Four principles for eating out to reduce calories and choose healthy meal boxes

A survey conducted by the Department of Health shows that 70% of Chinese people eat out for lunch. However, the calories of traditional boxed meals on the market are relatively high. For example, a fried chicken leg bento has 1,300 calories, which is equivalent to the calories of two meals. County and city health bureaus have guided businesses to develop healthy boxed meals with fewer than 800 calories, and increased portions of whole grains and vegetables. People can even know the calories of the food when they order, giving those who eat out a relatively non-fat option.

Chiu Shu-ti, director of the National Health Administration of the Department of Health, said that the calories in traditional boxed meals on the market are too high. For example, a braised meat bento has about 900 calories, a fried pork chop bento has about 1,000 calories, and a fried chicken leg bento has as much as 1,300 calories. If you eat a fried chicken leg bento for one meal a day, even if the calorie intake for the other two meals meets the recommended amount, it is equivalent to eating 700 calories more per day, which will increase 2.7 kilograms per month and 33.2 kilograms per year.

Director Chiu Shu-ti likened this type of lunch box to a "hunting lunch box". She said with a smile that modern people do not need to hunt, and the amount of exercise is not enough to consume so many calories, so they should eat a "civilized lunch box" instead. There are four major factors to choose:

More fruits and vegetables: The daily dietary guidelines recommend that people eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables every day. Therefore, each meal box you eat out should provide more than 2 servings of fruits and vegetables. If the meal box already has a portion of meat as the staple food, other side dishes should not include protein-providing ingredients such as tofu and eggs. Instead, choose vegetables of different colors. After the meal, have a serving of fruit instead of drinking shaken beverages.

Eat whole grains: Refined rice has a high glycemic index and will cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly, which is not good for your health. Whole grains have a relatively low glycemic index and are rich in fiber, so you should try to choose whole grain rice.

Less frying: Frying should be avoided as a cooking method. If fried meat is the only option, a compromise is to remove the skin and eat half the meat. The amount of meat should be controlled. Taking chicken legs as an example, choose the calf meat instead of a large piece of meat.

Calorie labeling: The healthy meal boxes recommended by the Department of Health are all labeled with calories to help people calculate the calorie intake. Even if meat is provided, the calories are no higher than 800 calories. If it is advertised as mainly vegetarian, most of them are controlled below 500 calories.

What is more special is that the vegetarian business "100 Fresh Vegetarian" has developed an online ordering program. With the assistance of Liao Jiayin, a nutritionist at Kaohsiung Fengshan Hospital, the calorie content of each ingredient is listed. After people complete their ordering, the total calories of the meal will be displayed, allowing people to clearly know how many calories they have consumed. Which food is high in calories? Achieve the effect of tailor-made healthy meal boxes.

Information on the 67 healthy meal packages recommended by various cities and counties can be found on the National Health Administration's Obesity Prevention and Treatment website (http://obesity.bhp.gov.tw) and the "Healthy Weight Management App" health tips for reference when purchasing.