How to Eat Healthy Even When You’re Super Busy at Work

When people get too busy, they tend to neglect their diet. They make do with ready-to-eat foods, snacks and sugary drinks that seem satisfying at the time but remain woefully low in nutritional value and high in fats. This type of eating pattern inevitably results in weight gain.

“Being overweight plays a part in many diseases, from heart disease to high blood pressure, diabetes, certain cancers, gout and osteoporosis,” says Christine Ong, Senior Principal Dietitian at the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), a member of the SingHealth group.

In particular, excess fat around the abdomen has an adverse effect on the risk of stroke, diabetes and heart disease. For Singaporeans, a waist measuring over 80 cm in women and over 90 cm in men is considered high-risk, even in people of normal weight.

“Men or women whose body is apple-shaped due to fat deposits around the abdomen are more likely to develop obesity-related health conditions,” Ms Ong says.

Related article: 8 healthy ways to lose weight

My Healthy Plate

The Singapore Health Promotion Board’s "My Healthy Plate" clearly outlines the different food groups and the number of servings you should consume every day for a balanced and healthy diet. It consists of the following:

• Wholegrains (brown rice and wholemeal bread) – 1/4 of your plate

• Meat and alternatives (including dairy or high- calcium products) – 1/4 of your plate

• Fruits and vegetables – 1/2 of your plate

Reading labels of packaged foods

If you depend on packaged foods for your meals, remember to carefully read the date, ingredients and nutrition information on the package.

• Date marking: This includes the “use by” or “sell by” dates which tell you when the food should be eaten for best quality.

• Ingredients list: Except for water, ingredients are listed in decreasing order of quantity. As a general guide, if an ingredient is listed amongst the first 3 ingredients in the list, it indicates that the food contains a large amount of that particular ingredient. E.g. if sugars like sucrose, fructose, maltose are listed amongst the first 3 ingredients, the product is usually high in sugar.
  
  

  • Sugar can be listed in a variety of different ways such as sucrose, fructose, maple syrup and cane sugar.

  • Similarly salt can be indicated as sodium bicarbonate, sea salt, MSG, stock cubes and baking powder/soda, etc.

  • Fat can be listed as shortening, milk solids, sour cream, hydrogenated fat, etc.

  • You can disregard water, since it doesn’t contain any calories.

Related article: What's in your food? Fat, sodium and calories explained

• Nutrition facts: This informs you of the energy (calories), protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, fibre and sodium. The amount of other nutrients like vitamins and minerals may be available, especially when specific nutrients are the subject of a nutrition claim. E.g. for a “high calcium” claim, the amount of calcium must be indicated to justify the claim

When reading the nutrition label, pay special attention to the energy (kcal) if you want to lose weight. Next, look at the fat content, and then the fibre, suggests Ms Ong.

Here are a few additional tips:

• Always compare the “per 100g” information first since serving sizes may differ.

• Generally speaking, choose products lower in saturated fat and trans fat

• Favour products higher in fibre, ideally more than 6g per 100g.

“Look at the nutrition information panel for information that is important to you,” Ms Ong says. “For example, if you have high blood pressure or kidney disease, you should pay special attention to the amount of sodium; if you have type 1 diabetes, you need to watch out for the carbohydrates, whereas with type 2 diabetes, you need to look at the energy content, in addition to carbohydrates and fat.”

Related article: 5 healthier alternatives to your favourite junk foods

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AArticle written by Anjana Motihar Chandra, with expert input from the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), a member of the SingHealth group, for HealthXchange.

Articles on HealthXchange.com.sg are meant for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional surgical, medical or health advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment.