5 Hawker Foods Tipping Your Blood Cholesterol

Hawker food is a guilty pleasure many of us cannot afford as its high fat content can greatly influence our blood cholesterol level. A diet high in bad fats (e.g., saturated fat, trans fat) can raise our LDL (bad) cholesterol, increasing our risk for cardiovascular disease. Here are some of our local hawker delicacies that could well exceed your daily recommended limits.

By Natalie Yeo and Samantha Chan

1. Char Kway Teow (384g)



*Cholesterol: 234mg (~78% of the recommended daily limit)
Calories: 744kcal
Total Fat: 38g
Saturated Fat: 29.2g (~146% of the recommended daily limit)

Where are the fats and cholesterol?
Pork lard, chicken sausage and cockles

How to make this dish healthier?
Ask for less oil, pork lard, chinese sausages, cockles and black sauce.

**Activity to burn calories

• Cycling: 114min
• Running: 72min
• Cleaning: 270min

2. Kway Chap (611g)



*Cholesterol: 348mg (~116% of the recommended daily limit)
Calories: 650 kcal
Total Fat: 26g
Saturated Fat: 11.6g (~58% of the recommended daily limit)

Where are the fats and cholesterol?
Organ meats, braised pork, tau pok

How to make this dish healthier?

• Ask for less sauce and skip the organ meats.
• Aim to remove animal skin and fats.
• Opt for non-deep fried ingredients (e.g., tau kwa instead of tau pok).

**Activity to burn calories

• Cycling: 96min
• Running: 66min
• Cleaning: 234min

3. Lontong with Sayur Lodeh (775g)



*Cholesterol: 264mg (~88% of the recommended daily limit)
Calories: 798kcal
Total Fat: 40g
Saturated Fat: 21.9g (~110% of the recommended daily limit)

Where are the fats and cholesterol?
Coconut milk and tau pok

How to make this dish healthier?
Resist the gravy.

**Activity to burn calories

• Cycling: 120min
• Running: 78min
• Cleaning: 294min

4. Chicken Masala (455g)



*Cholesterol: 255mg (~85% of the recommended daily limit)
Calories: 860kcal
Total Fat: 50g
Saturated Fat: 18.7g (~94% of the recommended daily limit)

Where are the fats and cholesterol?
Ghee, cream, full-fat yoghurt and chicken thigh

How to make this dish healthier?

• Pair it with a vegetable dish.
• Limit your gravy intake.
• Remove any visible animal skin and fat.

**Activity to burn calories

• Cycling: 132min
• Running: 84min
• Cleaning: 318min

5. Roti John (252.5g)



*Cholesterol: 242mg (~81% of the recommended daily limit)
Calories: 721 kcal
Total Fat: 35g
Saturated Fat: 18.1g (~91% of the recommended daily limit)

Where are the fats and cholesterol?
Ghee, minced meat, mayonnaise and cheese

How to make this dish healthier?

• Ask for more vegetables to fill you up.
• Opt for less cheese and sauce.

**Activity to burn calories

• Cycling: 108min
• Running: 72min
• Cleaning: 264min

*While dietary cholesterol is not as problematic for most people as once believed, limiting the amount you eat remains important, especially if you have diabetes, high blood cholesterol or heart failure risk.

**This is an estimated timing, and will vary from person to person.