Take my rights... please! 2

Well, well. Here's a letter to make angry doc stir from his stupor:


Keep S'poreans small, ban char kway teow?
Letter from GOH KIAN HUAT

I REFER to the report "Beware! Super-sized S'poreans on way" (March 17).

My nine-year-old daughter, classified as severely overweight, has been attending counselling sessions with food nutritionists at the Health Promotion Board for the past two years.

However, her attempts at losing weight have not been successful. It is easy to list the types of healthy foods one should eat, but difficult to find and eat only these healthy items.

I applaud the initiative in asking fast-food outlets to put healthier options on their menus. They should also provide healthy choices for adults.

McDonald's could offer vegetables, fruits or desserts with their set meals and Kentucky Fried Chicken could remove the skin before frying the chicken.

Customers should also be able to choose between soft drinks and ones that contain less sugar.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he eats char kway teow only three to four times a year, and that if we eat this frequently — five to 10 times a month — there will be trouble. I find this is no different from smoking. Should such unhealthy food be allowed to be sold in the first place?

I suggest that the National Environment Agency ensures that its licencees sell healthy, nutritious food.


The fact is every place that sells soft drinks also sell a drink that tastes exactly like a regular soft drink, but contains only half the sugar and therefore only half the calories.

It's called half a soft drink.

angry doc believes that there are no unhealthy food, only unhealthy meals. (Unless you are talking about poisonous food, and some may include food which contain trans-fat in this category...)

Conversely, there is no healthy food that does not become unhealthy if one consumes too much of it.

A calorie from slice of whole-meal bread is the same as a calorie from a slice of patoto chip, and it is not only what you put inside you that matters, but also how much of it you put inside you.

We may legislate against sale of so-called unhealthy food or their advertising, but as long as oil, starch and sugar remain cheap and available, Singaporeans will continue to have access to cheap calories.

At the end of the day, what and how much we eat is a personal choice and thus personal responsibility, except in the case of children, where it becomes the responsibility of the parents ot guardians. angry doc finds it sad that Mr Goh would rather those choices and responsibilities to be taken away.