Recent figures from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) showed that the median number of times people have their meals outside their home each week is 8, up from 7 in 2004.That means half of those surveyed ate out 8 or more times a week. An earlier HPB check showed about 60% of Singaporeans ate out each week this year, up from 49% in 2004.
Given this growing trend, it is certainly hard to resist the mouthwatering temptations out there. Amidst the unhealthy junk foods, you can still choose to eat healthy snacks to complement your meals. We have found some newest healthy products that have just hit the market. Plus, find out what the Healthy Hawker Centre is all about!
Grabz
Grabz is a healthy, freeze-dried 100 % fruit snack recently launched in Singapore. They are a clever fuss-free and natural alternative to fresh fruits.
Grabz is especially suitable for toddlers and kids as the fruit crisp dissolves in the mouth, making it safe and fun for them. They fulfill the daily nutritional requirement and are easy to pop into the child’s school bag or lunch box.
Each bag contains approximately one and a half portion of fruit with no added preservative, artificial flavouring, food colouring and additives.
This fruit snack is also great for adults as well. Apart from being a quick energy booster, those on diets will benefit from its nutritious ingredients.
Grabz is currently available at most NTUC stores, Mustafa Centre and selected Econ Minimarts at $1.65 (inclusive of GST) each.
Soyato
Singaporeans can now enjoy a guilt-free dessert with the launch of Soyato, the latest Japanese frozen soy dessert concept. Soyato is a brand new category of frozen dessert as it does not contain any dairy milk, cream or eggs.
Ice cream is known to have high levels of fats and cholesterol, which has prompted consumers to seek out healthier alternatives such as frozen yoghurt. Using soy milk (frozen soy) as its base, Soyato has developed a frozen dessert which tastes like ice cream but is both healthy and yummy.
Soyato Nutrition Comparison:
|
|---|
| |
Soyato |
Ice Cream |
Gelato |
Yogurt |
| Calories (kcal) |
90 |
250 |
210 |
110 |
| Fat-Free (g) |
99 |
83 |
88 |
100 |
| Cholesterol (mg) |
0 |
105 |
45 |
5 |
Soyato’s premium frozen soy is a result of being made fresh at the store. This ensures the authentic flavours which consumers are able to indulge in without any guilt, as the frozen soy is low in fat with zero cholesterol.
Due to its unique composition, Soyato can be enjoyed by a wide audience as it is also suitable for vegetarians, vegans and people who are lactose intolerant.
Soyato has won several competitions such as Start-up@Singapore and SPRING Singapore’s YES! Startup Fund. Soyato’s first store is at Bugis Junction, #B1-K5.
Air Fryer
The new Philips AirFryer, launched with the support of the Singapore Heart Foundation, is a revolution in home cooking! It does not require additional oil in the cooking process, allowing you to fry a variety of great tasting dishes with air and ease.
Replacing the need for oil with air, the AirFryer boasts a patented Rapid Air Technology, which combines fast-circulating hot air with a grill element to create great-tasting fried food that contains up to 80 percent less fat.
To top off the fat-reduced delicious meals, the Philips AirFryer comes complete with two recipe books containing up to 40 different recipes, some of which cater to the local palate. The recipe guide provides inspiration to spice up mealtimes at home together with culinary tricks and handy time-saving tips for best results with the appliance.
With the revolutionary AirFryer that uses air as the new oil, families can now indulge in their favourite fried food with lower fat and greater convenience without compromising on taste.
The Philips AirFryer will be available at major department stores, leading electrical stores and authorized dealers from mid-March 2011 onwards.
Healthy Hawker Centre
The country’s first healthy hawker centre will be launched in April 2011. (Source: todayonline.com)
HPB and the Southwest Community Development Council are working to get half of the hawkers at Yuhua Market and Hawker Centre in Jurong East to offer healthier food alternatives.
HPB said these include brown rice, whole grain noodles and healthier oil. But, Mr Kelvin Ng, a fish soup stall owner, said offering healthier alternatives like brown rice will increase costs by about 10 per cent.
He added that cooking brown rice, which is a more tedious process, would also mean customers have to wait longer for their food.
But despite the increase in costs and labour, both hawkers said they will not be raising their prices as they felt that the healthier food would benefit their customers and also draw in more business.
