Hawker food is cheap and good. And it’s getting healthier, with stalls offering reduced-calorie options and better grains and oils. But there are still diehard habits that may be derailing your weight loss and wellness goals. We spoke to Chan Ya Ling, a dietitian at Sengkang General Hospital to find out the best ways to change these mistakes.
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Text: Carissa Wong, Shape, Photos: 123RF
One serving of carbohydrates is roughly half a bowl of rice, half a bowl of noodles, two slices of bread, a large potato, or two pieces of small chapatis. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) recommends five to seven servings of carbs for healthy adults per day – this should be spread out evenly, and not consumed in one sitting. Ensuring that your carb intake is adequately distributed across the day.
Instead of fearing carbs or avoiding them completely, opt for healthier options like brown rice, bee hoon, and wholegrains.
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Chilli fanatics may find it hard to go light on sauces. But you might be shocked to hear that your heaping tablespoon of chilli contains a whole lot of sodium – one serving of sambal belacan has 227mg of sodium, while a serving of chicken rice chilli contains 280mg of sodium, and when chicken rice already contains about 1200mg of sodium, that’s a lot of salt.
HPB recommends no more than 2000mg of sodium per day. This means that per meal, you should not have more than six teaspoons (13 g) of chicken rice chilli or sambal chilli, which is 25 per cent and 33 per cent of your daily sodium recommendation respectively.
But, hasn’t chilli has been said to contain many health benefits including an increased metabolism as capsaicin has been found to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation under tightly controlled clinical trials?
Unfortunately, research does not support a role for capsaicin in weight management as its long-term effectiveness is unclear. Consuming too high dosages of capsaicin might also lead to unpleasant side effects such as burning pain in the stomach after ingestion and in the anal cavity when you hit the loo.
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Your choices at your favourite caifan stall can make or break your diet. A portion of eggplant with gravy, for example, contains 171kcal and a whopping 16 g of fat. Curry chicken is worse at 322kcal and 20 g fat, and fried fish comes in at 392kcal and 22 g total fat.
Aim to select mixed rice dishes cooked using healthier methods such as steaming, stir-frying, and grilling. Some examples include steamed eggs, stir-fried leafy greens, and tofu. Try your best to limit dishes which are fried or deep-fried, and dishes laden with curry or gravy.
It’s best to opt for two portions of vegetables and one portion of meat. Choose brown rice if possible and skip the gravy.
Kaya waffles, chendol, and a can of soft drink all contain seven teaspoons of sugar. A small bowl of chendol can set you back anywhere between 300 and 600 calories. Ice kacang falls in a slightly lower window of 200 to 500 calories but is still sugar-rich. As the recommended calorie intake for the average Asian woman is between 1,800 and 2,000, a 500-calorie dessert is a big chunk of it.
The goal here is to limit your total intake of added sugars not just from desserts, but from your entire diet. HPB recommends no more than eight to eleven teaspoons of added sugars per day.
Added sugars can be found in a variety of food and beverages such as sugary drinks, fruit juice, spreads, and processed foods. They can be easily consumed in large amounts in short periods of time, so be mindful of how much you take in per day.
Instead of blowing all your sugar on an unhealthy treat, go for slightly healthier options like unsweetened soya beancurd pudding, or a low-fat yogurt which has two teaspoons of sugar. For drinks, just stick to water or unsweetened versions of coffee, soya milk, or barley.
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