Recently, more and more people have adopted a vegetarian diet for reasons related to religion, health concerns or environmental protection. A test conducted by the Consumer Council and the Centre of Food Safety (CFS) on 10 types of vegetarian dishes totalling 99 samples from various local restaurants, 5 types, namely vegetarian burger, vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce, assorted marinated vegetarian meat, braised eggplant with vegetarian fish and Buddha's delight, were found to have a higher sodium content than the overall average of vegetarian dish samples. The newly emerged vegetarian burger had the highest average sodium content and could even be 20% higher than regular beef burger. Sugar is another nutrient content not to be overlooked. Attributed to the sauces added, the average sugar content of vegetarian sweet and sour pork, and assorted marinated vegetarian meat ranked top 2 in average sugar content. In addition, the total fat content in some deep-fried vegetarian dishes was relatively high, with the total fat content of 1 taro fish sample reaching the level of “high-fat” food. The Council reminds that although the test revealed the overall sodium and fat content in vegetarian dishes was not too high, certain samples were still found to have a relatively high sodium and fat content. Therefore, consumers should not consider all vegetarian dishes as healthy food and consume without restraint. The example simulating a regular vegetarian dinner in restaurants found that the intake of sodium and total fat content in both Chinese and Western dishes could account for over 60% of the daily intake limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Hence, other than paying attention to the nutrient content of vegetarian dishes, consumers should also consider ordering fewer dishes or reducing the consumption amount so as to reduce sodium and fat intake.
The test also revealed that the nutrient content of the same type of vegetarian dishes could vary among restaurants due to the amount of ingredients and seasonings used, cooking methods and techniques. To provide healthier choices to consumers, the Council and the CFS urged the industry to lower sodium, sugar and total fat contents in vegetarian dishes by reformulating recipes and cooking methods, and choosing low sodium and low fat raw ingredients.
The 99 samples tested comprised of 10 types of vegetarian dishes from both local vegetarian restaurants and non-vegetarian restaurants, including vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce, assorted marinated vegetarian meat, braised eggplant with vegetarian fish, Buddha's delight, Fujian fried rice with diced vegetarian meat, braised tofu, vegetarian sweet and sour pork, taro fish, vegetarian burger and pasta with mixed mushroom and truffles. They were put to test for their sodium, sugar, fat, and energy content. The test also covered the nutrient content in the sweet and sour sauce and beef burger collected.
Vegetarian burger had the highest sodium content with an average of 420mg per 100g of the dish, while vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce came second with an average of 380mg. Topping all 99 vegetarian dish samples in sodium content was 1 vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce sample, containing 510mg. Although the average sodium content in taro fish was the lowest, standing at only 200mg on average, sodium content varied the most in this type of vegetarian dish, with a difference of 6.2 times between the highest and the lowest samples.
Regarding the sugar content per 100g of food, the average sugar content in vegetarian sweet and sour pork was the highest (10g on average), of which 2 samples were even found to contain 12g of sugar, the highest among all vegetarian dish samples. Assorted marinated vegetarian meat came next with 7.1g of sugar on average. The result might be attributable to the sweet and sour sauce added to these 2 types of vegetarian dishes, not to mention the natural existence of sugar in pineapples of vegetarian sweet and sour pork. Fujian fried rice with diced vegetarian meat had the lowest sugar content on average (0.7g), but the sugar content of the highest and lowest samples could vary by 5.6 times, indicating that it is feasible for restaurants to prepare vegetarian dishes with lower sugar content.
The Council advised consumers to consider requesting serving the sauce on the side. The test revealed the average sodium content per 100g of sweet and sour sauce was 250mg, while the sugar content was 14g, almost reaching the level of “high-sugar” food (containing over 15g of sugar per 100g of food). If a consumer consumes the whole serving of taro fish with all the sweet and sour sauce, the intake of sodium and sugar content would be respectively equivalent to about 40% and about 30% of the daily intake upper limit recommended by WHO, and over 10% and 25% more than consuming taro fish without dipping the sauce.
As for the total fat content per 100g, the deep-fried taro fish and vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce samples were the highest, with an average of 17g and 13g, respectively. Fujian fried rice with diced vegetarian meat and Buddha’s delight had the lowest content of 3.2g and 3.3g on average, respectively. Of the 99 vegetarian dishes, the taro fish sample with the lowest sodium content contained the highest total fat content on the contrary. With 23g of total fat found in 100g of food, taro fish has reached the level of “high-fat” food (over 20g of fat per 100g). As such, consumers should not neglect fat content when choosing vegetarian dishes with lower sodium.
The test also found that the average saturated fat content in vegetarian burger was the highest, with 4.9g per 100g, which was believed to be derived from the cheese in the samples and the use of vegetable oils with high saturated fat content, such as coconut oil, in preparation of the vegetarian patty. With a high total fat content, taro fish and vegetarian burger have average energy values as high as 270kcal and 220kcal per 100g, respectively. Taking the vegetarian burger with the highest energy value of 720kcal as an example, the consumption of the whole burger is equivalent to 36% of the daily energy intake of an adult (2,000kcal).
Comparing the nutrient content in vegetarian burger and beef burger, the average sodium content (420mg per 100g) of vegetarian burger was 20% higher than that of beef burger (350mg per 100g). The test also simulated a meal of western vegetarian dishes, comprising a vegetarian burger, one serving of French fries and a can of low sugar soft drink. The consumption of the whole meal was found to reach 67% of daily sodium intake upper limit recommended by WHO, and 63% and 43% of the daily intake upper limit of total fat and energy respectively.
Another simulation calculated the nutrient content of consuming a meal of Chinese vegetarian dishes when two people shared a whole serving of vegetarian fish fillet in corn sauce with the highest sodium content (380mg per 100g on average), one serving of vegetarian sweet and sour pork with the lowest sodium content (210mg per 100g on average) among all vegetarian dishes, a plate of boiled choy sum without salt and cooking oil, and a bowl of rice per person, the sodium intake per person would reach 61% while the total fat intake would reach 69% of daily intake upper limit recommended by WHO. If soup was ordered, sodium intake would be further increased. Prolonged and excessive intake of sodium may increase the risk of hypertension.
Consumers should pay attention to the following when ordering and consuming vegetarian dishes:
- Maintain a balanced and diversified diet; choose vegetarian dishes carefully and be mindful of their sodium/salt, sugar, fat, protein, energy/calories content, and etc.;
- When placing orders, request restaurants to prepare food with less salt and to serve the sauce on the side, so that it could be added only when needed; try also only dipping lightly upon consumption;
- Eat less vegetarian dishes processed by deep frying as they usually contain higher total fat content;
- If the serving size of a vegetarian dish is too big, consider ordering fewer dishes, sharing with others, or taking away a portion using your own meal box.
The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE magazine and Online CHOICE.