We are committed to addressing the global obesity epidemic by offering high-quality products, one-on-one coaching with an Independent Herbalife Member and a community that inspires customers to live a healthy, active life. We support the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) and its Casa Herbalife programs to help bring good nutrition to children in need. We also sponsor more than 250 world-class athletes, teams and events around the globe, including Cristiano Ronaldo, the LA Galaxy and champions in many other sports.
The company has over 7,400 employees worldwide, and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HLF) with net sales of US$5 billion in 2014. To learn more visit herbalife.com