Local food is delicious and affordable but not always healthy. Dietician Jaclyn Reutens tells us how to improve the nutritional standing of five popular hawker meals, from how to get more fibre in to what you can substitute to slash their fat and sodium content.

Chicken Rice

The dish: White rice cooked in chicken broth and chicken fat, served with roasted chicken, cucumber slices and a bowl of clear chicken broth

Tips to make it healthier: Choose steamed chicken instead to reduce the amount of fat and sodium in the dish. Get brown rice if available instead of white rice to give the dish more fibre, and eat 25% less rice to cut down on carbohydrates and fat. For extra vitamins and minerals, include a side of stir-fried green leafy veggies, like kai lan, or bean sprouts. To further cut down on calories, drink just half the bowl of broth.

Nutritional profile, before and after:

Calories: 668 to 535
Carbohydrates: 78.8g to 69.9g
Fat: 20.8g to 16.3g
Sugar: 11g to 10.2g
Sodium: 1723mg to 982mg
Fibre: 2.8g to 4.4g