Malaysian PM caused a stir after saying he loved quinoa better than rice

But he’s not the first world leader to be mocked for his eating habits.

Turns out there is a downside to liking this superfood. Source: Sharyn Cairns

“I don’t eat rice. I eat quinoa. My son introduced me to it,” said the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during a Q&A session last week. That didn’t go down too well.

In a nation where rice is a cheap staple food and quinoa is expensive and imported, Najib gave the impression he was out of touch with everyday Malaysians. And it doesn’t help that he’s been accused of corruption and blamed for the rising cost of living in the country.

With an election coming up in August, his opponents were quick to comment on the blunder.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wrote on Twitter that he only eats local rice.

In a country where rice is a cheap staple food and quinoa is expensive and imported, Najib gave the impression he was out of touch with everyday Malaysians.

Another opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, said he didn’t even know what quinoa was. On his blog, he wrote that “quinoa is 23-25 times more expensive than rice”. He added: “Do we have a 'rice Cabinet' or do we have a 'quinoa Cabinet?'"

The Prime Minister’s office has since clarified Najib’s comment in a Facebook post, explaining that quinoa is part of a healthy diet prescribed by his doctor, and that he still eats rice.

Quinoa is part of the prime minister's doctor-approved diet, apparently. Source: Erik Andia Pomar

“We are pleased to say that the Prime Minister attends several events every week where he eats a lot of different foods, including rice.”

Australian researchers have found that eating quinoa regularly can help reduce a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

World leaders in a pickle

The Malaysian Prime Minister is not the first world leader to catch flack for his eating habits.

No one can forget how Australia’s own Tony Abbott bit into a raw onion (twice)! Was he trying out the raw diet?

We were also left confused by Bill Shorten’s way of eating this sausage sandwich. (Sideways, really!?)

Shorten: "the taste of democracy" #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/JRMB2E6ams — rob harris (@rharris334) July 1, 2016

Donald Trump trying to show he was not racist by eating a taco bowl was … something.

Some people jokingly wondered if the former New Zealand Prime Minister was fit to lead a country after he shared a photo of a troubling dish of tinned spaghetti pizza.

And in France, in 2016, presidential hopeful Jean-François Copé demonstrated that he must buy his own pastries very often. When asked to estimate the cost of a pain au chocolat, he said “around 15 to 20 cents”. In reality, they cost 10 to 15 times that price.

Many politicians could take lessons from America's then First Lady Michelle Obama, who made her healthy lifestyle campaign go viral with a simple Vine in 2014. Changing the lyrics of 'Turn Down for What' for 'Turnip for What?'

Brilliant.