How do portions, eating routines & manners affect your diet?

I have Chinese food three times a week. You might wonder what dishes I include in my meal plan. The main carbohydrate source of my meals is rice, noodles or starchy vegetables such as corn, lotus, or sweet potatoes; Then I add a palm-size portion of pork, salmon, chicken or goose to fulfil my protein requirement; Finally, a thumb-size portion of good fats such as cheese and nuts. (You can replace rice with brown rice and digestible starches such as steamed squash, tofu, and sweet potatoes if rice is not an option for you. Make sure your meals contain the right amount of good carbs and calories.)

The best way to avoid hunger is to fuel up every 3–4 hours, and eat 4–5 meals within a twelve-hour eating window, with fruit, egg tarts or a hot cocktail of Hong Kong-style milk-tea as a snack.

When it comes to yum cha, although it’s hard to resist the yummy food served in the steamy bamboo basket (not to mention counting calories), try eating slowly and chewing slowly so you don’t overindulge. And my portion is limited to 10 pieces. In general, I prefer high-protein meat dishes like shrimp dumplings and fish meat wrapped in bell peppers. A dipping sauce like vinegar or chilli is great if you enjoy a kick in your life! 

What are the best food sources of Chinese cuisine?

The essence of life is food. Knowing where your food comes from is therefore very important. The stir-fry of Chinese kale and eggplant with minced pork are two of my favourite dishes. In the right amounts, stir-fry dishes cooked in avocado, olive oil, butter, and limited sodium can be perfectly healthy.

Pork is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. With slow cooking, you can pair lean pork loin or tenderloin with eggplants, which are usually less calories and juicier than pork belly.

What are the best Chinese food combinations?

Carbs + Green

Choosing your dishes wisely will optimize your digestion and leave you feeling energized after eating. Some foods pair well with each other, while others don’t. 

In Chinese cuisine, here are some tasty side dishes to accompany rice: 

• Stir-Fried Cauliflower
• Choy sum with Garlic Sauce
• Stir-Fried Mushroom & Celery

Protein + Green

Ideally, protein and non-starchy green vegetables should go together in your meal. Avoid combining protein with rice or noodles. You might want to add a bit of boiled gai lan, broccoli or choy sum topped with oyster sauce or salt if your plate includes steamed chicken or char siu. Keep in mind green vegetables are a good friend with carbs and protein. 

• Sweet and Sour Fish 
• Tofu + Broccoli
• Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomatoes 

In the case of a 5-course meal that includes soup — which I do not recommend — you should make other dish choices carefully to avoid bloating or gaining weight.

What is the best way to exercise?

In addition to a proper diet and behaviour change, maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle requires regular exercise. Whether you aim to lose weight or gain muscle mass, you should perform moderate to high intensity training and anaerobic exercises three to five times a week.

Eating TOO MUCH of anything will always lead to weight gain and chronic disease development. A diet can be very stressful — whether it’s the Paleo Diet or Ketogenic Diet, etc. I have tried them all. It worked for me and changed my body composition, but it is not sustainable, and it is not suitable for everyone. As long as you stick to unprocessed foods and eat the right amount of carbs, protein, and fat at each meal, you can still enjoy what you crave (in my case, Chinese food).

Cass Lam is a NASM and CrossFit-certified fitness & nutrition coach. Currently, she’s pursuing further studies in LIFESTYLE MEDICINE at Harvard Medicine School. An additional note, she’s a Sweaty Betty Ambassador to help increase its brand awareness and to bring the latest lifestyle / fashion / wellness trends to the HK community.

Follow Cass Lam’s health journey on her Instagram: @cassielammie

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The HK HUB.

Header image credit: trusjom via Canva, Cass Lam

If you’re a woman and your waist circumference is over 88cm – or if you’re a man and your waist is over 102cm, you’re at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Nutrition plays a vital role in healthy weight loss & maintenance. Cristina Tahoces, holistic nutritionist & owner of Thrive Nutrition Practice will share

• how to structure and time meals for optimal weight loss results
• how fats, proteins and carbs impact blood sugar regulation & metabolism
• which key nutrients most people in HK are deficient in and how whole foods & supplementation can enhance daily detoxification
• how to use intermittent fasting to support weight loss & maintenance

Who is Cristina Tahoces?

Cristina is a former banker turned nutritionist and TEDx speaker. For years after she had her daughters, she limped through the day, battling with adrenal fatigue, debilitating allergies and digestive upsets that would spiral out of control, especially when stressed. Until one day, she decided to take control of her own health. A few years later and with a Diploma in Holistic Nutrition under her belt, she embarked on a professional journey to help others thrive. And in 2016, Thrive Nutrition Practice was born. Her TEDx talk “Sleep Love Poop” is the most viewed of the TEDxTinHau Women event.

Bust the Belly Fat: Nutrition for Healthy Weight Loss and Maintenance

Date:         Tuesday, 13 March 2018

Time:       19:30 – 21:00 (seminar starts at 19:30)

Venue:    the Hive, 14F, Manning House, 38-48 Queen’s Road, Central

Presented by: Mozaic, a social club for mature HK residents

Speaker: Cristina Tahoces, Thrive Nutrition Practice

Canadian trained Nutritionist with a Diploma in Holistic Nutrition

Registered Nutritional Consultant Practitioner (RNCP) with the IONC

Certified Metabolic Balance Coach

Light snacks & drinks will be served.

Tickets: $650.00 from Eventbrite or via PayPal

Living with a gluten intolerant, gluten free (GF) or celiac friend, partner or family member is not always easy.  In concert with my own gluten intolerant partner, over the last five years we have created our own list of safe restaurants within Hong Kong.  I’ve made all the calls, talked to all the General Managers and made sure at each of these restaurants and cafés that there are safe options for those on a GF diet.

If you have experienced GF yourself or with someone you care about, you can understand that constantly eating plain foods with no sauce, having to ask a myriad of questions repeatedly can be difficult and unpleasant.  Despite taking those additional precautions, you may still have uncertainty that your food is safe and/or doubts that staff understand the importance of your requests.

From our years of experience, I have collated a list of restaurants and cafés I consider to be my favourite and trusted places to eat based on these criteria:

Gluten-Free Friendly:  These restaurants have staff well educated about issues with gluten and know which options on the menu that can be easily adapted to gluten free.  The ‘risk’ here is that dishes are put together in a mixed kitchen environment.

1. Dandy’s Organic Café

The owner and Executive Chef Vivi Cheung of Dandy’s Organic Café is no stranger in the gluten-free scene.  She has been serving gluten intolerant and celiac patrons for years.  On her Facebook page, she notes that Dandy’s specifically specialises in gluten free, low fat, low GI and detox diets.  The menu has a clear “GF” indicator to help you make an easy choice and have a great list of selections.  Waiting staff are also very friendly and educated and know exactly which dishes on the menu are safe.  Our favourites include the chicken with pesto or the pork with roasted vegetables.

Where: Ground Floor, 108 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan  Tel: 2815 8221

2. NoodleMi

This is the only place we go for Pho and Vietnamese food cravings. All items except the sandwiches are GF and MSG free and clearly labeled “GF” on the menu.  This makes it easy when making an order.  Absolute heaven for me is the soft shell crab rice rolls.  These are not available in any other restaurant due to cross-contamination in the deep fryer.  In general, beware when a restaurant says they can offer fried gluten free options.  Make sure you enquire that there is a completely separate gluten free fryer; otherwise the food will be cross-contaminated with gluten.  Also note that the gluten free and bread making stations are right next to each other in this small kitchen.

Where:  G/F, 2 Bonham Strand East, Sheung Wan Tel: 2253 1113/14

3.  27 Kebab House

This great Halal kebab house has tons of options. All menu items except the kofta are safe with my favourite being the lamb shish with rice.  Open late, this is a safe place to get food when most other restaurants are closed.

Where: 27 Hollywood Road, SoHo

25 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan Tel: 2795 2727

4.  Little Burro

Serving huge portions, if you are craving a monster burrito, this is the place.  For the GF version, ask for the burrito to be made in the bowl without the wrap. Find the online menu here.

Where: 1 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan Tel: 2547 8821

UGF 30 Hollywood Road, Entrance on entrance on Shelley Street aka Escalator

5.  Posto Pubblico

I love this place!  I have spoken to Christopher, the General Manager, who is very passionate about his restaurant.  He has taken note that many more customers are requesting gluten free options and has made amendments to his restaurant menu to cater to gluten free patrons.  It’s a bonus that all of their pasta sauces are naturally GF and made from scratch.  All pasta dishes have a GF option.  I’m not sure which gluten free pasta they used, but I could hardly tell the difference to normal wheat pasta.  Highly recommended!

Where: 28 Elgin Street, Central Tel: 2577 7160

6. Green Waffle

This western-style breakfast diner has many naturally GF options including egg-based skillets and other dishes, but the true specialty is the gluten free waffles.  The waffles are made in a separate waffle iron, so there is no risk of cross contamination.  Here is an unofficial menu to this great place that is open all day.

Where:  35-39 Graham Street, SoHo.  Tel: 2887 9991

7.  Nood Food SoHo

Located just underneath Pure Fitness, Chef May is highly aware of the gluten issue and has created several main, side and salad options with the “GF” indictor.  It’s a grab and go and sit and eat establishment with lots of easy GF snacks to purchase, as well.  Check out the online menu for exact options.

Where: 2/f Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, SoHo  Tel: 8199 8189. Other locations are noted on their website.

For more recommendations, and to offer new suggestions on dining spots, please check out our “Eating Out Gluten-Free Map” on the Urban Health website.

If you can’t make it to any of our favourite spots, make sure you do the following to ensure a safe dining experience:

Call ahead!  I always call ahead and ask to speak with the manager.  Often in Hong Kong the wait staff are not as educated about gluten free or they may be confused about what gluten free means.  Ask what flours are used and if any soy sauce or over the counter sauces are used.  Be specific about what is okay and what is not okay to eat.

Ask if gluten free dishes are prepared in a separate area.  This prevents cross-contamination issues as you don’t want a gluten loaded bread roll on a prep surface before your GF wrap is being made.

Avoid the fryer!  Most restaurants only have one deep-fryer.  Your food will certainly be contaminated is a wheat-fried fish stick is cooked before any GF food.  Ask for your pasta to be made in a clean pot of boiling water.

If you suspect contamination after you eat at the restaurant or experience a reaction, be sure to call and let the manager know.  Discuss how the food was obtained, prepared and served.  There are many points in the process where contamination can occur, and restaurants can only learn how to do a better job if customers call to discuss the problems afterwards.  You will also be helping your fellow GF/Celiac friends and family!

Andy Kun is the CEO and Co-Founder of Urban Health Group Limited; the first in Hong Kong to provide gluten-free restaurant and factory consultation services.  They use and provide gluten detection test kits for chefs and quality control officers to provide a fast and accurate method to test gluten level in food, drinks and surface areas to as low as 5 parts per million (5PPM), which is the strictest industry standard.  They also aim to bring gluten-free food safety standards in Asia to a whole new level by utilising scientific methods to verify safe gluten levels and to provide staff and customers with the confidence to eat and to produce gluten-free options safely.

Urban Health Home Kitchen is also the first private home kitchen in Hong Kong that hosts 100% gluten-free private dining events and provides chef-to-home private dining parties and cooking workshops. With expertise in gluten-free and allergy-free cooking, Urban Health promotes healthy lifestyles.  Check out our online gluten free support group on Facebook:  Gluten Free in Hong Kong.