KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — I try to lead a healthy lifestyle. I hit the gym every day and eat my daily allocation of clean protein religiously. I also blend raw vegetables to drink at night. I’ve had people marvel at my discipline and express awe at my dedication.
Actually it’s more like vanity. I want to have a nice, toned body and this is how I go about it. I used to think putting skinless boiled chicken into a blender and drinking the resulting liquid was gross but once I got used to it, it really doesn’t taste that bad!
However, I understand that many people are not ready for this so here’s a list of healthier options you can opt for before you work up to that “delicious” chicken breast shake.
Ho Poh Lui Cha
This Hakka preparation of lentils, nuts, seeds and legumes with rice and tea is a popular choice for people trying to eat healthier. It offers a variety of different textures and relatively bland flavours that suit both convalescing and dieting people. This place is often cited as one of the best around the Subang/Puchong area and they certainly have their legion of fans. I come here whenever I want a dose of healthy fat from nuts and good fibre from vegetables.
Epic Fit Meals
This is a food delivery service offering healthier options with dine-in branches in Sunway, Damansara Perdana and Mont Kiara. I like how they list the calories for everything on their menu, including their sauces! This gives you the opportunity to customise your meals according to your calorific needs. They also have other items on their menu aside from their chicken breast and side staples. Their pizza is really good, and I enjoy their burgers too. Epic Fit Meals also has beef and fish options in addition to chicken. They use Australian strip steak and pollock!
Umai-Ya
Japanese food has long been known as healthy. After all, the people live far longer and have higher quality of lives compared with those from other countries. One of the reasons for this is their diet of fresh, unprocessed food and consumption of nutrient dense raw fish. I’m partial to sashimi — both on its own and as a donburi (rice topped with sashimi). It’s not only delicious but high in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins and other trace nutrients. The chirashi sushi here is one of the best in town!
Juice Works
We all love to guzzle down a glass of sinfully rich Milo Dinosaur or sickly sweet teh tarik but they’re not the best options for us. Fruit juices contains Vitamin C, folate and potassium which are all essential nutrients for the healthy functioning of your body. Juice Works serves up handcrafted fresh fruit juices and healthy smoothies so you can easily get your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Tsujiri
We all know the benefits of green tea. It’s loaded with antioxidants and the caffeine helps with fat burning too. This branch of the popular dessert shop in Japan features tastes suitable for the Japanese palate so you’ll find the desserts here a lot less sweet than most local offerings. Less sugar means fewer calories and that’s always a good thing. Their mildly bitter green tea kakigori (shaved ice) is certainly a healthier choice for dessert.
GETTING THERE
Ho Poh Lui Cha
9, Jalan Puteri 2/3, Bandar Puteri, Puchong, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Bandar Puteri
From the station: 300 metres
Operating hours: 10.30am-9.30pm
Epic Fit Meals
E-105, Metropolitan Square, PJU 8/1, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Mutiara Damansara
From the station: 600 metres
Operating hours: 11am-11pm
Umai-Ya
No. 428 , 4th Floor, Suria KLCC, Persiaran Petronas, Kuala Lumpur
LRT/MRT: Kampung Baru
From the station: 600 metres
Operating hours: 11.30am–10pm
Juice Works
Lot G-K1, Da:men Lifestyle Mall, 1, Persiaran Kewajipan, Subang Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: USJ 7
From the station: 400 metres
Operating hours: 10am-10pm
Tsujiri
58, Jalan SS 21/58, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: TTDI
From the station: 600 metres
Operating hours: 1pm-1am, Fridays and Saturdays; noon-11pm Sundays; 1pm-11pm all other days.
