When In Singapore, Should I Eat As The Singaporeans Do?
It involves one big melting pot of processed carbohydrates, unfortunately…
Kaya toast and coffee by Creator: Daniel is marked with CC-BY-2.0.
If one has’t yet visited Singapore, one of the (terribly carbolicious) Singaporean things to do in the morning is to get a good dose of kaya (coconut jam) toast with a cup of coffee (which we call “kopi” to differentiate it from the European/Australian/American versions of “coffee”).
In fact, a local Singaporean food blogger Seth Lui has this to say about kaya toast:
Kaya Toast is the classic Singaporean breakfast, served alongside a cup of kopi and two soft-boiled eggs. An oldie but goldie. There is good reason for the sustained popularity of such a simple sandwich: the sweet, pandan flavours of Kaya (coconut jam), salty pat of butter and mouthfeel of white bread make quite an irresistible combination.
Yes, there are two soft-boiled eggs in the mix too (not included in original picture).
And to be honest, kaya is a fantastic spread to have. The Asian in me would prefer a kaya on bread over any kind of fruity jam/marmalade there is out there any day, any time. I’m biased.
But even though it is a ubiquitous food to have around — and bear in mind, we can have it as a snack at any time of the day too, it can be terribly unhealthy.
Why kaya toast is considered to be unhealthy
A scientific paper did determine that there were 46 grams of carbohydrates present in a 100-gram sample of kaya toast. It means that 46% of what we’d be consuming would be carbohydrates — whether they come from the bread or from the sugar.
In contrast, a bottle containing 20 fluid ounces (or 591 ml) of original Coca-Cola would have a carbohydrate content of 65 grams.
The carbohydrate content in 2 slices of kaya toast is 70.7% that of a regular bottle of Coke. And we haven’t even included the sugar that comes in the kopi.
All in a day’s breakfast, yes?
The problem that I have highlighted previously, however, continues to persist.
Diabetes cases are still rising, and cholesterol management is also a sore point.
The problem is that these issues tend to go hand in hand — they aren’t necessarily isolated from each other, and having one issue doesn’t preclude a person from getting the second issue.
But we’re drowning far more in carbohydrates than cholesterol when we get bombarded with the question of “what do I eat today?”
And the common medical advice that is given to a person with cholesterol issues is to eat less cholesterol, and that means eating fewer eggs, perhaps.
Even when eggs are rich in cysteine, which is a key ingredient in supporting the cellular synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione within our bodies.
Because as the sugars in our body get metabolically converted into aldehydes, which can wreak much havoc biochemically in our body — for example, even in the aging process… Glutathione can aid in the neutralisation of various aldehydes, even in the acetaldehyde that is generated from alcohol consumption.
The problem is that most people buy into the idea that eggs are bad… but kaya toast is ok.
Without realising the cruel irony that taking eggs away from the diet is going to worsen the carbohydrate/aldehyde management capabilities in the body.
Eating out is rich in carbohydrates and omega-6 fatty acids
Unfortunately, most options that are available in restaurants or eating places these days are highly concentrated in carbohydrates or omega-6 fatty acids.
Of course, these omega-6 fatty acids can break down and get oxidised after coming into contact with heat and atmospheric oxygen.
They’re also liable to decompose into more aldehydes.
Whether we’re in Singapore or in any other part of the world, it’s common to find foods that are rich in carbohydrates and/or make heavy use of omega-6 fatty acids, because these are literally some of the cheapest things that can be sourced.
Which makes me scratch my head on why people pay top dollar for nicely designed cakes and pastries, all chock full of processed carbohydrates and omega-6 fatty acids.
Unfortunately, many people tend to use processed carbohydrates as an emotional comfort, and that becomes a psychological/emotional issue that hard science cannot just provide in an informational listicle.
It’s the same way that climate change is also a psychological issue that stems from people using consumerism and material acquisition to fill emotional voids within themselves.
Had a bad day? A tub of Ben & Jerry’s will help.
Need a quick break from a stressful work situation? Some bubble tea (boba) will suffice.
Craving some sinful foods at the end of a long work week? Fried chicken let’s go!
Even for kaya toast — it’s quick and simple. We can grab it as an on-the-go snack. We’d have to sit down and crack open the soft-boiled eggs if we were to order the eggs, and that takes time. Many people are starved for time.
It’s not just an issue in Singapore — it’s an issue in many other parts of the developed world. When emotions rule, the facts of hard science cannot expect to win the argument.
Even when the statistics show that diabetes cases are rising, for instance.
People will not want to be the next statistic… but emotionally, their lifestyle choices are going to bring them there inevitably. Try getting a person to cut carbohydrates and it can sometimes feel like making a drug addict go cold turkey.
It’s just a matter of how fast it will take to get there because even if something is inevitable, it doesn’t mean that the inevitability takes place overnight. The thermodynamics and the kinetics of a chemical reaction aren’t that very well linked indeed.
I put my body to a test
I tried 2 months’ worth of kaya toast + softboiled eggs + kopi C kosong (kopi with evaporated milk and zero sugar), 5 days a week. All other eating habits were as per normal.
I gained weight.
I cut out the kaya toast and went with softboiled eggs + kopi C kosong. All other eating habits remained unchanged.
I started losing the weight again.
Not having the toast, butter (or even worse, margarine) and kaya made a significant difference — to me at least.
I’d personally rather cut the carbs than the eggs any day.
Even if most of the medical profession would say that “eggs cause high cholesterol”!
But of course, when one is a tourist overseas… sometimes having a bit of a cheat to try out local things might be necessary. When I was in the Philippines, I’d always make a detour for sisig, for instance. And when in Chicago, deep dish pizza rules!
But hey, we know better than to eat all that stuff consistently, no?
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