E

ating right has always been an integral part of Erwin Parengkuan’s life.

The famed radio host and emcee was brought up by a restaurant-owning mother he describes as a “health freak”. Life in his childhood home included a ban on prepackaged food and lessons on the virtue of home-made food using natural, fresh ingredients.

It was knowledge that Erwin learned to appreciate, for he could impart it to his wife, Jana, and four children. A recent occurrence in his life motivated him to share his knowledge with society.

“So many families around me get together in restaurants serving really unhealthy food," Erwin said, the kind that would make the late Corry Parengkuan turn in her grave.

With the assistance of Jana, who owns The Baked Goods patiserrie and restaurant, and nutritionist Samuel Oetoro, Erwin wrote Smart Eating: 1,000 Techniques for Smart Eating and Healthy Living”, teeming with health tips that he and his co-authors accumulated over the years.

Here are five of their main tips for smarter food choices.

It’s complicated

Erwin says that a lot of people are under the impression that carbohydrates are inherently evil. “That’s not exactly true,” he said. “The key is to pick the ‘complex’ carbs, not the ‘simple’ ones.” Complex carbohydrates contain fiber, take longer to digest and fill you up quicker. This means you should eat red or brown rice (not white) and wholewheat bread (not white). Avoid granulated sugar and white flour.

Can the coconuts

A common ingredient in Indonesian dishes is coconut milk to add flavor. Jana’s advice is to replace it with hazelnut milk, which she says results in the same taste minus the health risks. Erwin eats mung bean porridge daily without coconut milk or even sugar. “It’s not pleasant, but you only have to bear with the lack of taste for the brief time that it takes for the food to pass over your taste buds,” he said.

Kill the grease

Do away with fried rice and noodles, and replace them with boiled or steamed dishes, like nasi tim (chicken rice) or rice with a low-fat side dish. Boiled, unpeeled potatoes and tubers are good alternatives to rice and bread. If you get bored with boiled food and want a different texture in your mouth, try toast.

When in doubt, make your own food

That bottle of sweet iced tea sold at street-side food stalls is not the same as home-brewed tea. Besides having far more sugar, each bottle is filled with preservatives for a long shelf life. Whenever her children crave sugar, Jana ensures that they make their own treats. “For syrupy drinks, I boil roselle flowers, add sugar and refrigerate the mixture,” Jana said.

White can be right

Replace red meat, like beef, with white meat, like chicken or fish. This color-coded advice similarly applies to avoiding egg yolks, as they each contain 200 milligrams of cholesterol. Avoid processed meats, like chicken nuggets and meatballs (unless you make your own). Another alternative to meat is tofu: give the meat a miss and give tofu balls a go.

— All photos Courtesy of Smart Eating