Eat Well, Live Well Together With Umami: For Older Adults

– Collaboration between Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad and International Medical University –

KUALA LUMPUR: No matter your age or your previous eating habits, it’s never too late to change your diet and improve the way you think and feel. When you choose a variety of colourful fruits and veggies, whole grains, and quality proteins you’ll feel vibrant and healthy, inside and out. Improving your diet now can help you.

Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad (AMB) in collaboration with the International Medical University (IMU) and Rumah Victory Elderly Home, Puchong, organised a yearlong program entitled ”Eat Well, Live Well Together with Umami”. This program aimed at improving the meal preparation, appetite, modifying and creating the recipes prepared for the elderly to ensure a balanced meal. The program is part of the *Ajinomoto Shared Value initiative and also IMU Cares-the community service arm of IMU.

This program also addresses the overuse of salt in various forms and created healthier options by using Umami. AMB and IMU Care students who serve as young opinion leaders in the forefront of health care will play a role as messengers to encourage low sodium consumption in order to reduce health related incidences.

This campaign involves a thorough pre-study of the Golden Aged Group, a detailed plan of implementation, together with diligent monitoring and assessment. Several activities are carried out to enhance the campaign with constructive collaboration such as health screening, oral health care, appetite evaluation, lower sodium menu introduction as well as kitchen hygiene and culinary training for the cooks. A total of 56 recipes were modified and developed using Umami and to ensure low sodium content. Other activities like light exercises and funfair were also conducted to engage this group of elderly.

Together with IMU and AMB, this campaign aims to promote a better quality of life and improve the health standards of the golden aged population. This can be considered as a pilot project with the hope it can be further applied across similar communities.

*Ajinomoto Shared Value (ASV): Efforts linked to the creation of economic value and growth by contributing to the resolution of social issues such as global sustainability, food resources and healthy living through the businesses the Ajinomoto Group since its establishment.