The Healthier Food, The Healthier You!

What a delightful coincidence!

There i was whining about fats and weight, and especially to my very own personal food police (yes, i’ve a lovely but very strict food police (definitely not Darcy!) who monitors what i eat almost daily! lol!) and suddenly, an email popped out of nowhere from Health Promotion Board (HPB) to invite me and a couple of other food bloggers to go on A Healthier Food Choice Trail!

Of course i’d say YES!

After all, you can say i am quite a health freak despite the unfortunate fact that i binge and pig out quite often. Heh.

OH.

Do you know Singaporeans are getting fatter?? Uh huh, it’s true! The National Health Survey 2010 findings indicate a 0.65% annual increase in the prevalence of obesity over the past 6 years, from 6.9% in 2004 to 10.8% in 2010. Rather alarming isn’t it?

Trust me, if i eat with both my eyes closed and not do anything about it, very likely.. i’d be one of them who will be contributing to the 2011 findings! :P

Anyway…

Look!!

5 makan places. No doubt i was pleased… 5 stops! Holy molly! ^_^

BUT!

It’s delicious and creative healthier choice dishes *phew!*.

Dishes that have been modified and prepared with less oil, salt and sugar, and ingredients such as whole grains.  So, it shouldn’t be that bad right? RIGHT?!?!?

Our first stop.. Earle Swensens @ Vivocity!

Grilled Cod with Wild Rice $25.90, including coffee or tea.

You can never go wrong with grilled cod, can you? And the wild rice.. it’s actually black glutinous rice and i love black glutinous rice in my rice!! Needless to say, i am sold.

Ice cream!

A healthier version that is. Nevertheless, it’s still rather high in calories though. But guess what? Your usual ice cream contains 300 cal a scoop! This.. just 200 calorie. So, it’s not so bad huh?

Taste and flavor wise.. hmmmmm.. i say, for another 100 cal.. i’d opt for the usual ones! LOL! (HPB is so gonna come after me for saying this!) But that’s because i don’t just like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. It’s more because i really like those funky flavor ones!

My very first log cake this year – Chendol Jubilee $49.

Nope, this was a surprise and definitely not on the HPB’s Healthier Choice Food Trail. If you like coconut, pandan, cendol, this is it and look no further for this year’s Christmas ;)

Next stop, Laksania @ Vivocity.

Usual laksa : 900 calories.

Laksania’s Special Laksa : < 600 calories!

Instead of coconut milk, low fat milk is being used.

Honestly, for a healthier you, this laksa is good enough. It’s totally decadent! Personally, i’ll go for this version anytime. Extra 300 calories is no joke. That is the amount of calories i burn off when i run 5km for 30 minutes! And 5km in 30 minutes is a lot of hard work. Haha!

Seriously.. for some of us, we might not even guess that this is the healthier version! Curious to know how good the real stuff was, the manager, Josephine, gamely let us to test both version.. one after another. Obviously, the unhealthy version wins hands down but aiyohhhh.. seriously, the coconut milk is not worth it.

Think about running 5km under 30 minutes and i promise, you’d be put off *wicked grin*.

So yes, healthier laksa for me! :)

Cafe Pralet!

Chef Judy Koh!

Cake!

Can you say, ooohhhHHh?!?!

Hmmm.. i should have known better.

I was on HPB’s Food Trail so naturally, no double chocolate cake, no Pralet for me. Boo! :P

Crisp Wholemeal Panini with Vegetables and Sauteed Mushrooms $12.90.

Needless to say, with the Olive Oil Orange Cake practically just around the around, i wasn’t able to concentrate on the sandwich. Heeeee!

I enjoyed the cake quite a bit! It was light, moist and quite pleasing to the palate. Almost chiffon-like, if you will.

With our 100% filled stomach, we braved on and zoomed to our next stop… O’Briens @ SGH.

I have always love the colours at O’Briens.

It never fails to perk me up. The only thing is, after staring at these fillings and vegetables for sometime, i’d just walk away, empty handed! LOL!

Too many choices. Not sure what to order. HA!

I is strange. LOL!

Turkey Cranberry on Wholemeal Bread $8.90

To be honest, I was rather skeptical initially. I even wrinkled my nose when i heard what was to be served. Cranberry?? Turkey?? I’m never one who eats savory with sweet food. I’m rather conservative like that.

Sweet means sweet.

Savory means savory.

No combining please!

BUT!

Turkey Cranberry on Wholemeal Bread?

I like. Period.

Wholemeal Pasta Salad $9.90

Let’s just say, this is good for 3 x me!

The serving is H-U-G-E!

The very generous fruit box :)

Check out the Specials below!

Not bad a deal aye?

O’Briens… i’ll be back for ya!

No more staring and wondering about aimlessly and leave empty handed! LOL!

Last but not least, our final stop – Ananda Bhavan @ 95, Syed Alwi Rd.

Wholemeal Chapati with Vegetarian Dishes $6.45

What can i say?

Give me a kick ass dal + vegetable curry (we tried the cauliflower curry) and i’d be more than happy to wipe clean the little bowls with the chapati.

Brown rice beehoon with vegetables $5.90

Don’t be fooled by its lack of lustre appearance. It’s in fact quite tasty and extremely peppery! To those with zero tolerance for spicy food, you’re warned *wink*.

As for the brown rice beehoon, it is toothsome and QQ (al dente) compare to the usual beehoon. I’m all for it since i’ve always like my food that way. Naturally, i enjoyed this tremendously, or rather.. we all enjoyed this tremendously. With my 120% stuffed stomach, i polished this off without leaving a single bit on the plate. Heh.

I know i know!

Ananda Bhavan was supposed to be our last stop but with so much talk revolves around Koi and Gong Cha and despite the fact that 1 cup of this heavenly bubble milk tea costs you a whopping 400 cals, we went ahead and ordered cupssssss! (for the conscious and more sane ones, tea with ai yu or herbal jelly it was) LOL.

Mine was one the most lethal ones – Gong Cha Alisan Milk Tea with Pearls. Muahahaahahaaa!

FYI, do you know that the amount of calories of those innocent looking (or so we thought!) pearls in a cup is equivalent to a bowl of rice?!?!?!?! o.O

Quite frightening isn’t it?

Sigh.

But you know what?

In my humblest opinion, yes.. counting calories and knowing what you put into your mouth are important. But, as long as you are conscious about it, there is no need to really mind each and every single morsel that you put into your mouth. That, kinda… well, takes the fun and life enjoyment away.

To be honest, i did keep track of my calorie intake early last month when i was on a bid to shed a few kilos but aiyoh, till today, i still weigh the same! Hahahaa! However, i am now way more conscious than before and i believe that if i really put my heart and my soul into shedding those stubborn few kilos next month, i could.

Obviously, that would simply mean i’d need help from this (HPB’s Diet Tracker), this (list of participating restaurants) and this (list of participating hawker centres) to make my mission impossible possible.. i hope.

Thank you Stephanie and Adrian from Waggener Edstrom Worldwide and HPB for the wonderful food tour and fun + lively + sporty company.