All-you-can-eat hot pot restaurants are a popular dining choice — especially during the winter — but the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday warned the public against overindulgence, as it could cause diners to gain unwanted weight.
The HPA said field research found that dining at all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurants can lead to consumption of as many as 3,170 calories per meal, which is about 0.32kg in weight, and can often contain about 5,700mg of sodium — 1.4 times the HPA’s total daily recommended amount.
“If a person eats at a buffet-style hot pot restaurant once per week over the three-month winter period, he or she could gain 4.3kg by the end of the season,” the agency said.
HPA Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said there are six practical suggestions for those wanting to enjoy hot pot without being unhealthy.
“The first suggestion is to stay away from all-you-can-eat venues and opt for restaurants that offer a fixed amount of food per person. The second is to go for a tomato or seaweed soup base and shun spicy hot pot, which contains 382 calories per 400ml serving of soup, compared with only 10 calories in the former,” Chiou said.
Chiou said the third tip is to select food which contains natural ingredients, such as mashed daikon or onion and garlic, instead of oily and sodium-rich seasonings, including Taiwanese-style satay, soybean sauce and chili paste.
Other suggestions include consuming more low-calorie vegetables, such as mushrooms, daikon and crown daisy; avoiding processed hot pot ingredients, including fried soy sheets, and meatballs; and exercising restraint with sweetened beverages and desserts, Chiou said.
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