Among the most concerning health issues for Thais these days, especially in Bangkok, is high cholesterol. There are many contributing factors, but, broadly speaking, it's a result of unhealthy diets. However, the prospect of watching what you eat is a daunting one for many people, when it is so easy to get food anywhere at anytime. And once they've fallen into a pattern of unhealthy eating, most people find it difficult to escape the cholesterol trap.
The obvious advice, then, is to avoid consuming high-cholesterol foods. We are recommended not to consume things like full-fat milk, fatty meat and salmon. Instead we should eat more beans, brown rice, fresh vegetables and garlic. It is suggested we substitute olive oil, sunflower oil or rice bran oil for palm oil and coconut oil.
An official campaign aimed at encouraging the public to monitor their cholesterol intake features a long list of foods with nutritional information. For example, a 100g oyster contains 231mg of cholesterol, squid contains 322mg, salmon 86mg, tuna 186mg, egg yolk 200mg, chicken 70mg, duck 82mg, pork 126mg, soft butter 186mg, fresh milk 24mg and cream 300mg.
This rough guideline was published some time ago and remains unchanged. The figures have an impact on people who are concerned about their fat intake, especially those already suffering from high cholesterol. But while the guidelines are designed to help, they can have the unintended consequence of making people fearful. Some become unduly worried and feel they are limited in their options.
Pad ped pla duk (stir-fried catfish).
In fact, there are plenty of options. Consumers can enjoy eating and still stay healthy. Firstly, don't be too scared by the cholesterol levels as detailed in the list. How food is cooked and our own natural metabolism help break down fats. Perhaps more importantly, not all cholesterol is bad. Good cholesterol is vital to our health and well-being.
Secondly, Thai food is generally healthy. It is full of nutritious ingredients and can even contain medicinal properties.
Thai cuisine employs various cooking and food preparation methods; there's tom (boiled dishes), yang (grilled dishes), yam (spicy salad dishes) and tod (deep-fried dishes). Some ingredients are deep-fried before being cooked according to the recipe.
In the tom category, gaeng leang (spicy herbal soup with mixed vegetables) is a delicious and nutritious option. To cook this dish, we need to prepare curry paste by pounding shallots, pepper, shrimp paste and smoked fish or dry shrimp. Add the paste to the broth and bring to the boil. Then add vegetables such as pumpkin, Luffa acutangula, young watermelon, basil leaves and pepper. When done, season with salt.
Gaeng pa pla duk.
Gaeng pa pla duk (soup-like catfish curry) is another wonderful low-fat option. The dish uses different types of aubergine, baby peppercorn, sweet basil and kaffir lime leaves. Tom klong pla duk yang (sour and spicy soup with grilled catfish) has similar ingredients to tom yam, as it includes galangal, lemongrass, dried chillies, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and sweet basil, and is seasoned with tamarind juice, lemon juice and fish sauce. Tom yam pla (sour and spicy soup with fish) and tom yam pla tu (sour and spicy soup with mackerel) are also seasoned with tamarind juice. Gaeng som (sour soup with mixed veggies) and southern-style gaeng leuang (similar to gaeng som but with turmeric) are full of nutrients and low in cholesterol as the dishes are cooked using only fish and vegetables.
Spicy soup with fish.
Most yam dishes feature ingredients with medicinal properties. There are many types of yam and we can easily adjust ingredients and flavours to our liking. For example, yam tua plu (spicy wing bean salad), yam yod kratin (spicy tree shoot salad), yam hua plee (spicy banana flower salad). These yam dishes are cooked using prawns, shallots, bird-eye chillies, roasted dried chillies and seasoned with tamarind juice, fish sauce and sugar. The dishes are sprinkled with fried shallots before being served.
Spicy salad with steamed mackerel (yam pla tu) is another dish highly recommended for the health-conscious. It features lemongrass, shallots, chillies, parsley and balm mint. The same ingredients are used for making yam pla salid (spicy salad with dried pla salid fish). Yam dishes use a lot of fresh vegetables and seasoned to attain a balance of spiciness, sourness and saltiness.
Nam prik mamuamg (chilli paste, green mango).
Then there are nam prik (chilli dips). Nam prik pla tu, a staple dish from central Thailand, is served with plenty of fresh vegetables. Nam prik noom, a northern variation, is delectable and easy to make. Roast prik noom chillies, garlics and shallots until soft and burnt on the outside. Then peel off the skin and pound the contents with some salt.
Fresh vegetables served with nam prik.
Nam prik ka is also very simple to make. Roast galangal, red chillies, shallots and garlic until soft. Pound them together with some shrimp paste and serve with fresh vegetables.
The last of our recommendations is grilled and steamed fish. You can try grilled catfish or grilled white tilapia soaked in salt served with an Isan-style condiment made from pounded dried chillies, a little fish sauce and an array of fresh vegetables. Or you could try red tilapia or snakehead fish steamed with vegetables and served with chilli dip made jaew-style (using fish sauce, pounded dried chillies and a little fermented fish sauce). The results are irresistible.
There are so many more tasty low-fat options -- too many to list here. But the point is that you have a lot of choices, so there's no need to worry. If you are aware of cholesterol concerns and know to watch what you eat, you can still eat well, without fear of damaging your health.
