Be A Healthier You During Hari Raya

Hari Raya is fast approaching and every Malaysians know that it is synonymous with lavish spreads and feasting. One month of fasting period has almost come to an end and finally we could fill our tummies with all these scrumptious traditional foods such as Rendang, lemang and many more!  Hari Raya for this year is very unfortunate as most people are not allowed to return to their hometown and celebrate this festive season with family members as a result of this pandemic.

Although house visits are not allowed, but we can cook Raya traditional foods by ourselves at home or you can order online too! There will be a generous spread of food with dozens of mouth-watering delicacies to choose from, some of which you may only eat once a year during this festival are up for sell. While all these foods look tempting, please be mindful of your portion intake as most of the foods are high in calories.

If you are planning to cook by yourself. Follow these tips to help you to minimize your calorie intake. Try to replace ¼ to ½ the portion of your usual ingredients with healthier options.

 

1. Fats in main dishes:

Eg: Coconut milk, fatty meat, poultry skin, deep frying method

Tips:

  • Substitute coconut milk-based dishes (eg: nasi lemak, rendang) with light coconut milk or low fat milk
  • Choose lean meat / trim off visible fats (eg: chicken skin)
  • Opt for cooking method which uses lesser oils such as baking, grilling, steaming or air-frying instead of deep frying
  • Choose unsaturated oil such as Olive oil/canola oil for stir frying instead of palm oil

2. Fats and sugar in cookies/cake

Eg : Butter, margarine, ghee, evaporated milk, castor sugar, condensed milk, honey

Tips:

  • Reduce amount of fats and substitute with healthier oil  ( eg: olive oil or grape seed oil)
  • Reduce amount of sugar. Replace with sweeteners (eg: Lakanto/Equal) or sweet fruits such as dates or raisins
  • Substitute condensed milk with rice or soy milk
  • Replace white flour with whole wheat flour or try to incorporate high fiber ingredients (eg: mixed fruits or oats) into the recipes

By making minor adjustments to the ingredients and cooking method, you can have healthier festive dishes and enjoy your favourite Hari Raya foods without the guilt.

In case you choose to take this Raya holiday as an opportunity to rest at home and just opt for ordering foods online. Here are the list of commonly eaten foods during the festive season to allow you to keep track of your calorie intake.

Chicken Soto (1 bowl /490g) – 520 kcal

Mee hoon soup (1 bowl /250g) – 150 kcal

Mee curry (1 bowl /410g) – 530kcal

Chicken Rendang (2 small pieces/50g) – 100kcal

Ayam masak merah (1 piece/90g) – 140kcal

Beef sate (5 cucuk /80g) – 190kcal

Chicken sate (5 cucuk /80g) – 200 kcal

Ketupat nasi (8 small pieces/50g) – 80 kcal

Peanut sauce (1 senduk /50g) – 120 kcal

Kelupis (1 piece/50g) – 120 kcal

Roti jala (3 pieces) + Curry gravy (1 bowl) – 150kcal

Pineapple tart (1 piece) – 50 kcal

Fruit pudding (1 piece/30 g)  – 20kcal

Bahulu (1 piece/15g) – 60 kcal

Kuih makmur (1 piece/10g) – 50 kcal

Almond/ peanut cookies (1 piece/20g) – 90kcal

London Almond cookies (1 piece/20g) – 110kcal

Cornflake cookies (1 piece/20g) – 80kcal

Kuih siput (3 pieces /10g) – 30 kcal

Kek lapis Sarawak ( 1 piece/40g) – 160kcal

Butter cake (1 piece/40g) – 160kcal

Carbonated drinks (1 glass) – 130kcal

Cordial/Syrup drink ( 1 glass)  - 40kcal

 

Hari Raya is a time of celebration, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Consume variety of foods in moderation and enjoy your day. When it comes to eating, it is the same whether fasting or normal, sick or well; we always use the same three principles: balance in diet, eating in moderation and consuming a variety of foods.

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