Getting more vegetables when you eat at hawker centres
You can eat out most days and still get your vegetables. Look at what is on your plate and add a clear vegetable portion where it is small. The easiest change may be an extra dish at lunch or a piece of fruit you bring from home.
Check your usual portions
Singapore’s Health Promotion Board recommends two servings of fruit and two of vegetables each day. My Healthy Plate is a useful guide: half the plate fruit and vegetables, a quarter wholegrains and a quarter protein foods.
A few cucumber slices with chicken rice or a garnish in noodle soup may not amount to a full serving. Stall portions vary, so avoid treating a generic menu estimate as a measurement of your lunch.
Review a few ordinary days, including dinner and snacks. You get a more useful picture that way than by assuming every working adult eats the same amount.
Three changes you can make
At the rice stall
Choose vegetable dishes alongside a protein food. Ask for a larger vegetable portion if the usual scoop is small; check the price before ordering.
At the fruit stall
Choose a portion of whole cut fruit, or bring an apple, orange or other fruit from home. Availability and prices vary.
At dinner
Include vegetables in the meal plan before deciding the remaining dishes. Frozen vegetables can be useful when shopping or preparation time is limited.
You can make these changes and keep eating at the same places. Keep variety across the week and consider the cooking, including added salt and oil.
Can Vplus replace the missing vegetables?
No. Twenty Vplus tablets weigh four grams in total. Do not count them as a serving of vegetables or use them to calculate that you have met the daily target.
Vplus contains Chlorella sorokiniana, spirulina and Indigold. If you choose it as a supplement, follow your current pack directions and keep vegetables, fruit and other foods in your meals. A green colour does not show how much fibre, protein or any particular nutrient a serving provides.
Further information: Vplus Formula: ingredients, pack details and directions; healthhub.sg: eat more.
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