Continuing from my previous post on the Malaysian’s dilemma of being able to ‘eat clean’, we need to first know that a balanced meal would need to consist of protein, carbs, and fat. Yes, this means that if you thought eating ‘healthy’ meant gobbling down vegetables and fruits all day, you’re wrong. Those are just fad-diets that probably has a greater mental effect on you rather than actual results. I know someone who used to train at the gym, but practically survived on all sorts of blended fruit juices + a cabinet full of vitamins.. let me tell you that because of her so called ‘healthy’ diet, she ALWAYS looked tired, sick and nowhere near being fit at all. A balanced meal IS important.
The nutrient ratios for protein/carbs/fat can vary based on what your goals are (to gain weight, maintenance, or to lose fat), but that’s a topic on its own and would require another writeup altogether. What I’ll cover today will hopefully help ensure that we’ll at least get all the nutrient groups covered in a decent meal, minus the hidden nasties.
So, you’re at a restaurant and everything seems so unhealthy and oily.. and there seems like there’s no way you can ever eat any of it without doing damage to your diet.
PROTEIN
I think the easiest and most practical option to get protein into your meal is to ensure you get a piece of chicken or fish. As for red meats like mutton and beef the problem lies with the restaurants often buying the cheaper cuts of meat, which are loaded with more fat than usual, so you might want to stay clear of the red meats.
>>Choosing a piece of Chicken/Fish for protein content
I personally always look for a piece of chicken thats soaking in curry instead of the ones that are stir-fried or deep fried. Some restaurants tend to cut up the chicken pieces into smaller pieces, which is bad because if the dish is generally an oily one, what happens is that those pieces of chicken now have a much wider surface area to absorb all that nasty oil. Stick to whole pieces, like a whole chicken breast, which is the leanest part of the chicken or a drumstick, which isn’t that bad too. Meat from the wings and other pieces generally have more fat, skin, and less protein in them.
To sometimes bump up the protein content a little, I add a hard-boiled egg to my meal. Fried eggs and yellowish omelettes are a no-no. It’s useful to remember that any uncanny tint of yellow on food is most likely oil. It may not be that obvious until you touch it.
CARBOHYDRATES
>>Choosing vegetables as a source of carbs
If you think this was gonna be the easiest… think again. The problem with how vegetables are prepared in most restaurants is that way too much of oil is used. Frankly, I don’t see the need to use any oil at all for vegetables.. but then, I’m sure most cooks would disagree with me on that, so let’s not go there. I’m reminded of the time when I scooped up some healthy looking long beans, only to realise in horror later that I could easily squeeze out about 5 drops of cooking oil from EVERY single piece (the oil was hidden n the hollow area of the beans).
Even a stir-fried cabbage dish is prepared with way too much oil than necessary. Notice how some seemingly innocent vegetables dishes leave an almost fluorescent-green layer of oil on your plate once you’ve finished eating.. but its already too late then. The only oil-free vegetable dish I’m ever able to find at the restaurant are the cut-up cucumbers with pineapples (see pic below), which I think they soak in a mild vinegar and sugar solution which is way better than the other oily choices, if you ask me.
And of course, who can forget - RICE. Contrary to popular belief, rice isn’t a bad thing at all. Think about it.. its oil free, and more than half of its weight is water. It’s only when you stuff your face and eat it excessively, that is when it becomes a problem. Just remember that too much of any good thing can be bad too. As for me, I eat rice with some of my meals throughout the day, often at an equal portion size with my vegetables.
So, a typical lunch for me would look something like this… As for the pappadams.. i just couldnt resist those few pieces. ;)
FAT
>>Incorporating Fat into your meal?
Although dietary fat forms part of a balanced meal, you could most likely do without the need to add any additional fat into your meal as what you’re eating would already have sufficient (if not excessive) amounts of fat already present in the first place.
I guess the message I’m trying to drive to you is to always take a few moments to think before you reach out and put that food onto your plate - think with your head, and not your tongue! Looks can be deceiving.
Once you understand the basics of what your body needs and doesn’t need, and also on how you can make more informed choices, you will soon realise that you will almost always be able to find something to eat at most places without having to bust your diet. Your meals can become the most simplest and easiest part of your quest to fitness if you only opened your eyes. It all depends on how willing you are to do it.
Stay tuned for my next writeup on sugary drinks - the typical malaysian replacement for water.
I’m off to have my lunch now. ;)
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
FUOH! clap clap clap clap… this is the kinda content we lack in Malaysia.. relevance,…. keep it up man!
Great write up man. Great tips there. At least now, I can be aware of what I am eating wherever I go. hoho
DM : 2 thumbs up mate
EVeryone: Good good.. so whats for lunch today? Ha ha.
actually the difficult part of weekdays is when u work late, well most of the time.. so u end up eating dinner at 9, that’s bad. So its good idea to bring cereal and stuff to fill youself up during taht time. Should get a mneal every 4 hours. it works for me
I ran into this problem straight away once I cleaned up my diet: it’s friggin hard to eat clean here in Malaysia.
Our daily staple meals are ridiculously high in carbs and fat and incredibly deficient in protein.
Like most of you, I’ve taken to preparing meals at home and bringing them to the office. Thankfully, I don’t have to face clients / customers so I don’t have to have lunch with them (my poor fitness enthusiast colleauge in sales is always complaining about how he has to screw up his diet everyday). This is still rather… unsociable though, since “makaning” lunch with colleagues is a rather social activity.
Good job on this article but it’s really only scratched the surface of the problem we face: how to eat clean when out and about in malaysia.
Nice blog.
I eat high protein, some fat (sometimes too high, sometimes too low), and minimal carbs. The carbs I do eat come from veggies, with the occational low sugar fruit such as avocado or tomato.
The best thing anyone said to me recently was walking into a church on Good Friday and there were two people there I hadn’t seen in a year. One of them looked at me and said, “You look fit!” That felt so good. :)
NoOne: I’m forced to prepare my own meals and store them at my office fridge too. If only protein bars were really cheap here in Malaysia.. then that would help a little with the convenience, I guess. And yes, you’re right - there’s so much more to our food and lifestyle here that can be improved on - heck, I could write a book!
Victoria: Well done! And I totally agree with you, that one of the best outcomes of getting in shape, is the compliments you get. They not only make you feel good about yourself, but actually motivate you to aim for more. That’s also why I always make it a point to compliment someone if I do see changes in their physique, even if I hardly know them, cos I know it helps.
how to eat clean? I guess the garden salad in KFC and Pizza Hurt might be a good choice? Any comments?
ano: I depends how ‘clean’ you want to eat. How strict do you want to be with your calorie/fat intake? Salads are always a great option but remember to go easy on the dressing. Creamy dressings are loaded with fat. An italian dressing would be a much better option. What’s in a KFC garden salad? Pieces of fried chicken? If yes, then.. need I say more?
I’m not saying it’s wrong to eat it (hey, even I enjoy my KFC every now and then - SKIN and all!).. but if you’re watching what you eat, then just take note and be aware of what you’re putting into your mouth.
There’s saying: You are what you eat.
You want to be healthy, eat healthy. Don’t know how to eat healthy? Do research and ask relevent questions. You will get the answers.
My mum once said this to me:
1. There are none NOT healthy people. There are only lazy people.
2. There are none NOT beautiful people. There are only lazy people.
Sorry DM. It is a direct translation from Mandrin…. :p
Chong: Yeah i got scolded by an aunt with that saying before… hehehehe. And the worst part, you cant rebutt, “Its just.. its uh just…”
and she’ll shoot me down with, “What its just its just… All excuses!”
…tak hensem… (in english: not handsome… lols)
CONFESSION: I just had a 3-piece chix meal at KFC… no coke no coleslaw no skin… still **burp** smiling :)
ANO: salads all good aite… but the dressings the evil one. So watch it.
DM: starbucks ai-mai?
dailymuscle and jay: hehe, i dont use the dressing in kfc and pizza hut. Also, i am vegetarian, it is impossible for me to buy the garden sald with popcorn in kfc. So, is not really a big problem for me. Instead, i eat without dressing. If i want the sweet taste, just add in little raisin (but raisin also a lot of sugar added in. Do watch out. I add little only) or fresh watermelon or whatever fruits the person migth like to taste. My colleague said i am like a rabbit now:). If i want, a tablespoon of olive oil will do and it tastes good. Even oil is high in fat and calories, however, we also need little fat. In thise case, i opt for olive oil
Jay: I had 3 piece KFC chicken breasts for breakfast yesterday morning. Ha ha. But yeah - no coke (had 1lt carton HL milk waiting for me in my car), no skin, no coleslaw. But you would normally attract stares at KFC when you start peeling off the skin. You end up with a mini-mountain of skin on your plate. Starbucks ai-mai? Whats that?
ano: Raisins are fine lar.. they’re just dried grapes. I don’t think they deliberately add sugar.. do they? Don’t la be so paranoid. Good move on the olive oil.
dailymusce: well, i am not paranoid. I am VEGETARIAN. If i dont eat vege, there is nothing else for me to eat. So, eating raw vege and fruits.. i am already use too it :)
When I’m hardworking enough, I’ll bring my own leafy vegetables, then, I’ll order some protein from the canteen’s chap fan store …. usually some chicken and eggs. Tofu ocassionally. Unfortunately they’re almost always fried! :(
Ruth, hardworking is when you spend 30 minutes before you go to bed preparing your meals for the next day. ;)
I know you can do better than that.
DM, what you do when you eat out is basically like what I do!
1. Always stay away from fried protein sources, opt for those in soups, curry or stir-fried. Try to pick the least oily visually.
2. As for vegetables, I find that it’s best to go for either uncooked vegetables (like your cucumber pineapple dish) or always scoop from the top of the vegetable dish, as most of the oil/moisture has flowed to the bottom of the tray.
3. I usually eat only half a medium plate or small bowl of steamed rice. Never take fried rice/anything…oil bomb of a dish. Too much carbs will only get me sleepy sometimes.
Mark: Awesome! Over time.. you’ll realise that it’s actually quite easy to eat ‘clean’ outside… we just need to know how to pick and choose.
Hehe…I’ve been doing it for some time now. Eating clean is like 2nd nature to me =)
This is excellent stuff. I’ve been looking for articles like this for ages, something that a Malaysian can relate to! Thanks DM.
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