If you still want to go out for a clay pot meal, Heidi recommends that you should choose one with high fibre content, that is, with ingredients like pumpkin, taro, eggplant and radish. Fish and shellfish are also healthier choices because they have lower calorific value and are equally delicious.

We also need to beware of eating too much, Heidi says. She recommends that we should order one to two vegetarian dishes to make sure our diet is well balanced. Heidi further suggests that we should choose healthier dishes from the menu. As chefs and restaurateurs become aware of customers’ preference for healthy food options, they will create and serve up healthier and more delicious clay pot rice dishes.

Table: Comparison of Nutrients of Selected Ingredients Used in Clay Pot Rice

Per 100g (About 2½ taels)	Calorie (Kcal)	Fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Sodium (mg)
Spare ribs 1	220	15	4.3	*661.2
Chicken paws 1	190	13	2	*620
Preserved meats 1	498	48.8	N/A	*764
Cantonese-style pork sausages 1	584	48.3	N/A	*1420
Minced beef 2	332	30	N/A	67
Chicken meats (skinned) 2	104	2.73	N/A	N/A
White eel 2	184	12	2.4	51
Fresh fish fillets1	114	3.69	N/A	N/A
Scallops 2	69	0.5	0.1	392
Prawns 2	85	0.51	0.1	119
Cuttle Fish 2	92	1.38	0.4	44

* This table indicates sodium levels of marinated meats, which can vary significantly.
1 Centre for Food Safety, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
2 The USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory