Many people do their best to eat healthily, and we’re always open to exploring new foods! Yesterday, many Malaysians learned about this South American grain that’s recently become a trend among fitness fanatics.
In a report by the Malaysian Insight, the term “quinoa” has reportedly appeared in Google searches more than 2,000 times since yesterday (22nd February), after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak reportedly stated he switched from eating rice to quinoa in an effort to be healthier.
Source: Google Trends
Source: Google Trends
According to the Straits Times, Prime Minister Najib shared that he made the switch after his son introduced it as a healthier option.
The prime minister mentioned this during his speech during a Facebook Live broadcast about Budget 2018. He was quoted as saying,
“I have to control (what I eat). For example, I don’t eat rice, but quinoa. My son introduced me to quinoa, a food from Peru. It is protein-based, so it has less carbohydrates and a lower sugar content. It is better than rice.”
More Malaysian netizens’ interests were then piqued when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad addressed this statement on his Twitter account this morning, saying that he only consumes local rice.
Source: Twitter
Meanwhile, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Seang also addressed the prime minister’s statement, saying
“Until the prime minister’s live session yesterday, I had never heard of quinoa – in fact, I did not even know that quinoa existed.”
Politicians were certainly not the only ones curious about the South American grain, as a number of local netizens also wondered about quinoa on social media.
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
Have you ever tried quinoa before? Think you could substitute rice with that? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: “Continue Giving Birth, Because We Need a Bigger Population,” PM Najib Tells M’sians
