This article first appeared in Personal Wealth, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 23, 2019 - September 29, 2019

By many measures, our society has evolved quite substantially from the early hunter-gatherer communities. Nevertheless, Datuk Dr Rajen Manicka — who has a doctorate in holistic medicine — thinks we can still learn a thing or two from our ancestors, especially in terms of our diets.

Rajen is CEO of Holista CollTech Ltd, an Australian Securities Exchange-listed company that produces natural ingredients and wellness products. It also conducts research on herbs and food ingredients.

A key difference between modern and ancient diets is the high amount of carbohydrates in the former. This is usually presented in the form of rice, noodles and bread, which have become a staple because of industrialised agriculture methods. On the other hand, hunter-gatherers subsisted on meat, which is high in protein, and natural vegetation.

When carbohydrates are digested, they turn into glucose or sugar in the body. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Any more than that is stored as body fat, which contributes to obesity and related diseases. If blood glucose levels are too high, one may get a disease like diabetes.

“If you consume a lot of sugar, the body makes you drink more water to dilute the toxicity. So, the first sign of excess sugar is that you will feel thirsty. We have all experienced this after having a sweet dessert,” says Rajen.

A person who has diabetes is twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure compared with someone who does not, according to multiple sources. This leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

People are not as mobile today as they were in traditional societies, so excess sugar is not burned off in the normal course of the day. “The four modern-day diseases of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes all come from excess carbohydrates in the diet,” says Rajen.

Essentially, the modern-day diet is oftentimes high on the glycaemic index (GI), which ranks carbohydrates based on their effect on blood sugar levels. The hunter-gatherers’ diet is on the lower end of the index.

High GI food contains carbohydrates that are broken down quickly in the body and causes a rapid increase in blood glucose levels. This could be sugary food, white bread and white rice. Low GI food is broken down slowly and causes a gradual increase in blood sugar levels. Vegetables and wholegrains fall into this category.

“Our ancestors ate low GI food. They had vegetables, nuts, meat and eggs. They were not eating pizzas, pasta or roti canai. So, they had lower sugar levels, which made them very alert,” says Rajen.

Adding to the damage is the amount of salt, sugar, saturated fats and starch in the modern diet, which he refers to as the four “S” tsunami. “These four substances have made the food industry very profitable because they are very addictive. Sugar, for instance, is eight times more addictive than cocaine. That is why there is a bubble tea phenomenon now. When you mix it up, it becomes even more addictive, like a Krispy Kreme doughnut, roti canai or icing on the cake,” he says.

Issues with high GI food

High GI food are those with high amounts of simple sugars, which can be easily converted into glucose. Low GI food are those with low amounts of carbohydrates or have more complex carbohydrates, which take longer to be converted into glucose.

“The kind of sugar that you find in an apple is fructose, but it comes locked in with all the pectin so it is difficult to digest and break down. The amount is also very low, perhaps one teaspoon of sugar per apple. Whereas if you take a roti canai, it is 3½ teaspoons of sugar,” says Rajen.

The carbohydrate in roti canai is starch, which can break down very quickly, he adds. “If you eat rice, your blood sugar levels start rising in 15 minutes. But if you eat an apple, it may take 30 to 45 minutes.”

Added to this is the addictive nature of sugar and salt in a roti canai. “Normally, you do not stop at just one. We tend to add sugar on it and drink teh tarik with it, where you add even more sugar. So, you are creating a sugar dump in your body,” says Rajen.

He observes that Malaysians consume 50 teaspoons of sugar a day on average when we really do not need more than five.

The consumption of high GI food will cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Insulin levels then rise to help the body absorb the glucose. After that, the blood sugar level in the brain drops steeply and you will feel sleepy and mentally fuzzy.

“Then, you would want to go out and eat more food with sugar. You know the feeling you have when you had banana leaf rice at 1pm and by 3pm, you are hungry, sleepy and looking for something sweet? It is not that your stomach is empty. Your body is playing tricks on you. So, you want to go and have teh tarik or kuih lapis to raise you blood sugar level,” says Rajen.

The key to a healthy diet is for people to regulate their blood sugar levels so that these remain moderate — not too high so you crash after a meal and not too low so you lack energy. This way, “you are alert, healthy, burning fat, not having mood swings and not craving [sweet food],” says Rajen.

How to eat well

Some people avoid carbohydrates completely while others only consume low GI food.

“I always tell people to be carb-less [go without carbohydrates] as far as possible. Instead of eating two bowls of rice, eat half a bowl and eat more vegetables. Where you can, go without carbohydrates one meal a day and eat less carbohydrates for your other meals. Or you can go without carbohydrates one day a week,” says Rajen.

Think through the food choices you make, he adds. “Is this something you would like to do? If you do, how much do you eat? It is all about portion control.

“For instance, the Japanese live the longest. A typical Japanese meal starts with edamame and chawanmushi before going on to sushi and teriyaki. At the end of it, you get rice.”

Compare that with a typical Indian or Chinese meal, where rice is served at the beginning and in large amounts, says Rajen. “Who lives longer? Who is fatter and has more cases of diabetes? It is about portion control and choosing healthier carbohydrates.”

You do not need to refer to the GI chart every time you eat. As Rajen says, eat with the wisdom of a hunter-gatherer. “Everything should be with as little cooking as possible, as fresh as possible, as close to the farm as possible. The longer you cook and process the food, the worse it is.”

Some fruits and vegetables, such as watermelons and pumpkins, are high on the GI chart. But you can still eat these, says Rajen. “Because you are not going to overeat. It is the food that you can overeat that I am worried about, such as pizza and pasta, and bubble teas.”

Low GI flour-based food

Rajen’s company specialises in altering the GI levels of food products by using herbal blends. Already, he has a range of low GI noodles, pastries, pizza, bread and roti canai. He is also working on a low GI bubble tea.

Rajen realised it was difficult for people to change their diets. After all, nobody wants to eat food that tastes like cardboard. The solution had to be something that could be added to your everyday food and yet not alter the taste. So, he went back to his roots and explored Indian cuisine.

“The first time human beings were exposed to an excessive amount of carbohydrates was when we became agrarian societies. The two cultures that were exposed to this early on were the Indians and Chinese. I am more familiar with the Indian style of eating, so that is where my research was. Indians were exposed to large amounts of carbohydrates in naan and chapatti as well as rice,” says Rajen.

He observed that traditionally, Indians ate lentils and okra as part of the thali, a meal that serves a balance of six flavours — sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy — on one plate.

“If you eat a typical Thali, you will see that there is rice, dhal [made from lentils], papadom [made from lentils and other ingredients], okra and fenugreek-based curry,” says Rajen.

These ingredients could help lower the overall GI of the food, he discovered. “It makes starch more difficult to access, so it cannot be broken up easily. It slows down the [digestion] process. And it works on your insulin and hormone levels to prevent a rapid rise and fall,” he says.

Rajen patented a blend of okra, dhal, barley and fenugreek in 1995. It can be added to food before the baking process. He set up the company that same year and in 2009, he listed it through a reverse takeover.

The company now has subsidiaries in the US and India. Its products are available in China, Japan, South Korea, North America and Australia. Malaysia is next. It is working with Kawan Food Bhd to produce low GI flatbreads, including roti canai and chapatti.

“I want to teach people that eating is not complicated. It is meant to be moderate, with the right portions and the three macronutrients [protein, carbohydrates and fats]. If you eat like this, you will be in good health. Whenever you want to indulge, go for low GI bread or roti canai so that you do not hurt your body even if you indulge your tongue,” says Rajen.

Investing in wellness

The wellness industry is growing rapidly. According to a report by the Global Wellness Institute last year, the global wellness market stood at US$4.2 trillion in 2017. Its growth was double that of the global GDP from 2015 to 2017.

Healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss is the second biggest sector in wellness (US$702 billion). The biggest is personal care, beauty and anti-ageing (US$1.08 trillion).

The focus on healthy eating is largely driven by the awareness of the prevalence of modern-day diseases caused by bad diets. Diabetes, for instance, afflicted 425 million adults globally in 2017, according to the International Diabetes Federation. This number is expected to rise to 629 million by 2045.

Malaysia has been identified as Southeast Asia’s fattest country, with about half the population overweight or obese, according to a 2018 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The country has the highest rate of diabetes in Asia, according to the health minister.

Things are changing though. Holista CollTech Ltd CEO Datuk Dr Rajen Manicka, who sees his company as part of the wellness industry, is confident about its prospects due to the growing consumer demand.

“We use natural substances. Our products are certified organic. If you look at the way organic and gluten-free food has grown in popularity, it is a precursor to what low GI food can achieve,” he says.

According to a report by Ecovia Intelligence, worldwide organic food and drink sales surpassed US$100 billion for the first time last year — an increase of 6% from 2017.

“I believe we are going to reconnect with a healthier way of eating. If you do not eat right, it does not matter anymore. People are trying to be healthy, knowing very well what they put in their mouths has strong consequences,” says Rajen.

While Europe and North America are the biggest markets for the wellness trend, the Chinese, Indian and Brazilian markets are growing, the report suggests.

“These things are largely happening in the Western world. Bread, for example, has seen so much innovation, from high-fibre and high-protein to gluten-free bread,” says Rajen

“What innovation has there been for noodles or roti canai? Nothing. Asian food has stayed the same while Western food has been tortured and confessed to healthier forms.”

However, it has not been an easy journey for his company as the low glycaemic index (GI) food trend is still in its infancy. According to the company’s annual reports, it has been loss-making since it was was listed.

Holista has several segments — low GI flour-based products, low-calorie sugar, dietary supplements and collagen. Since 2014, its revenue has been mainly driven by the sales of supplements.

“It has been a long, hard battle. But we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel now as the industry and consumers are becoming more interested. We are also more efficient in the way we source ingredients,” says Rajen.

He is confident that things will turn around this year, especially with the new orders that the company has received. “We will be turning a profit this year. I think that as with everything else, pioneers suffer the most. Many do not even survive. We are very grateful to have some very patient and good shareholders, who have funded and supported us all this while,” he says.

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