HPB DISHES OUT ‘RECIPE FOR HEALTHY AGEING’ TO GUIDE
SENIORS TOWARDS HEALTHY EATING
Nutrition campaign under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing empowers seniors to eat right and age well
Singapore, 15 May 2016 – As part of the initiatives under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) kicked off a nutrition campaign to help seniors 50 years old and above understand the importance of good nutrition, and to provide them
with tips to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
2. The nutritional needs of a person changes with age and becomes increasingly important in later life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diseases that affect seniors more often, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer are all related to diet. Positive dietary changes, such as reduction in salt intake and
increased consumption of fruit and vegetables by one to two servings daily, can reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.
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The Recipe for Healthy Ageing
3. This new nutrition campaign is tailored for seniors and aims to address findings from the National Nutrition Survey 2010 that one in two seniors do not have an adequate intake of calcium, one in four seniors do not eat enough protein and three in four seniors eat less than
the recommended two daily servings of vegetables.
4. A toolkit titled ‘The Recipe for Healthy Ageing’ has been specially produced for seniors to help them understand the importance of a healthy diet and to eat healthily. The toolkit comprises a nutrition guide, recipe book and an educational poster.
5. Presented in an easy to understand format, the nutrition guide and the educational poster contain information on essential nutrients including protein and calcium, and provides tips on incorporating food from different food groups to meet the dietary requirements of seniors. Practical information such as pictorial examples of recommended food and serving size are also included in the guide.
6. The nutrition guide is accompanied by a recipe book with easy-to-cook recipes and healthy eating tips to encourage seniors to prepare healthy and tasty meals at home. For example, seniors can learn to cook Laksa Fried Rice with brown rice and less salt. The recipe allows them to enjoy the original flavour of Laksa and adopt healthier food preparation methods. A healthier eating tip on reducing added salt during cooking to help manage high blood pressure is also included to supplement the recipe.
7. “If we can eat right, we can age well. Through the campaign, HPB hopes to raise awareness among seniors on the importance of good nutrition. Whether we are eating out or preparing meals at home, it is possible to make positive changes in our diet. Seniors and caregivers can pick up simple tips on how to make healthier food choices from the nutrition guide and recipe book,” said Senior Minister of State for Health, Dr Amy Khor.
8 Some of HPB’s partners are lending weight to the campaign by helping to reach out to senior shoppers. The nutrition guide, educational poster and recipe book, which are available in four languages, will be distributed through HPB’s partners such as FairPrice, Guardian Health & Beauty*, Kopitiam*, POSB*, Sheng Siong, Unity Pharmacy and Watsons
Personal Care Stores* at a later date. The People’s Association is also supporting HPB by making available the toolkits at all its Community Clubs/Centres from 20 May onwards. The toolkits will also be available for viewing and downloading at
www.healthyageing.sg/nutrition from 15 May 2016. Please visit the website for updates on the partners’ distribution. Mature workers from HPB’s workplace health programmes will also receive the nutrition toolkit, as part of efforts to educate them on eating well. These toolkits complement existing programmes that are available in the workplace. HPB has also produced an educational
video which guides seniors to choose food items which are high in nutrients when they shop for groceries and the dietary changes they can adopt when dining out. The video will be available for viewing and downloading on www.healthyageing.sg/nutrition from 15 May 2016.
9. The nutrition campaign is the second in a series of healthy lifestyle campaigns by the HPB under the National Seniors’ Health Programme. The Programme is one of the key initiatives under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, announced by Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Ageing, Mr Gan Kim Yong, in 2015. It aims to raise awareness among seniors to keep healthy, and encourage and empower seniors to take charge of their health to they can maintain their physical well-being, mental well-being and functional health. The inaugural campaign was launched in September last year with an exercise video for seniors
titled “7 Easy Exercises to an Active Lifestyle”.
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About Health Promotion Board
The Health Promotion Board was established as a statutory board under the Ministry of Health, Singapore, in 2001 with the vision of building “A Nation of Healthy People”. The Health Promotion Board aims to empower the people of Singapore to attain optimal health,
increase the quality and years of healthy life and prevent illness, disability and premature death. As the key agency overseeing national health promotion and disease prevention programmes, HPB spearheads health education, promotion and prevention programmes as well as creates a health-supportive environment in Singapore. It develops and organises relevant health promotion and disease prevention programmes, reaching out to the healthy, the at-risk and the unhealthy at all stages of life – children, youths, adults and older Singapore residents. Its health promotion programmes include nutrition, mental health, physical activity, smoking control and communicable disease education. HPB also promotes healthy ageing, integrated health screening, and chronic disease education and management.
More information can be found at
www.hpb.gov.sg.