Eat right: Food & Environmental Hygiene Department Consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin (right) urges eaters to be more selective in the dimsum they order.

Gastronomes have been warned to reduce their dimsum intake and to be more selective in the dumplings they order. The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department says some dimsum can be high in total fat, saturated fat and salt, and low in calcium and dietary fibre.

The department recently studied 75 popular dimsum items, with 10 samples taken from different food premises. Pan-fried and deep-fried items like beancurd sheet roll were found to be high in total fat, while steamed buns, noodles-in-soup, rice-in-soup, and desserts were generally low in total fat.

However, some steaming items were also high in total fat, such as beancurd sheet roll and minced beef ball. Foods high in total fat are energy-dense and excessive intake can increase the risk of obesity.

Items with coconut milk, such as yellow bean pudding and mango sago dessert with pomelo, and pastry items, like egg tarts and baked barbecued pork puffs, had high contents of saturated fat.

Health threat

Department consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin warned: "Excessive intake of saturated fat in the long run will increase the risk of having chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and certain types of cancer."

High-sodium condiments, such as table salt, black-bean sauce and mono-sodium glutamate, are considered as the main contributors for high-sodium dimsum items like marinated jellyfish and steamed chicken with fish maw.

"Excessive intake of sodium over a prolonged period may lead to an increase in blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases," he said.

As most dimsum is low in calcium, regular consumers should complement their diet with high-calcium foods like dairy products, soybean curd and green leafy vegetables to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. They should also consume sufficient fruit and vegetables for dietary fibre to improve gastrointestinal health and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Better eating

To maintain a balanced diet, dimsum consumers should:

* choose items low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates, like steamed rice-roll and steamed bun;

* consume about half a plate of boiled vegetables per person, preferably without adding any sauce, to get enough dietary fibre;

* consume steamed salty dimsum in moderation as some are high in fat and salt;

* choose less pan-fried and deep-fried dimsum to avoid excessive intake of fat and energy; and,

* avoid consuming the soup accompanying rice-in-soup or noodles-in-soup.

Restaurateurs are urged to modify their dimsum recipes to lower the level of total fat, saturated fat and sodium.

"This can be achieved by reducing the amount of cooking oil, trimming visible fat off meat, reducing the use of high-sodium condiments and serving the sauces separately as far as possible," Dr Ho said, adding the trade should provide more food items with high dietary fibre and calcium content.