Advertisement

Your calorie guide to food trends: salted egg croissants, cheese tarts and more guilty treats

That tiny cheese tart could expand your waistline. But fret not; here’s how you can still enjoy this and more trendy dishes, without the bulges afterwards (warning: exercise is involved).

By Hong Xinying

image

Image: Antoinette

You may have tried the salted egg croissant or the cheese tart, both of which are making waves at bakeries and cafes in Singapore. But what about the calories involved?

While you don’t have to skip these dishes entirely, the experts that Yahoo Singapore spoke all agreed on one thing: moderation is key.

“All foods can fit your diet. What matters are your food choices and knowing how to balance these choices,” says Natalie Goh, who is the Chief Dietitian for the Parkway Pantai hospitals in Singapore.

The portion you partake matters too.

“Calories are dependent on the amount of fats, carbohydrates and proteins that a dish or meal contains. Portion size of the dish or meal makes a lot of difference to the calories,” explains Fiona Chia, nutritionist and founder of nutrition consultancy Health Can Be Fun.

She adds: “We need to balance our food intake with the right nutrients. Satisfy your body needs first then only you can pamper with treats.”

Pang Shu Ying, a dietitian from health and nutrition group Keen Lifestyle, agrees.

“Eating in moderation helps mitigate the risk of chronic disease and promotes a healthy lifestyle,” she says. Pang also recommends doing more exercise to make up for the calorie gain from these indulgent treats.

Here, the dietitian lists the estimated calorie cost of these dishes, while sharing tips on how to eat healthily.

Cheese Tart

Calorie count: 250-300 kcal (kilocalories*) per tart

Exercise needed: 30 minutes of cycling**

image

Image: Shutterstock

“The use of cheese in the custard, which is naturally high in fat and saturated fats, makes this dish extra indulgent,” says the dietitian. As with other pastries, the cheese tart also contains butter (from both the tart crust and custard), which contributes to its high saturated fat content.

Salted Egg Croissant

Calorie count: 400-500 kcal per croissant

Exercise needed: 50 minutes of jogging

image

Image: Black & Ink/ Facebook

“When you compare salted egg croissants to liu sha bao (steamed buns with salted egg yolk custard), the laminating technique used in making croissants nearly doubles the number of calories and fat content,” explains Pang. To make croissants, the dough has to be folded with butter between each layer, to create the light and crispy crust.

Lobster Roll

Calorie count: 500-600 kcal per roll

Exercise needed: More than 1 hour of jogging

image

Image: Shutterstock

The Boston-style toasted bun – made with lots of butter – contributes to its high calorie count. The dish also contains plenty of mayonnaise, which adds to its saturated fat content.

Shibuya Toast

Calorie count: 600-800 kcal per toast

Exercise needed: 1 hour of swimming

image

Image: Dazzling Cafe

The stack of ingredients on this cube-shaped toast may be Instagram fodder but their combined calorie count is quite high too. Here’s a tip: share the dish with friends and family to make this dessert a less guilty indulgence. You don’t have to finish the entire toast either; the butter used to toast the bread is also responsible for its high saturated fat content.

Hawaiian Poke

Calorie count: 300-400 kcal per bowl

Exercise needed: 50 minutes of brisk walking

image

Image: Hong Xinying

This trendy dish was inspired by the Hawaiian poke, a type of fish salad common in Hawaii. In Singapore, this dish comes served with white or brown rice. “Dishes like these contain sauces and dressings that high in sodium,” says Pang. The dietitian warns that consuming too much of these ingredients can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and clogged arteries.

To make your dish healthier, ask for less sauce on your poke bowl. You can also swap white rice for quinoa or brown rice, to reduce your calorie intake.

Tonkotsu Ramen

Calorie count: 500-600 kcal

Exercise needed: 1 hour of jogging

image

Image: Ramen Keisuke

This ramen dish features a rich broth made from pork bone marrow. It maybe tasty but this also means that the dish is also dense in fat.

What you can do: ask for healthier changes to be made to your ramen order. Most Japanese ramen restaurants offer a customisable order sheet, wherein you can choose the amount of oil added to the broth and the richness of your soup broth.

You could also switch to other healthier ramen options, such as ramen prepared with chicken, shio (salt from dried seafood, seaweed) or miso (fermented bean paste) based broths.

* Kilocalories (kcal) are used for the measurement of calories in food.

*based on a healthy adult weighing approximately 75kg. You can also use this calorie calculator to gauge your recommended calorie intake, based on your height and weight.