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    The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (April 13) released the results of a study on the nutrient contents of Chinese dim sum and proposed ways of maintaining a balanced diet with dim sum consumption.

    Announcing details of the results at a press conference, the department's Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment and Communication), Dr Ho Yuk-yin, said that knowing the nutrient contents of Chinese dim sum would help people make healthier food choices.

    "A total of 75 popular dim sum items, with 10 samples each taken from various food premises, were selected for this study.  Chemical analyses were conducted to determine the content of energy and nine nutrients, namely carbohydrate, protein, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fibre, sugar, sodium and calcium," Dr Ho said.

    The results showed that the total fat, saturated fat and sodium contents of some Chinese dim sum were quite high, while the calcium and dietary fibre contents were generally low.

    "Generally, steamed buns, noodles-in-soup, rice-in-soup, and dessert are low in total fat, while pan-fried and deep-fried dim sum items, such as pan-fried beancurd sheet roll, are high in total fat.  But some dim sum items prepared by steaming are also found to be high in total fat, such as steamed beancurd sheet roll and steamed minced beef ball."

    "Foods high in total fat are energy-dense and excessive intake may increase the risk of obesity," he said.

    Concerning saturated fat, it was noted that dim sum items with coconut milk, such as yellow bean pudding and mango sago dessert with pomelo, and pastry items, such as egg tart and baked barbecued pork puff, had high contents of this nutrient.

    "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," Dr Ho said.

    He added that high-sodium condiments, such as table salt, black bean sauce and mono-sodium glutamate, were considered as the main contributors for high-sodium dim sum items, including marinated jelly fish and steamed chicken with fish maw.

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

    As most dim sum items are low in calcium content, Dr Ho suggested that regular dim sum consumers should complement their diet with other high-calcium foods such as dairy products, soybean curd and green leafy vegetables to ensure an adequate intake of calcium, which in turn could reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

    He also urged consumers to take sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables for dietary fibre, which could improve gastrointestinal health and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.  

    Based on the study findings, Dr Ho offered the following tips to dim sum consumers to maintain a balanced diet:

* Choose dim sum items that are low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates, such as steamed rice-roll and steamed bun as the staple foods;

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

* Consume steamed salty dim sum in moderate amount as some of them are high in fat and sodium;

* Choose less pan-fried and deep-fried dim sum to avoid excessive intake of fat and energy; and

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

    Dr Ho also urged food premises operators to modify the recipes of some dim sum items so as to lower the levels of total fat, saturated fat and sodium.

    "This can be achieved by reducing the amount of cooking oil, trimming visible fat of meat, reducing the use of high-sodium condiments and serving the sauces separately as far as possible," Dr Ho said.

    He also suggested that the trade consider providing more food items with high dietary fibre and calcium contents for their customers.

    The FEHD has been conducting food nutrient analyses since 2002 with a view to establishing a data base of nutrient compositions of local food items.

    People may visit FEHD's website on www.fehd.gov.hk to obtain information on the studies.

Ends/Wednesday, April 13, 2005

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