Get in on the healthy food movement and start eating clean at these top restaurants for healthy eats in KL. We've also included a quick guide to meal portions and healthy-eating alternatives as recommended by some of the individuals behind these eateries.
All right. Dish the deets.
With over 20 million #eatclean posts on Instagram, rows of health-food shelves in every supermarket, and the disgust of Nigella Lawson (‘I think behind the notion of “clean eating” is an implication that any other form of eating is dirty or shameful’), clean eating is arguably the most talked-about food movement of the decade.
For all its hype and fanfare, clean eating is nothing new. It’s just a term for what your mum has always told you: to choose healthier ways of food preparation (for example, herbs as flavouring instead of sauces from the bottle), to avoid processed and chemical-laden food, and to make a conscious choice to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, even having the nasi lemak that your grandmother used to make from scratch – with freshly pressed coconut milk, galangal, ginger and pandan-laden brown rice – can be categorised as clean eating.
If there’s ‘clean eating’, what’s ‘dirty eating’ then?
According to Serina Singhsachathet of health food joint Raisin’ the Roof, ‘I wouldn’t go as far as saying “dirty eating”, let’s call it indulgent eating – which I think we all deserve occasionally without feeling guilty. You wouldn’t want to constantly overload your body with sugar, fatty, refined and chemical packed food as they’re harmful to your organs! What I tend to do is eat clean during the week and then indulge within reason over the weekend.’
Sounds good. Would it help me lose weight?
In a way, yes. However, clean eating is more about nourishment instead of deprivation or keeping tabs on calories. ‘When you look at the psychology of food, understand that food is sustenance, food is energy. So when I realised that everything I put inside of me is for my body to function; just like a car needs petrol, my body needs food as its petrol. So if I put something like Coca-Cola in my system, it’s not going to run very long.’ says Shantini Iyngkaran, qualified nutritionist, personal lifestyle trainer and founder of Organica Lifestyle. ‘I learned that eating whole foods allowed my body to function at an optimal level and that made me a happier person.’ says Iyngkaran.
Does that mean I have to go on a juice cleanse?
Not really. At the end of the day, it’s the organs in our bodies that are doing the detox. ‘Most juice detoxes in Malaysia have a 70 percent ratio of fruit to vegetable, so your body, for the whole of three days you’re on it, is running on sugar. It’s not quite sustainable. There’s no protein, and your body needs protein for your muscles to move, it needs fats for your brain to function,’ says Iyngkaran. Don’t have a cold-pressed juice or eat gluten-free just because your friends are doing it. If you eat less junk and start including more whole grains, fruits and vegetables in your diet, you probably don’t need a juice cleanse.
Can I still eat meat? Do I have to give up the mamak then?
Fear not, meat eaters. Meat, a good source of iron and protein, is still important for the diet. Start with going for grilled meat instead of deep-fried ones, and ideally, humanely raised meat (better yet, from the local butcher). At the mamak, you can order thosai or idli with sambar, both very nutritious dishes.
I’ve heard that clean eating can get expensive…
Well, there are plenty of cheap local ingredients at the market. But at the end of the day, it’s about making choices for your health. If you really want to buy items such as imported grains and superfoods but find them too expensive, just think, they’re still cheaper than those medical bills.
I’m in. How do I start?
Ease into it slowly. Keep an open mind as it may take some time to get your palate accustomed to ‘clean tastes’. Do your research, look up simple recipes to try, and shop for local ingredients at the market.
By cooking for yourself and knowing exactly what goes into your food, it’ll help you appreciate the concept of eating clean by putting it into practice. Just because quinoa is hailed as the new superfood doesn’t mean you have to eat it all the time. Mix things up by having quinoa today, brown rice tomorrow.
If you absolutely can’t find the time to cook, try to incorporate more greens into your diet by picking more vegetables at the nasi campur stall, for example. It’s the baby steps, you don’t have to change everything straightaway. Even if you have a green smoothie once a day, it’s still a start.