Hawker fare can be bad too

Star: PETALING JAYA: Local hawker fare can be just as bad as fast food because of the high calorie and fat content.
Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee E. Siong said when contacted yesterday that Malaysians should look at food from an overall perspective, paying attention to calories rather than whether it was fast food or hawker fare.
“Some local food can have very high calories like those which are fried or have a lot of coconut milk such as your curry mee. We do not encourage food which are high in saturated fats or are too salty.
“It is not just the Western fast food,” he said.
Dr Tee reiterated that Malaysians should eat according to their needs.
“If you need 1,600 calories a day but have a plate of fried rice or a double burger then that is already half of your needs.
“And that is not counting the soft drink that you might have. Or whether you exercise or not.
“It is a question of balancing your intake and outtake,” he said.
A check with the society’s website, http://nutriweb.org.my, showed that fried rice with egg, chicken and vegetables had more than 600 calories and was categorised as having “very high calorie content.”
Among franchised fast food that it listed in the same category was fried chicken (either two or three pieces with coleslaw, mashed potatoes, french fries and a bun).
Among local food with high calorie content (between 401 and 600 calories) were curry mee, nasi briyani (rice only) and mee bandung while franchised fast food in the category included chicken sandwich with salad; five pieces of chicken nuggets and french fries; and two pieces of chicken pizza with pineapple.
Local favourites such as nasi lemak, a piece of roti canai, chicken rice and fried kuey teow had medium calorie content, which is between 101 and 400 calories. Franchised fast food in this category included cheeseburger, two pieces of vegetarian pizza and five sticks of satay (chicken, beef or mutton).
Dr Tee said there were Malaysians who were highly knowledgeable about what they consumed and that educating the public on food was essential in creating individuals who could make informed decisions.
He said one reason why people frequented Western franchised outlets was that these had a more conducive atmosphere where they could chat in air-conditioned comfort.
“But then you have shops which sell healthier stuff like fish porridge or soup noodles, which are very hot. Maybe, there should be an upgrade of these places so people will start going there,” he added.