Clean eating in Orchard for less
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Eating clean is a tall order for cash-strapped Singaporeans, especially when we’re stuck in town. With similar prices, fast food can often seem miles more attractive when compared to measly portions of the ‘healthier option’ – making the food dilemma very real.
It doesn’t have to be that way though. After a couple of trips to town, we’ve managed to suss out this list of pocket-friendly clean eats that will make healthier choices much easier!
1. Toss & Turn: The Salad Bar
Toss & Turn is basically the dream salad bar for all you health-junkies. More than just chicken strips and smoked salmon, their selection of proteins range from beef pastrami to lemon tuna. And for just $9.80, their regular DIY salad gets you a base, 2 proteins, 4 veggies or crunchies, and a dressing of your choice. No matter the combination, this is one meal that won’t waste your hour in the gym.
Plus, portions are large enough for two #fitspo maniacs to share.
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, ION Orchard #B4-55, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 10AM-10PM, Daily
Website
2. Real Food @ Orchard Central
With words like organic, vegan, gluten-free plastered all over Real Food’s menu, it’s no wonder the place is perpetually packed with executives looking for the next best way to maintain their trim figures.
If you are looking for a wholesome alternative for your wanton mee, try their Dumpling Noodles Dry ($8.80) which are actually udon made from organic brown rice. With a mini grocery store on the premise, you can even kick start eating clean at home with your family!
Address: 181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central #02-16, Singapore 238896
Opening Hours: 10AM-8:45PM, Daily
Website
3. Seoul Roll
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No, this is not sushi. Seoul Roll dishes out Korean rice rolls aka kimbap for the Koreaboo clean eaters. Here, you get to dress your rolls with unusual toppings such as black pepper duck, crab salad and even sweet potato & cream cheese!
The Mushroom & Truffle Oil Roll is a crowd favourite featuring 4 kinds of mushrooms packed in the roll with a drizzle of truffle oil. The best part is this, nothing on the menu is over $5.50.
Address: #B1-58, Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Road, 179103
Opening Hours: 10AM-9PM, Daily
Website
4. Yonehachi
Think of the Okawa rice served here as the offspring of Chinese bak chang and Italian risotto – sticky, umami-loaded, and immensely filling. For the perfect meal, we recommend the Salmon Okowa Rice Set ($7.80). Sprinkled with salmon flakes, it’s sure to keep you full through the day without having to fight the post-lunch zzz-monster.
Address: 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #B2 4-1/2, Takashimaya, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 11:30AM-10PM, Daily
Website
5. Project Açaí
To have a list of clean eateries without an açaí bowl feature would be borderline blasphemous. So, of course, we had to feature crowd favourite, Project Açaí. Having something that feels more like a dessert instead of a plate of rice may seem odd, but with granola, bee pollen, cacao nibs, goji and chia seeds all packed into the Original Flower Bowl ($9.80) – you’ll still be able to push through the daily grind without fearing for your calorie intake.
Address: 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #B2-32A Takashimaya, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 11AM-9:30PM, Daily
Website
6. Salad Stop
With over 60 toppings and 20 styles of dressings to choose from, Salad Stop’s been spoiling market with their DIY Salad Bowl ($9.80). They range from soba noodles to more premium ingredients like zottarella cheese and baked salmon. They also offer warm grain bowls if a big ole’ bowl of greens don’t suit your palate.
Address: 391 Orchard Road, Takashimaya #B2 07-9-3, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 10AM – 9PM, Daily
Website
7. Wrap & Roll
Source: @sehojung79
Wrap & Roll proves that there’s more to Vietnamese cuisine than just pho. A pre-made set of 4 wraps will only set you back $9.50, but for a more authentic experience here, get their Roll-It-Yourself Sets ($9.90 for chicken/pork). Getting to fold your own wraps means that you’ll be burning pesky calories before you even consume any!
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, ION Orchard, #B3-19, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 10AM-10PM, Daily
Website
8. Nakajima Suisan
With unending queues, it’s best to come to Nakajima Suisan half an hour before peak periods for their grilled seafood sets. Here’s a fact for you clean eaters: Their best-sellers, the Saba Shioyaki ($7) & Sanma Shioyaki ($7), contain less than 2 grams of fat and only 123 calories.
To satisfy any hunger pangs that you might have, you can throw in an additional $1.50 for a bowl of rice, miso soup and salad.
Address: 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #B2 01-01, Takashimaya, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 11AM-9PM, Daily
9. HAAKON
The first thing I recognised when I saw HAAKON’s menu was the name Mjolnir ($5.90) – a clue leading me to the store’s Scandinavian roots. Do try their Classic Açaí Bowl ($7.90) – topped with HAAKON’s home brand granola, coconut flakes and fresh fruits, and a parfait of skyr yoghurt and chia seeds.
For us, the parfait takes the spotlight with only 0.5% in fat content, skyr is as healthy as yoghurt gets. Its mild sourness also acts as a palate cleanser, so you’ll be finishing the entire bowl in record time.
Address: 313 Orchard Road, 313 @ Somerset, #B2-14, Singapore 278997
Opening Hours: 11AM-9PM, Daily
Orchard Road: Clean-eating haven
The next time you head to town, you’ll be glad to know that your wallets don’t have to suffer just to keep up with your diet. Skip the usual fried chicken and burgers and spend that red note on something that your body will thank you for.
AIA Vitality – Wellness for the masses
Choosing the healthier option can sometimes really be expensive. We know. The cost of brown rice can be double that of white rice, and organic fruits and veggies can easily cost 3-4 times more. But while the cost of healthy living rockets upwards, it’s not impossible for us practical Singaporeans to live well.
AIA Vitality is a wellness programme specially designed to make healthy living more accessible, and even more wallet-friendly. It includes not only retail discounts but also in-depth health assessments and recommendations as well as weekly rewards on the AIA Vitality Weekly Challenges to motivate members to be more active.
Knowing what goes into your food is critical to mastering the art of clean eating. For AIA Vitality members, a cashback of up to 25% can be received when buying items labelled as HealthyFood™ from any Cold Storage outlets. You can potentially receive cashback of up to $40 a month – far more than the cost of their $3 monthly membership.
The HealthyFood™ catalogue ranges from bags of organic rice to slabs of fresh tuna, and everything in between. And with over 6,000 products under the HealthyFood™ umbrella, you won’t have to drastically change your grocery haul routine for the week.
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Tip: An easy way of recognising HealthyFood™ items will be to look for the HealthyFood™ tags on the shelves and the letter “V” printed on the shelf price tag.
More than just a health tracker, AIA Vitality boasts the ability to tweak our lifestyles little by little with its milestones and rewards as we choose the healthier way of living in our food choices and an anti-sedentary lifestyle.
Find out more about AIA Vitality here!
This post was brought to you by AIA Singapore.