Eating out: How to pick healthier options

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SINGAPORE - Like many people, you may be looking to get back to healthy eating after the Chinese New Year celebrations. What can you do to keep up a healthy diet, especially if you do not cook?

 

The most important hack, nutritionists say, is to approach eating in a mindful way. This means to understand food choices and be aware of what you are putting in your body, as well as how it makes you feel emotionally and physically.

 

Ms Bibi Chia, principal dietitian at Raffles Diabetes & Endocrine Centre, says mindful eating can help a person improve his or her food habits.

 

"The benefits of mindful eating are weight loss, increased awareness of hunger and fullness, healthier food choices, and reduction of stress and anxiety," she says.

 

Take a moment to think about any given food choice. "Pause and ask yourself if you really want to eat, or are buying out of habit," she suggests.

 

While you do not need to plan in advance when you eat out, as you might do if you cook a meal at home, it is helpful to put a little thought into it, says Ms Fiona Chia, principal nutritionist at nutrition consultancy Health Can Be Fun.

 

She adds that people often do not plan and are limited by what is available around them when they are hungry. "But when you're hungry, you are more likely to make unhealthy choices," she says.

 

For instance, choosing the most convenient option - such as instant noodles, fast food, snacks and tidbits - in place of a full meal may save time, but also translates to meals that are high in fat and salt.

 

Ms Chia points out that there is nothing wrong with indulging in food occasionally, especially during festivities such as Chinese New Year. But making it a default way of life can cause health issues in the long run - especially for those who have medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

 

People with diabetes, for example, need to be mindful about their intake of carbohydrates. Says Ms Chia: "The downside of hawker food in Singapore is there aren't many high-fibre options like brown rice, which can help manage sugar levels. In that case, portion control becomes important."

 

Those who are trying to manage their sugar levels may want to have just a quarter of the usual amount of white rice served. "It's good to have carbohydrates and proteins together so that the absorption of sugar is slowed down," she adds.

 

Meanwhile, people with hypertension need to be aware that salt levels in food when dining outside are virtually guaranteed to be higher than the recommended levels.

 

Still, there are ways of minimising one's salt intake. These include avoiding processed meats, sauces or salad dressings, says Ms Zakiah Halim, a dietitian with the Department of Dietetic and Food Services at Changi General Hospital.

 

If you are looking to eat more healthily, there are some options that are reliably lower in calories and more balanced in nutrients.

 

Ms Zakiah says these dishes include sliced fish noodle soup, chapati with dhal and beehoon soto.

 

While the calorie content may differ slightly based on serving sizes and recipes used, she estimates the counts to be 350kcal for sliced fish noodle soup and 450kcal each for chapati with dhal and beehoon soto.

 

These meals have much fewer calories than char kway teow and mee goreng, whose calorie counts are 745kcal and 614kcal a plate respectively, according to the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

 

"(Lighter) meals will also help people who want to avoid feeling bloated after eating," adds Ms Zakiah. Bloating tends to be common with carbohydrate-heavy fare - which most hawker dishes tend to be.

 

Ms Bibi Chia suggests a few simple principles to keep in mind: "Order a variety of vegetables, choose lean meat or remove fat and skin before eating, and pair your meals with fruit instead of dessert."

 

In any case, eating out in a healthier and more mindful way need not be complicated or mentally arduous.

 

Ms Fiona Chia says it is more about striking a balance, rather than obsessing over what is or is not healthy. "It's okay to have an unhealthy meal once in a while, but it's good to then think over the next few days about how to balance that out," she says.

 

7 hacks for eating well outside

 

1. Ask for more vegetables

 

Consuming enough vegetables is a challenge when eating out, say almost all the nutritionists and dietitians interviewed by The Straits Times.

 

Economy rice, nasi padang and yong tau foo are your best options in this respect, says Mr Chan Joy Seng, founder and director of Alive Nutrition Consultancy.

 

"Always request to add vegetables. At hawker centres, some stalls may accommodate the request for free, while others may charge extra. But in the long run, that extra 50 cents or dollar will add up in terms of benefits to your health," he says.

 

He also notes that one portion of vegetables dished out at economy rice, nasi padang or yong tau foo stalls is usually not equivalent to one serving of vegetables as recommended by nutritionists and dietitians.

 

"Always go for two portions of vegetables to make up one actual serving," he advises.

 

The recommended minimum servings of vegetables a day is two - that is, half a standard 25cm plate - but aiming for three or four portions is better.

 

2. Yong tau foo is healthy only if you do it right

 

Yong tau foo is perhaps the most customisable hawker dish. But it is not a "free pass" to healthy eating.

 

"There's obviously going to be a difference between steamed and fried items," nutritionist Fiona Chia points out. "The soup base for yong tau foo also makes a difference. Clear soup bases have much less salt and fat - and calories - than laksa or tom yum."

 

There is also the choice between clear soup bases and dry yong tau foo.

 

Mr Chan says the clear soup base wins here. "The dry versions usually have additions, like chilli sauce, which are high in sugar and sodium. Soups will also be loaded with sodium, but still less so than the dry versions."

 

3. Know what snacks to get

 

Perhaps you are outside and feeling peckish, but can stop by only the nearest convenience store for a quick snack.

 

Energy bars and dried fruit might seem like healthy snacks, but Mr Chan warns that these can be overloaded with added sugar, similar to chocolate or candy bars. Rather than dried fruit, go for whole fruit.

 

Nuts and seeds are a solid option, says dietitian Bibi Chia, though she suggests limiting the serving size to 30g for nuts and one tablespoon for seeds.

 

Convenience stores often sell small packets of almonds, cashews, pistachios and sunflower seeds. Look out for raw or baked offerings.

 

Many small grocery stores also sell small cartons of low-fat, high-calcium milk, and even unsweetened soya milk. These are a great source of stomach-filling protein as well as bone-fortifying calcium.

 

Ms Fiona Chia notes that many convenience stores - especially those near gyms - offer chicken breast wraps and popiah that carry HPB's Healthier Choice Symbol.

 

You may also find mini rice dumplings in the chilled section - these are often filled with a small amount of protein such as tuna or salmon.

 

"While these do have their fair share of fat and salt, at least they're smaller portions - something to consider as an occasional snack," she says.

 

Some convenience stores also sell cooked, vacuum-sealed chicken breast in their chilled section - useful for anyone trying to up the protein in their carb-heavy hawker meal or convenience-store sandwich.

 

4. Know what is in your juice

 

While it is tempting to think that juices are healthy, not all juices are made equal, says Ms Chia.

 

"People might think that carbonated drinks have more calories than juice, but the lime juice or water chestnut drinks at coffee shops might have similar amounts of sugar, depending on how they are prepared," she says.

 

A check by ST found that a 500ml bottle of water chestnut and sugar cane had 9.3g of sugar per 100ml, while a can of 100% pineapple juice had 11.4g per 100ml. Meanwhile, a can of regular Coca-Cola has a sugar count of 10.6g per 100ml.

 

Some fresh fruit juice stalls add sugar to the drinks they sell, say nutritionists. But even without the addition, fresh fruit juice contains fructose, a naturally occurring sugar. And having one every day is not necessarily healthy, say nutritionists.

 

Mr Chan says whole fruit is preferable, even to fresh juices which do not have added sugar. This is because fresh fruit juices made with juicers lack the fibre of whole fruit - along with the nutrients that come with the fibre.

 

"High-fibre fruit are better than juices because fibre will make you feel full, and fibre doesn't have calories - because it can't be absorbed in the intestine," he says.

 

For those who must have a sweet drink to wash down their meal, it might be worth looking out for one with the Healthier Choice Symbol.

 

5. Watch out for sauces and dressings

 

Salads and sandwiches make balanced meals, but depending on the sauces and dressings used, they may not be that healthy, says Ms Chia.

 

"Salad dressings are high in sugar and salt. Sometimes, a salad can easily contain more calories than a hawker meal," she adds.

 

The curry sauces offered at economy rice stalls might be tasty too, but they are likely to be high in sugar, salt and fat.

 

"If you go for a heavier sauce, you might want to balance that out with sides that aren't fried or sauce-laden. I usually go for vegetable sauces if I want a bit of gravy, as those tend to be lighter," adds Ms Chia.

 

Fresh popiah is a relatively healthy hawker snack as it contains vegetables, but again, watch out for the sauces.

 

6. Consider what portions you need

 

Most eateries and hawker stalls offer standard food portions, but everyone has different calorie needs and nutrient requirements depending on his or her lifestyle.

 

For many - especially sedentary office workers - a typical portion of carbohydrates like rice, noodles and bread served at a hawker centre or eatery might be excessive, says Ms Chia.

 

"Three-quarters of a typical serving of carbohydrates would actually be enough for most people," she adds. "What tends to be lacking are the portions of lean protein, fruit and vegetables."

 

A portion of food does not necessarily equate to a recommended serving.

 

Mr Chan suggests a few guidelines to keep in mind regarding serving sizes: "A serving of meat is about palm-size in width and a deck of poker cards thick. A serving of fruit should be fist-size, while a serving of vegetables takes up about a quarter of a plate.

 

"For portions of rice and noodles, half a bowl would do - a whole bowl would be two servings."

 

7. Beware of processed foods

 

Processed foods such as fishcakes and ham tend to have preservatives and additives that up the sodium levels, says dietitian Zakiah Halim.

 

"Processed meat is higher in salt, and a high-salt diet can increase the risk of hypertension. Whether you are opting for hawker fare or sandwiches and wraps, choose lean protein sources, such as fish, chicken and tofu, over processed options, such as fishballs, luncheon meat and ham."

 

Such processed meats are not strong sources of protein, says Mr Chan.

 

"Fishcakes, in particular, are a grey area as they are very processed. They tend to be heavy on starch and low on fish."

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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