PM Najib Made International Headlines After Revealing That He Eats Quinoa Instead Of Rice

Published by Tang Ruxyn — 27 Feb 2018, 07:15 PM

He said quinoa is "better than rice".

"We love food. I have to control. For example, I don't eat rice, I eat quinoa, my son introduced me to quinoa."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's recent revelation that he has been substituting rice with quinoa in his diet has stirred a controversy.

Speaking at the 2018 Budget sharing session at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at Bangi on 22 February, Najib said he "does not exercise as often as he wants to" and said that he watches his diet to keep himself healthy.

Rice is known to be the staple food in Malaysia households, but Najib made the switch to quinoa as the grain, which originates from Peru, is said to be healthier.

"It is protein-based, so it has less carbohydrates and less sugar content, so it is better than rice," Najib said.

Following Najib's remarks, opposition politicians were quick to point out that quinoa is more expensive compared to rice

DAP's Lim Kit Siang said that that Najib's preference for quinoa shows that he is out of touch with the ordinary Malaysian.

He pointed out that "quinoa, which Najib eats, is about 23 times more expensive than rice", based on a survey that was conducted by Malaysiakini recently.

Malaysiakini previously reported that Tesco was selling a 250-gram packet of Love Earth Organic Quinoa for RM14.79, amounting to RM591.60 for 10kg, while it cost RM25.85 for a 10kg packet of Jasmine Super Special (five percent broken rice).

Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took a swipe at Najib by posting on Twitter an image with the caption, "I only eat local rice."

The post features a photo of Najib with his quote that he only eats quinoa, and a photo of a beggar with the text, "What he eats - quinoa - 250g costs RM15. What the people eat - rice - costs RM2.70 for 1kg."

Fuente: http://says.com/my/news/pm-najib-razak-stopped-eating-rice-quinoa-diet