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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright April 2023
Hari Raya is around the corner. It's the season for merriment. We'll be inundated with rich fatty food and sweet sugary drinks that will likely make you consume zillions of calories that you do not really need.
I'll leave the discussion on what food to avoid to another writer. But let me address the drinks which the Malay community often indulge in mostly to their detriment.
When you go visiting the whole of Syawal (the month when Malays put on weight they lost during Ramadan) opt for black coffee or tea without condensed milk and sugar.
Malays in general prefer a variety of sugar syrup (Ros Sirap) drinks diluted with water and often times added with condensed milk, so sweet, enough to drive a diabetic running out looking for an additional dose of insulin injection.
During Ramadan, Malays consumed a concoction of sweet drinks when they break fast. These are added with aerated fizzy canned drinks to give it an extra kick when you take your first sip.
If you had GERD it's guaranteed to make you burb all night or give you reflux till you swallow a dose of an antidote like ENO.
Consider the video uploaded here which shows you how to prepare a concoction of sweet drinks piled high with other added on sugary stuff, recommended for iftar by an amateur mixologist that will also be definitely available to guests in many Malay households when you go visiting this Syawal.
Stay away from them. If you are not diabetic, drink enough of the stuff you will soon be suffering Type II diabetes in no time.
It is impolite to refuse an offer made by your hosts outright. But you may politely say, "I prefer black coffee or teh O".
The response would be "Ada diabetes kamu ni?" My reply is always "trying to avoid it if I can!"
So, avoid red sugary drinks or cold mixtures with added aerated gassy canned stuff that's guaranteed to make you burb all day.
Have a Selamat Hari Raya. Stay safe!
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