It can be difficult to control one’s food cravings in a hawker centre. Here, dietitians share tips on making healthier choices when faced with five common food dilemmas:
When ordering fishball noodles, which is the healthiest noodle option: mee kia (thin yellow noodles), mee pok (thick yellow noodles), kway teow or bee hoon?
Bee hoon because it contains fewer calories and lower amounts of fat and sodium than the other noodles, says Dr Lim Su Lin, chief dietitian at National University Hospital.
A 100 g portion of bee hoon soup contains 153 calories, while the same amount of mee kia and mee pok each has 267 calories. The healthiest option is high-fibre brown rice bee hoon. Remember to omit pork lard and ask for more vegetables.
Photo: Dios Vincoy Jr/The Straits Times
How can a plate of chicken rice be made healthier?
A regular serving of chicken rice (382 g) has about 600 calories. If you remove the chicken skin, that will cut down about 2 g to 3 g of fat, says Ms Lee Yee Hong, senior dietitian at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Omit the gravy to reduce sodium, fat and calorie intake. Substitute chicken stock-infused rice with plain rice to lower the calorie count by 100 calories, remove 8 g of fat and 800 mg of sodium. One’s recommended daily sodium intake is up to 2,000 mg. Get an additional serving of boiled vegetables to increase fibre. Ms Hedy Cheng, a dietitian at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, adds that the dish can be customised based on how frequently diners eat it.
Photo: Dios Vincoy Jr/The Straits Times
How can a meal from the vegetarian economy rice and bee hoon stall with mock meat be made healthier?
“Vegetarian food can be less healthy than you think,” says Ms Sarah Sinaram, a nutrition and dietetics manager at Mount Alvernia Hospital. “Depending on what you choose, it can be a good source of fibre, but it can also be high in calories, fat and sodium.” Mock meat is usually the culprit, being gluten-based and high in salt. Avoid it if you can. Go for vegetables, tofu, lentils or egg-based dishes instead.
Pay attention to the cooking method of these side dishes, adds Ms Cheng from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Limit consumption of deep-fried items such as fried tofu skin or deep-fried battered vegetable fritters to no more than twice a week. Avoid slathering curry or dark sauces over the rice or bee hoon. Ask for clearer sauces from vegetable stir-fries instead.
Photo: Pixabay
I’ve ordered brown rice at an economy rice stall. How do I make my meal more appealing?
Choose side dishes cooked with herbs and spices, such as cinnamon braised chicken, assam or tamarind fish, basil chicken or dried chilli chicken to inject more flavour into your meal, says Dr Lim from NUH.
Make sure the dishes are cooked using healthier methods such as steaming, grilling, roasting, baking or stir-frying instead of deep-frying. It is recommended to have two types of vegetables and one meat dish on your plate.
Photo: Dios Vincoy Jr/The Straits Times
I am craving char kway teow. How can I order/consume the dish to make it healthier?
Ask the hawker to omit Chinese sausage and add more bean sprouts, and ask for the dish to be cooked with less oil, says Ms Jaclyn Reutens, a dietitian at Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultants. Doing so will slash 30 per cent off the 745 calories and 38.4 g of fat in a 384 g serving of the dish.
Another way to is order and share the dish with someone to halve the calories. Better still, if you are having lunch with a big group of colleagues, simply order one plate to share with everyone. It satisfies your cravings without overloading your calorie intake.
Photo: The Straits Times
Here are some personal tips from dietitians on making your favourite hawker centre foods healthier, so you can still enjoy without the guilt:
“I like prawn noodle soup. The prawns are lean as they are boiled and very little fat is added to them. I will not finish the soup, as it can be salty, and I will eat less noodles. I usually ask for more vegetables.”
Photo: Dios Vincoy Jr/The Straits Times
“I like to go for an economy rice meal with two types of vegetables and a protein. If I choose items with gravy, they should not have much oil floating on them. I also remove visible animal fat, like chicken skin, before eating the meat. I avoid deep-fried items and choose red rice if possible. I also always ask for less rice. One can cut back about 300 calories by not having deep-fried food and asking for less rice. ”
Photo: National University Hospital
“My favourite dish is wonton noodle soup – egg noodles, pork dumpling, sliced char siew and vegetables. To make it healthier, I always ask for more vegetables for a higher fibre intake, and leave the soup behind to keep my sodium intake in check. Completing my meal with a serving of fruit gives me a good boost of vitamins, minerals and fibre.”
Photo: Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
“Yong tau foo soup is a favourite dish. I usually pick three leafy vegetables (xiao bai chye, kang kong and cabbage) for my fibre, vitamin and mineral intake, two pieces of white tofu for protein and two other items – usually tomatoes and a hard-boiled egg. Accompanying that is a bowl of rice or tang hoon (glass noodles) for my carbohydrate intake. This makes for a filling and nutritionally balanced meal that is low in fat and calories and high in fibre.”
Photo: Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultants
“I like yong tau foo because of the variety of fresh food options to choose from. If I choose six ingredients, I make sure at least three are vegetable-based. The rest will be non-deep-fried protein options such as egg or tofu with fish paste. I order the soup version of the dish as it is healthier.”
Photo: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
Text: Kenneth Goh/The Straits Times
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