Sludge Fest | Men's Health - The World's Largest Men's Magazine

Sludge Fest

We’ll be honest: Congee, or rice porridge, isn’t the tastiest dish around. And you’ll probably not want to swap your chicken cutlet for a bowl of white glop anytime soon. But if you’re looking to lose weight, you’ll do well to look its way because 100g of congee exhibits a lower calorie (65kcal) and carbohydrate (7.5g) count compared to 100g of white rice (140kcal, 31g), says Natalie Goh, a consultant dietitian from Peaches & Pear Nutrition Consultancy.

This makes sense, because congee has a greater water-to-rice ratio than steamed rice. What’s more, congee retains heat for a longer time compared to rice, so you’ll tend to consume it at a slower pace. “It takes the stomach around 20 minutes to communicate to your brain that it’s full,” says nutritionist Sheeba Majmudar. “The slower you eat, the faster you’ll feel full and as a result, you’ll consume less.”

BOWLED OVER
But even this perennial favourite has a dark side: According to the Health Promotion Board, a single serving of duck, pork, chicken or even fish congee has more than 1,200mg of sodium! Don’t know which kind to pick? For a 100g serving, the type with the most sodium and fat is congee with century egg and dough fritters. It has 2.9g of fat and 296mg of sodium, says Goh. Fish congee is a good choice (0.5g fat, 222mg sodium), but Goh recommends congee with sweet potato (0.4g, 2mg sodium). As a rule of thumb, she suggests selecting congee that looks clear.

GOLDEN BROWN
White rice has a high glycaemic index, which means that it gets digested more rapidly and you’ll get hungrier much faster – plus the watery nature of congee means it gets absorbed by your body more quickly as well. Use brown rice when you’re preparing the dish at home. It possesses benefits such as fibre, vitamins and minerals, says Goh. If the taste is too bland, she suggests cooking the congee with homemade soup stock to amp the flavour quotient.

Majmudar recommends the following guilt-free, taste-boosting options: garlic, onions, ginger, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, chicken, fish and liquid aminos instead of salt.

From Nov 2008 issue of Men's Health Singapore