Getting Fat for Just a Bite?
Maybe you know some people who remain skinny no matter how much they gulp down, and some others who claim to have put on weight for just a nibble. For them, maybe they believe that body size is solely governed by hereditary factors. However, doesn't food count and matter at all? First, let's take a look at their food choices.
The table below shows the usual food choices of two colleagues. Even though they took similar amount of foods, their energy intake was completely different!
| Colleague A's usual food choices | Colleague B's usual food choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food items | Energy (kcal*) |
Food items | Energy (kcal*) |
|
| Breakfast | A bowl of instant noodles with spiced pork cubes | 710 | A bowl of rice vermicelli with shredded pork in soup | 350 |
 A cup of Hong Kong-style hot coffee |
140 |  A glass of low-sugar soy milk fortified with calcium |
131 | |
| Lunch | A bowl of noodles with beef brisket in soup | 520 | A bowl of noodles with wanton in soup | 420 |
| A plate of blanched vegetables | 140 | A plate of blanched vegetables (without added oil) | 50 | |
| A glass of iced tea with milk | 108 | Water | 0 | |
| Afternoon tea |  Four cookies |
192 |  Four soda crackers |
104 |
| Lemon tea tetra pak (250ml) | 80 | Low-sugar lemon tea tetra pak (250ml) | 50 | |
| Dinner |  A plate of Yangzhou-style stir-fried rice |
1,200 |  A plate of steamed rice with stir-fried egg and shrimps |
750 |
| A glass of orange juice | 112 | An orange | 62 | |
| Total energy intake in a day | 3,202 | 1,917 | ||
* 'Kcal' and 'calorie' are both common units for energy. 1 kcal is equal to 1,000 calories. 'Kcal' is often mistaken for 'calorie'.
The energy intake for the two colleagues showed a huge difference of 1,285 kcal,
while an average adult needs only 2,000 kcal a day! It's worth noting that colleague
A's food choices (e.g. instant noodles, beef brisket, cookies, etc.) are mostly high in
fat and sugar that often contribute to a high energy intake in our diet without our
awareness because of their hidden nature.
As such, low-fat and low-sugar food choices can help us control energy intake and keep our body weight at desirable range. In our daily diet, we should:
- cook our food by low-fat cooking methods,e.g. steaming, blanching, blanching in stock,quick stir-frying in as little oil as possible, etc.
- choose lean meats and meat-products with a lower fat content, such as pork fillet, beeftenderloin, sirloin, beef shoulder, all types of fish, eggs and tofu
- read nutrition labels to choose products with less fat and less sugar
To know more about…
- healthy eating, please visit 'Health Zone' at http://www.cheu.gov.hk
- 'Health@work.hk Project', please visit http://www.healthatwork.gov.hk
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