Healthy eating need not be boring. Colourful fruits and various herbs and spices can be used to add variety and flavour to your home-cooked meals.

Here are some tips from Health Promotion Board to help you in your quest to eating better.

Add more fruits and vegetables into dishes

Pick colourful vegetables and fruits for consumption.  These whet the appetite and also contain the most nutritional value. Here are the main colours and examples of the fruits and veggies:

Purple           : grape, plum, blackberries, prune, eggplant

Green           : kiwi, honeydew, kailan, chye sim

White           : banana, cauliflower, potatoes, turnip

Orange/yellow: pineapple, orange, papaya, pumpkin, carrot, corn

Red              : apple, watermelon, guava, capsicum, tomato, radish

Use herbs and spices to flavour food

Do away with  excess salt, sauces and MSG in the cooking by replacing them with natural herbs and spices.  Shallots, onions, garlic, ginger or homemade stock made of chicken bones, mushroom stalks, soybean and peanuts will do the trick

Use less oil when cooking

Reduce fat intake by using less oil when cooking. Do this by:

• Using a non-stick frying pan, as less oil is required
• Blanching vegetables before stir-frying.  Put vegetable in boiling water for one or two minutes and then place into cold water
• Using healthier cooking methods such as steaming, grilling and stir-frying with less oil
• Serving deep-fried food less than twice a week  
• Sauté food in homemade chicken stock instead of oil

Look out for the Healthier Choice Symbol*

Food products with the Healthier Choice Symbol are lower in fat, saturated fat, trans fat, salt and sugar. These foods are also higher in dietary fibre and calcium. You can introduce your domestic helper to the symbol and remind her to pick products stamped with this red pyramid – which denotes the * Healthier Choice Symbol

Information is provided by Health Promotion Board (HPB)