Asian cuisine is popular all over the world and food lovers everywhere have come to love the huge diversity of Asian flavours. Malaysia is a food haven with enticing, spicy aromas invading our senses on every corner. However, if you are not careful, business meetings, social gatherings and everyday lunches can quickly add unwanted inches to your waistline.
The Biggest Loser Club asked Malaysia’s fitness celebrity Kevin Zahri to talk us through 5 of Malaysia’s worst calorie bombs and give us his tips on how to avoid them.
1. Take your nasi lemak with white rice
Nasi lemak is an all-time Malaysian favorite. It literally means "fatty rice", but is taken in this context to mean "rich" or "creamy". It is packed with calories, mainly from santan (coconut oil). Compared to 45g of white rice (160 calories), a typical serving of nasi lemak carries some 340 calories.
If you’re visiting Malaysia, you must try it at least once, but if you are faced with it daily, like most Malaysians, just ask the makcik (seller) to serve you white rice instead.
2. Half the rice (or nasi separuh)
Malaysia is a rice eating country. Not that the rice is a problem, but rather the serving sizes.
The amount of rice you need per serving is 45g, or the size of your closed fist (1 fist only, please). But at most “mamak” (food establishments serving mamak or Indian/local food) and other local restaurants, you are easily looking at 3 to 4 fists – way too much. Simply ask for less rice or nasi separuh to keep your intake at about 160 calories.
3. Roti canai
Roti canai are a Malaysian (and Indian) delicacy, but extremely bad for your weight. A single roti canai may contain as many as 300 calories and most diners will have 2 per serving.
So, if you must, stick to a single canai or replace it with bread with less energy density. For example:
- 1 chapati contains 144 calories
- 1 thosa contains 97 calories
- 1 roti jala contains 110 calories
Better still: swap the bread for a piece of lean chicken for extra protein. This can save you 300 calories per meal.
4. Take half of your teh tariks
Teh tarik (literally "pulled tea") is Malaysia’s signature beverage. It is made from black teaand condensed milk and most Malaysians consume several cups per day. It is commonly served during business meetings and just about everywhere else. Since it is prepared with high-calorie condensed milk, teh tarik will quickly fill up your daily calorie intake: 1 cup with sugar may provide a massive 229 calories.
Kevin’s rule of thumb – have 1 per day if you must, but always order with a serving of mineral water for your thirst and to fill you up. This will keep the calories down.
5. Go easy on traditional desserts
Sure, they are small and colourful, but most Malaysian desserts and pastries are packed with sugar. Like soft drinks, their main, and sometimes only, source of energy comes from simple sugars. Coconut oil (as used in nasi lemak) is also a popular ingredient for most Malaysian pastries as it a stable fat with a long shelf life that is good for baking.
Coconut oil – good news and bad news
Much of the rich taste and texture in Malaysian and other Asian cooking derives from coconut oil. It is an unusual type of fat in that it comes from a plant, but is a saturated fat like the animal fats in dairy and meat. As we know, saturated fat raises LDL-cholesterol, leading to hardened arteries and an increased risk of heart attack.
The good news about coconut oil is that the structure of the fat molecules is different from most other saturated fats. The molecules are arranged in shorter chains than usual. Coconut oil is known as a “medium chain fatty acid” (MCFA) as opposed to the more common “long chain fatty acid” (LCFA).
MCFA are different from LCFA. They do not have a negative effect on cholesterol. MCFA help to lower the risk of both atherosclerosis and heart disease. This makes coconut oil highly beneficial to our health, especially when it is fresh and organically produced.
However, all fats are energy dense and must be treated with respect. So, don’t use your arteries as an excuse for that extra helping of nasi lemak!
Track your calories with your diary
Don’t forget that The Biggest Loser Club provides you with the nutritional profiles of a huge range of popular foods in your online diary. Record what you eat every day, including all your teh tariks and roti canais, in order to see exactly how many calories you consume. Dieters who track their daily calories are more successful in losing weight and maintaining their losses.
You can also look up your local favourites on Kevin’s Malaysian food calorie guide, Cekodok.com.