Taipei opens hotline to help residents lose 101 tons of fat

Mar 10, 2011, 5:02 GMT

Taipei - Taipei City Government opened a telephone hotline Thursday to help residents lose a combined 101 tons of fat.

The hotline, staffed by two nutritionists, will operate for one year on a trial basis, said Chang Hsiu-wei, a city health official.

'It is to help achieve Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin's goal of mobilizing residents to lose 101 tons of fat, which in turn is part of the national weight-loss campaign with the goal of losing 600 tons of fat,' she said.

The nutritionists will answer callers' questions and advise them on how to lose weight, how to calculate the calories in food and weight-loss goals.

If the callers permit, the nutritionists are to make follow-up calls over a three-month period to check on their progress.

On Thursday morning, a dozen people rang the hotline to ask questions ranging from 'How can I eat in a healthy way?', 'Is is unhealthy to skip breakfast?' to 'Should I not use cream when I drink coffee?'

The proportion of overweight Taiwanese has surged from 12 per cent 20 years ago to 47 per cent now, according to the Department of Health.

Read more about Taiwan Health