Healthier Picks at the Food Court

When having "economy rice" dishes...

When having noodle dishes...

Dining at Singapore's food courts may be fast and affordable, but is it good for your health?

Hawker foods are popular and are often selected as most families’ dining options due to its convenience and affordable prices. However, food choices available at hawker centres or food courts may not be necessarily good for your health.

"According to the National Health Survey conducted in 2018, Singaporeans are consuming too much salt, mostly contributed by seasonings, salt and sauces used during cooking. The total intake of sugar has also increased, mainly from the consumption of pre-packaged sugar-sweetened beverages, confectionery and desserts. Therefore, it is important to recognise and make healthier food choices when dining out," advises dietitians from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), a member of the SingHealth group.

Here are some healthier swap ideas for you:

When having "economy rice" dishes...

Choose:	Instead Of:
Brown rice	White rice, flavoured rice, fried rice
Steamed, stewed, braised or stir-fried dishes	Deep fried dishes (e.g. sweet and sour chicken, fried squid, cereal prawns)
Less and light gravy (e.g. oyster sauce, soy sauce)	Thick, oily or sweet gravy (e.g. curry, sweet & sour)
Vegetables cooked with light seasoning	Sayur lodeh (in coconut gravy), sambal chili, sweet sauce seasoning, vegetable tempura
Order more vegetables dishes Limit to 1 meat dish Or substitute meat with tofu	Mostly meat or protein-based dishes No vegetables

Ask for less rice - most economy rice stalls give too much. Some examples of healthy economy rice meals:

Steamed tofu with minced pork + shanghai greens in oyster sauce + stir-fried mixed vegetables
Chicken stir-fried with ginger + long beans stir-fried with sliced red chilli and onions + stir-fried Chinese cabbage
Stingray in assam (tamarind) gravy + stir-fried bitter gourd + stir-fried cauliflower and carrots

When having noodle dishes...

Choose:	Instead of:
Non-fried noodles (e.g. kway teow, beehoon)	Deep fried noodles (e.g. instant noodles, yee mee)
Clear soup (e.g. yong tau foo, fish soup)	Thickened soup, coconut based, oily soup (e.g. curry laksa, lor mee)
Non-fried ingredients	Fried ingredients (e.g. fried fish, fried tofu)
Sliced meat	Minced meat
Fresh toppings (e.g. spring onion, garlic, parsley)	Fried shallots, anchovies

Ask for less noodles and more vegetables. Examples of healthy noodle meals:

Yong tau foo / Chinese soup dish
Sliced fish noodles
Seafood soup with rice or noodles
Ban mian (handmade noodle soup) with sliced chicken or fish instead of minced pork. Avoid asking for more fried ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and fried shallots
Penang laksa
Dry wanton noodle with no added oil, and pickled green chilli as condiment

Discover more healthier food court choices in the next page.

Ref: L20

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