8 Hotspots for Healthy Food in Paya Lebar
Anyone who works downtown is likely to keep Paya Lebar in mind when lunch time comes around. Paya Lebar Square and Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) alone have so many dining options to choose from without looking for a place to eat along Haig Road, Eunos Road, or any of the other nearby thoroughfares.
For those of us trying to have a better diet for diabetes or weight management, here are eight hotspots for finding healthy food in Paya Lebar within walking distance from the MRT station.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
1. Smol
Dining at Smol at the PLQ Mall means knowing exactly how many calories you’ll be consuming during your meal. Their menu also tells you how many grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates each entree contains.
For a calorie target of 1300-1700kcal/day, a low-calorie breakfast contains about 300 to 400 calories, a snack contains about 100 to 200 calories, while a low-calorie lunch or dinner has about 450 to 550 calories. The recommended amount of protein is 15 to 45 grams per meal.
Smol’s Kena Salmon 2.0, which contains soba, charred corn, sauteed shiitake, soft-boiled egg, pickled ginger, furikake, and sesame seed dressing, has 598 calories, 45 grams of protein, and 53 grams of carbohydrates.
Smol also offers allium-free options or food without chives, garlic, leeks, onions, ramps, or shallots. They also have vegetarian and vegan choices as well as a do-it-yourself (DIY) menu that allows you to choose your own base, protein, complement, crunch, and dressing. DIY menu options include za’atar barramundi, pico de gallo, cilantro-lime yogurt, and lemon tahini.
2. Maccha House
Source: Maccha House
Another healthy dining option at the PLQ Mall is Maccha House which serves a variety of maccha-based beverages such as maccha kuromitsu latte, maccha latte float with shiratama, and maccha shiratama and azuki beans latte. Their basic maccha contains no milk or sugar.
Maccha is made from finely ground leaves from the Camellia sinensis, which is grown mostly in the shade. This not only enhances the green color of the tea, but also increases the amount of chlorophyll and amino acids. Maccha has more vitamins and fiber than other green teas because it uses the whole leaf, as well as a significant amount of antioxidants and catechins which may help lower the risk of certain illnesses.
Azuki beans or red mung beans also have high levels of nutrients which prevent cell damage, support heart health, and may help with weight loss.
Maccha House likewise offers savory plates such as teriyaki chicken and onsen egg, unagi toji, and omelette hayashi, as well as other Japanese favorites such as their tonkotsu ramen special, beef sukiyaki hotpot udon, and chicken yuzu chasoba.
3. HAAKON Superfoods and Juice
Source: HAAKON Superfoods and Juice
About seven minutes’ walk from the Paya Lebar MRT Station on Tanjong Katong Road is HAAKON Superfoods and Juice. HAAKON offers a taste of the Scandinavian hyggelig lifestyle, which focuses on taking time out of your busy day-to-day to relax on your own or with loved ones. This is the welcoming environment in which HAAKON aims to serve nutritious food that supports all diets including paleo, vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, pescatarian, and lean & clean.
Their menu includes acai bowls such as Cacao Bliss, Nut Butter, and Green & Lean. Acai is rich in antioxidants which defend against cell damage, as well as chemicals which may also help lower blood sugar levels, support your immune system, and reduce swelling.
They also serve fresh-pressed juice such as the Acai Detox made from organic acai, blueberries, coconut water, and apples. Their Mjolnir super smoothie also contains organic acai as well as blueberries, whey protein, chia seeds, apple juice, and maca, which is also a popular addition to smoothies for its miracle-food properties and health benefits.
HAAKON also offers grain bowls such as tandoori fish rice and grilled chicken rice, as well as pita pockets filled with beetroot hummus, tahini, skinny coleslaw, mesclun lettuce and your choice of protein.
4. Soon Kee Yong Tau Fu
An 11-minute walk from the MRT station brings you to Soon Kee Yong Tau Fu on Haig Road. Found on most “Best Singapore Hawker Food” lists for its healthy dining options, Soon Kee Yong Tau Fu offers several different ingredients which don’t include pork but do include seafood strips, dried tofu, okra, and bitter melon. You may also choose from chili, eggplant, cabbage cake, shiitake mushrooms, anchovies, teochew maru, sotong maru, and bamboo slices.
Unlike other animal-based food, sotong or squid has little saturated fat and high amounts of protein which account for its health benefits. Squid also contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Bamboo also has very few calories and high amounts of fiber, and can help you lower your LDL (“Bad”) cholesterol levels naturally. Bamboo is also a good addition to a low-carbohydrate diet as well as a good source of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B6, and E, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, niacin, potassium, thiamine, and zinc.
Your choice of ingredients is cooked in a clear soup or laksa, and determines the number of calories that you consume.
5. Loi Ming Porridge
Best known for its signature porridge varieties, Loi Ming Porridge is another haven for healthy food in Paya Lebar on Haig Road that also offers homemade fried garlic and shallot, popiah, and youtiao.
Their pork, chicken, century egg, and fish porridges are bestsellers, with customers taking special note of the century egg porridge’s rich texture and savory flavors. The pork porridge also includes minced pork meatballs stuffed with salted cabbage. Many customers also choose to add egg or have youtiao on the side.
Loi Ming Porridge’s signature cuttlefish peanut porridge stands out not just because of its unique combination of flavors and textures but also the health benefits of its ingredients.
Peanuts are also a good plant-based source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. They are a good part of a weight loss diet and may help lower the risk of gallstones and heart disease.
6. Lau Wang Claypot Delights
Source: Lau Wang Claypot Delights
About six minutes on foot from the MRT station is Lau Wang Claypot Delights on Eunos Road. As its name suggests, every entree on the menu such as their signature Sesame Oil Chicken and Ngoh Hiang is freshly prepared using a traditional recipe and cooked in a clay pot. The pot makes sure the food is served hot and kept warm throughout the whole dining experience.
Cooking in clay pots is a healthy way to prepare food provided that the clay is pure and natural, that is, without lead, glaze, or additives. It allows the food to retain more of its nutritional value as well as its natural flavor and color.
Clay pots also allow steam to circulate while cooking, which means more moisture is kept within the food so that you won’t have to use as much oil or fat. They are also a natural way to detox food because clay’s alkaline properties neutralize the food’s PH balance.
Dishes cooked in clay pots, such as Lau Wang Claypot Delights’ chicken herbal soup or eggplant with minced meat are often considered comfort food. Eating such dishes during stressful or highly emotional situations has been shown to release dopamine which causes the comforting feeling associated with comfort food.
7. Charcoal-grill & Salad Bar Keisuke
Source: Charcoal-Grill & Salad Bar Keisuke
You can also find healthy food in Paya Lebar Square at Charcoal-grill & Salad Bar Keisuke, where mains such as miso-marinated black cod, dried atka mackerel, and teriyaki chicken are grilled over Japanese Binchotan charcoal.
Unlike lumps of charcoal or charcoal briquettes, Binchotan is shaped like a log and has a metallic surface, belying its true composition of different species of oak. When burned, it lasts long, burns clean, and generates lower heat which turns food crisp without becoming dry. Binchotan also has a unique aroma which adds to the smoky flavor of the food.
When done properly, grilling is considered one of the healthiest cooking methods because oil is not used. Grilled food has fewer calories and less fat, and helps lower the risk of chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes.
Charcoal-grilled eel on kettle-boiled rice is one of the highlights on Keisuke’s menu, and eel is low-sodium and high in calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Its omega-3 fatty acid content helps to keep your bones healthy and reduce cholesterol levels as well as the risk of diabetes.
8. Poke Theory
Source: Poke Theory
On the opposite end of Paya Lebar Road from Charcoal-grill & Salad Bar Keisuke is Poke Theory at Park Place Residences @ PLQ. Depending on the ingredients used, a poke bowl can be a healthy meal, and it’s easy to change the ingredients according to your diet or nutritional needs. For example, you can add less oil, substitute vegan ingredients for animal-based proteins, or add fermented foods like pickled vegetables which contain natural probiotics.
Poke Theory’s bowls include a combination of vegetables, fruits, grains, and marinated sashimi which can be flame torched or replaced with chicken. Vegan options include their Tempeh-tress bowl made of umami tempeh poke with pickled green chilis, smoked almonds, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate, corn salsa, and lime avocado. To give you an idea of a bowl’s calorie count, their light vegan avocado poke bowl has less than 250 calories.
You also have the option of building your own poke bowl with bases such as lemon herb quinoa and sesame soba, flavors like smoked almonds and spiced roasted cashew, and toppings like wakame seaweed and cajun rosemary sweet potato mash.
Poke Theory likewise serves acai bowls as healthy dessert choices such as their Spring Fling which contains a mix of berries, seeds, banana, pink dragonfruit, kiwi, toasted coconut flakes, maple granola, coconut chia pudding, and honey.
Choices for healthy food in Paya Lebar abound if you know where to look. Find out how NOVI Optimum Plus can help you with a personalized, holistic plan for eating and exercise, in addition to doctor consultation and GLP-1 RA medication.