5 hotpot food swaps for a healthier restaurant meal

Nov 14 , 2019

A shabu-shabu hotpot meal. Swapping out healthier alternatives can make the meal better for your health. Photo: Getty Images

The favourite Hong Kong restaurant meal, hotpot, can be healthier by just swapping out a few items for those that are lower in calories, cholesterol and fat

As the weather gets cooler, many of us are gearing up for the hotpot season. Whether you enjoy your hotpot meal at home or at a restaurant, keeping your appetite in check and counting the calories in the offered food items is essential to minimising overeating and weight gain. Previously, I shared practical strategies on tackling a hotpot meal. Let’s dive deeper by looking at the calories and the nutrients present in the common hotpot foods and how you can make wise choices without compromising your appetite and cravings.

Organ meats – indulge or none?

For some hotpot lovers, hotpot is not the same without eating the organ meats such as beef tripe, chicken heart and more.

Animal organs are indeed rich in protein, but they are also high in dietary cholesterol. In fact, the cholesterol within organ meats could be twice to thrice the amount of cholesterol in regular meats.

For instance, for every 100 grams of tripe and of chicken hearts, there are 122 milligrams and 136 milligrams of cholesterol, respectively. A 100 gram-serving of beef sirloin, on the other hand, has only 51 milligrams of cholesterol while a 100 gram-serving of chicken breast with skin has 64 milligrams of cholesterol.

Perhaps 100 or so milligrams of cholesterol may not seem much when we look at the big picture, but our liver already naturally makes cholesterol, which is circulated in our blood. Dietary cholesterol, that is those that come from foods like animal products, also gets circulated in our body and stored in the liver.

While high blood cholesterol does not necessarily contribute to cardiovascular heart disease, foods with dietary cholesterol are typically high in saturated fats. Foods with saturated fat, with the exception of eggs and shrimps, could increase your risk for cardiovascular heart disease.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Recommendations for Americans suggests one to consume as little dietary cholesterol as possible, with no specific amount recommended.