Singapore: eating for health (and the environment)

Eat this, it's good for you
Geoffrey Eu, Business Times 19 Jan 08;

Whether you're a fruitarian, vegetarian, raw vegan, low-fat eater, or on an organic or Blood Type diet, or are just plain health conscious, there's now food for all thoughts, BT Weekend reports

VICTOR Chia, owner of Chia's Vegetables Supply, carries at least 150 types of vegetables within the cramped, colourful confines of his Tekka Market stall, which has long been a popular pit stop for everyone from hawkers and housewives to professional chefs and gourmet food lovers.

In the old days, the business, which was started by his grandfather over 30 years ago, featured only a few staples such as sweet potatoes and other root vegetables, mainly sourced from across the Causeway. Now, he stocks celery from the US, spinach from Australia, potatoes from New Zealand, as well as herbs and vegetables from Malaysia.

Mr Chia says that local vegetables from Malaysia are generally fresher and less expensive than imported produce, but a growing number of people are willing to pay more for organically grown tomatoes on the vine from, say, Australia, rather than genetically engineered tomatoes from Cameron Highlands. Products with a questionable provenance, such as certain vegetables from China, are also a tougher sell these days.

'People are more knowledgeable now and more accepting of new products that they can't find in regular markets,' he says. 'Being a vegetable grocer, we are always on the lookout for promising new ingredients, especially since more people are consuming vegetables from a health point of view.'

Mr Chia's experience with consumers - together with related developments such as an increase in the number of organic food stores, for example - is perhaps an indication that the movement towards healthier, more responsible eating habits is gaining ground among a broad-based following and is slowly taking root in Singapore, in keeping with well-established patterns in other parts of the developed world.

Proponents of 'green' cuisine, veganism, raw food, natural hygiene and other environmentally correct diets have been making their cases - in some instances - since the 19th century, but food-loving Singaporeans have been usually content to, well, have their cake and eat it (with full cream and butter, of course) where matters of the stomach are concerned.

Meanwhile, well-known names in the food industry have also been playing their part. Whole Foods, the largest retailer of organic and natural foods in the world, has a self-imposed policy of buying produce that comes from local suppliers located within a certain radius of the supermarket stocking it.

Earlier this week, it was reported in the International Herald Tribune that Michelin-star chef Tom Aikens is opening a fish and chips restaurant in London serving only species that have been sustainably fished. With Whole Foods, Mr Aikens and others, it's more about raising awareness than prices (although their products inevitably cost more), and concern for the environment is a key element in spreading the word about eating in a more socially responsible manner.

Over at Food #3, a recently opened vegetarian shophouse cafe on Rowell Street in Little India, dishes such as beetroot soup, black pepper linguine and tempeh burger are variously marked as being vegan, or onion and garlic-free. The cafe is part of an arts centre project started by a group of artists and designers. 'We are into social entrepreneurship, exploring how art and culture can play a more significant role in Singapore society,' says founder Woon Tien Wei.

'We wanted to do something good and interesting to this street and we thought a vegetarian cafe was a good way to start.' He adds: 'We cater to a community which is not necessarily vegetarian - it's more about feeding the body, mind and soul.'

Mr Woon says that ingredients are deliberately sourced from smaller local markets and the cafe works as much as it can with local ingredients. 'When we can, we try to reduce the carbon footprint by supporting small local enterprises and not buying imported products,' he says.

The menu was devised with help from an Australian artist who was raised in a hippy commune, while the preservative-free breads are baked in-house using recipes from a local German-trained baker. Raw Food chef Paul Yeoh has been a guest chef there. 'We're still figuring out new ways of thinking about food and how to run a food business,' says Mr Woon. 'We need to feed our idealism and strike a balance with the food we serve.'

Jacqui Hargreaves, a yoga instructor with the COMO Shambhala group who has a diploma in raw food nutrition, says that she follows a low-fat, more extreme version of a raw food diet - fruits and salads and none that are high in fats, such as coconut and avocado - for health reasons, mainly to rid herself of allergies and other ailments that can be traced to the type of food she eats. 'For the first time in my life, I've been allergy free,' she says.

'The idea with raw food is to take food in its most natural state,' says Ms Hargreaves, who has experimented with a variety of diets in the effort to find one that suits her body. 'Most cooked food results in acid forming in the body, which is not good when you're trying to free yourself of allergies - the idea is to try to get your body into an alkaline state.' She adds: 'The raw food movement and the cuisine associated with it is a wonderful way of making raw food creative and enjoyable.'

Professional chef-for-hire Ryan Hong buys local produce whenever he can, although he does admit to buying certain speciality items that have been flown in. 'To me, eating healthy is based on common sense - you buy something because it is a good product,' he says.

He says that eating in a healthy and environmentally conscious way usually involves low cooking temperatures and short cooking time. 'Generally, meats are not good for you, so if you follow a balanced diet, with more vegetables than meat, you will feel much better.' He suggests things like less processing of ingredients - keeping the skins on carrots and potatoes, for example - and cutting out fried foods. 'If you cut out beef and beef fats, you may not be very happy - but you'll be healthier.'