Hotpot Hacks For A Healthier Meal: Which Broth Has The Most Calories? | Talking Point | Full Episode

Hotpot is our much-loved staple during Lunar New Year; our loved ones gathered around a table, featuring a sumptuous spread of ingredients, surrounding a pot of broiling soup. We really love our hotpot and there are more than 50 hotpot restaurants in Singapore, making us spoilt for choice.
But it's easy to overeat, especially during a long-drawn hotpot session and this may unwittingly leave us with too many calories, sodium and fat. Can hotpot be healthy? Talking Point delves into what exactly is in that bubbling pot of soup, and finds out if we can truly make it a healthy bowl of goodness.
00:00 Introduction
01:56 Which hotpot broth is the healthiest?
07:04 Does cooking ingredients in broth make them unhealthier?
09:04 Food scientist breaks down the results of the experiment
13:15 How can we make our hotpot healthier? Broth and sauce tips
18:56 How to prevent food poisoning from hotpot
About the show:
Talking Point investigates a current issue or event, offering different perspectives to local stories and revealing how it all affects you.
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[@AlanSmith88888]

When you eat hotpot, nobody is caring about calories lol.

[@joycegoh8628]

Dangers of hot pot meals is most of us tend to up end ordering more than what we normally eat, then so as not to waste food, we would stuff ourselves silly. That’s why many times, we feel super full after a hot pot meal.

[@thomasthetrainful]

The increase in sodium content in vegetables by 200% is a misleading representation. Vegetables themselves have negligible sodium content. The fibres in vegetables absorb sodium easily when they're cooked in broth. So obviously the sodium in vegetables will skyrocket. But it doesn't mean that the actual sodium content in processed food and meat are lower than vegetables.

[@hustlefitness6008]

It's not a misrepresentation. The increased absorption is easily understood via the comparison with the control.

[@Aeybiseediy]

The total amount of sodium absorbed in vege is comparable to processed food. So even if you feel like you're eating 'healthy' with lots of vege its actually similar as eating lots of fishballs/luncheon/etc. Probably only lesser fat amount

[@thomasthetrainful]

@@hustlefitness6008 still, misleading people into thinking eating vegetables are not healthy

[@thomasthetrainful]

@@Aeybiseediy Did the video published the exact sodium content of vege and processed food? They only highlighted the 200% increased in sodium, which is misleading in telling people eating vegetables are unhealthy.

[@jasonhuang3271]

yeah that part seems very misleading to me as well... they are comparing the values to cooking in water, but almost no one consumes boiled vegetables without any seasoning. If you compare the hot pot vegetables to stir fried, or even seasoned steamed vegetables, the sodium content won't differ by much I would bet.

[@martinbrock713]

most families cooked at home, occasionally indulging in hawker food. It was only in the 80s, where we had a larger population with greater spending power, that hawker food seemed in comparison to be cheaper.

[@madamcuriouss]

they forgot to consider that most people do not drink the mala broth as its more of a dipping sauce. so the calories of mala is not comparable with other soup like chicken broth where it is actually drinkable.

[@thomasthetrainful]

Not true, there are quite a number of people who drink the mala broth, that's why last year Haidilao introduced the mala milk broth. You should try, it's very tasty!

[@madamcuriouss]

@thomasthetrainful yes im one of the few people who does that but I've never seen anyone else scope ladles and ladles of mala soup and drink it as if it's chicken broth like I do

[@Strawation]

it depends on the type of soup and you also have to remember that fat floats and will stick to whatever you dip into the broth. I've eaten from mala broths where it's more fat than soup so no one drank the soup, but it was more stomachache-inducing than the low-fat soups where you can drink the soup just because the fat had stuck to the food we dipped in

[@yukisnoww]

same as when eating instant noodle, don't drink the broth, lol.

[@madamcuriouss]

please please consider doing a video on how teachers are overworked in schools as their job now include counselling due to the shortage of school counsellors as mentioned by MP louis ng in parliament

[@jiahaotan696]

Sounds like the teachers need some counselling themselves...

[@martinbrock713]

Hawker food was always an occasional treat for the working-class in the 60s and the 70s. At that time, most families cooked at home, occasionally indulging in hawker food.

[@nahyeahgara]

Just enjoy in moderation lah 😅

[@Homemadespirit]

Healthy or not, moderation either way. So then; problem should be fixed and change recipe to make it healthy. What is “healthy” do research. Oils good and bad kinds, sugars fats sodium carbs proteins ect. What’s good and what’s bad, and how much of them….

[@maverick2161]

13.5 kg = 30 lbs 30 lbs / 9 years = 3.3 lbs/year A woman gained 3.3 lbs per year over a 9 year period, and this is what you're basing your story on? You're blaming eating hot pot 5 times/month?! The most caloric-dense broth is 165 cals/serving. A 12 fl oz serving of cola has 140 calories, of which 39 grams is fructose corn syrup. Do you still want to blame the hot pot?? What was this woman munching on the remaining 25 days of the month when she wasn't eating hot pot? It's not fat or sodium you should be worried about, it's highly processed grains, sugar, and syrups.

[@jackm9804]

I agree with you 100%

[@weadog]

finally someone is on it, the video is pushing an agenda for sure

[@s._3560]

The real sugar, fats, salt are hidden in all your processed food, sausages, cheese, butter, fat steaks, burgers, fries, ice frappes and carbs like even maki, sushi (rice often has sugar mixed into it) and inactivity sitting in the office with long stressful hours unable to exercise!

[@Jinkypigs]

Precisely

[@michellecheung5986]

Stopped the video two minutes in to look for this comment. Totally nonsense to blame the weight gain of the women on hotpot that she only had for 5 times a month and disregard other meals she might be having or her lifestyle.

[@raeannseah1381]

honestly the macro ratio in a hotpot meal is pretty decent, so just eat a smaller portion and i can be very nutritious

[@worldcurious8184]

we also add seasoning when we pan fried vegetables too and I bet the increase in sodium there will be equal or great. Cooking vegetable in broth is already one of the healier way consume vegetable.

[@MidnightClaer]

Wish they tested the ingredients in the less healthy broths like mala which we are more likely to order

[@haitruong189]

The sodium content in the vegetables is misleading, it doesn't add more sodium from thin air. The sodium from the broth moves into the vegetables so the total amount of sodium remains the same, it's just adding flavor to the vegetables. If you drink one bowl of broth with 1000 sodium and you add raw vegetable to it, it's still only 1000 sodium. If you want to cut your sodium don't drink the broth. Also soy sauce and sesame oil is sodium and fat (which are not bad) but you aren't avoiding sodium and fat by using those instead. Just eat a reasonable portion and don't be so crazy about the numbers.

[@SecretCollage]

Good reporting. Thank you🎉

[@lplp7656]

Appreciate for a more insightful and detailed lab test report research on the other soups for mala , and how much approx calories per 1 avg session of hotpot . That’s would be so much better information relayed and to keep the audiences informed on how much of total calories /fat / sodium’s/ per hot pot session, or if short or longer hours of session will after effect or side effects may happen ?

[@sleepy_dobe]

Question about the recommended daily intake levels for sodium and fat. But let's stick to sodium for now. The rec level is 2gm, but as the lab results showed, the food ingredients for one meal, cooked in water, already hits the rec daily level of 2gm. We still need to eat two more meals for the day. Even if we drink water for all our liquid needs for the whole day, and have healthy home-cooked meals for the other two meals, there will definitely be some sodium that's naturally in the food in those meals. How to stay under the rec daily intake? Are those recommended daily intake levels realistic, or are they at the levels they're at simply because that's the level that gives one the best chance of avoiding certain diseases/health issues?

[@user-lb8rv3cl9c]

Believe it or not.. whatever we consume is breakdown in our body digestive system... the body will know what it needs to absorb and what it needs to excrete out.... if our immune system is in good shape. I just eat what I like in moderate, have about half an hour of morning sun exposure, and keep my immune system in shape, which I reckon is critical.. so far, I suffer no illness or negative effects in my mid-60s..

[@zhgfng]

Maybe CNA shouldn't consider a dish healthy or unhealthy just based on the calories. This will contribute toward the stigma that low calorie dishes are healthy, and high calorie dishes are unhealthy, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Can contribute towards eating disorders too

[@deschan2246]

😂

[@elenaWYE]

exactly, people don’t eat those foods as regularly as how they eat their staple foods

[@MajorBlitz]

People need to stop worrying about sodium intake unless already hypertensive. Everything in moderation and eating whole foods most of the time along with regular exercise solves most issues. If high sodium intake really does cause high blood pressure, then salt would be given as treatment for low blood pressure, which is definitely not the case

[@FrankWu]

Mala broth in Chinese hotpot is very new trend food.Is very appealing to younger generation people .

[@matlepak9694]

This seems to suggest that calories are unhealthy, fats are unhealthy.. that doesn't sound right

[@jj96432]

?

[@minzzles]

​@@jj96432read the obesity code by Dr Jason fung

[@rr-yw1on]

consuming too many calories and fats is unhealthy.

[@kklchau]

Everyone still avoiding fat and eating tons of sugar instead

[@zefcypher]

We all need calories and fats. It's a surplus of these that causes problems.

[@elenaWYE]

she has only talked about the soup broth but she did not mention about a healthier ingredient list; people should minimise cooking processed foods like crabsticks and fishballs in hot pot

[@thienquang665]

you pay for the meal, to have fun so please eat what you want and go to the gym later

[@ezekielk.3629]

gym is not a single solution to your unhealthy eating habits

[@ABC-ed8cg]

Gym won’t take away the sodium.. Healthy food choice will.

[@jowechu4153]

Ver good show… it’s educational plus revealing to observe the choices made by the guests 😅

[@deschan2246]

Propaganda

[@MrYongle383]

convivial = vibes. for anyone wondering.

[@tituslzh]

Eat one hotpot so many things to follow. If so particular then may as well don't eat, save the hassle.

[@masterweaver]

I use 2 portion of plain water at Haidilao. When one get too oily, I change to a fresh one.

[@marthaelenacorral3042]

I love crockpot broths - my version of "hot pot." Lightest chicken broth (3 chicken quarters + 2tsp salt in 7Qt pot) x 6hrs Hi. Place broth in plastic containers and finish cooling in fridge: remove all fat on top using a knife utensil. Use the broth to prepare healthy meals and remember that it already has salt. Next best is collagen broth: use pig feet. after cooling you hardly see any fat at all and the broth becomes jello-like. I freeze all and use as I need for a month. I do the chicken broth for my dogs' morning hydration: serve one cup for each dog who love it!

[@suryayunawan7201]

Of course, percentage-wise the increase in sodium will be more in vegetables, they had none previously, compared to the imitation crab and spam........

[@d0k0night]

I'm a simple man. I see Diana Ser, I click.

[@JC-ih9tp]

Need to consider sauces too

[@JasonYJS_xoxo]

Sauce goes to a different topic. This covers only broth calories and dipping ingredients

[@sys434]

knn, cannot come out 5 days earlier?

[@evolancer211]

Over nine years, that doesn't seem horrible

[@AlonzoNT]

how is pork belly processed food

[@blurryface6261]

well this would have been useful if it came out before chinese new year.

[@FrankWu]

I believe a way to making hotpot meal more healthier is to limit meat instead eat more vegetable letters etc.

[@willliam1420]

Not all oils are equal health wise, neither are all calories created equal. As for salt, as long as it doesn't taste salty, it's good to go

[@omega_3_998]

21:54 "..make sure your raw meats are a safe distance away from your cooked food ..." Next screen: 22:02 ... Raw and cooked food placed extremely close beside each other. HAHAHAHA! Cute la Diana

[@heotak3408]

Isn’t all her ingredients raw since it’s going in the hotpot? What they meant by cooked food is food you’re not cooking in the hotpot which can cause cross contamination with raw meat.

[@TheTeaParty320]

I used to love hotpot and steamboat until I watched the Seinfeld episode on double dipping chips. Thanks George!

[@lang-ed3bk]

Hotpot is over a rolling boil or simmer; it is constantly killing off germs.

[@Jinkypigs]

LOL. You based your dietary preferences on a stupid Seinfeld episode? LOL.

[@TheTeaParty320]

@@Jinkypigs Ah, yeah!

[@musicalli1324]

But who will actually drink finish the broth for hotpots ? For mala most would not even drink 1/4 of it

[@JasonYJS_xoxo]

Good point, and mala is super spicy and I would avoid it for sure. This is making me second guess the tomato soup, bc I love the tomato soup from Haidilao

[@tkyap2524]

We eat to enjoy. It defeats the purpose worrying about this and that.

[@martinbrock713]

The most common misconception is how Hawker Food is supposed to be cheap food. This has never been the case historically.

[@DagaenGolomb]

This is modern enough to know that many of the sodium recommendations are misguided for many adults, right? Only some people are highly reactive to sodium, and without previous conditions like high blood pressure "high" sodium by 2g standards is not a particularly large risk.

[@slickswings]

Hotpot - where everything gets thrown into the same broth and everything tastes the same

[@schadenfreude6274]

People should learn to do Fasting on Alternate Days. Eat whatever you want for 1 day, then completely No Food for next day and drink only Plain Water. Then repeat the cycle. My Uncle did it for 16 years and he was a very Healthy and Fit Man. He only recently committed s*icide due to Depression. 🙂

[@deschan2246]

Depression cause by not eating normally 😂

[@lijinzhou9902]

Just live normally lah

[@jonyongkkkl5119]

studies also show that drinking very hot soup can damage your internal lining, so at the end of the day, calories don't matter because it's unhealthy in one way or another. As always, everything in moderation.

[@nicholaswoof88]

Always do your own broth.. carrots, onions, corns and cabbage (don't add salt or msg as these will release the natural flavour) as the base of the soup. Then add in bah choy and cabbage. Then the fishballs, ngon hiang, meat slices, fresh fish slices, and other stuff. But not yam, instant noodles etc like the boys in Taiwan / China / Hongkong.. And don't get the prepackaged soup based as there's more msg and salt.. We aren't from China, but we are Singaporeans

[@deschan2246]

Dont think too much if u choose to eat.

[@williamlee2468]

I hope the hotpot outlets do not recycle the meats that are not sold on the day it's defrosted. This must be monitored closely because i've heard many hotpot places do this. My first experience caused me to have a massive upset stomach.

[@sakurachristineito6428]

Eat shabu shabu guys!!! It's pricier but better quality

[@vernier-colorado]

When I was saying it in 2019, I was like "I want to go to 奶奶 house and drink the hot hot sauce and sesame oil." But now I tried to reduced my consumption of it (p.s. I do not like spicy).

[@WanderlassS]

its the MSG in the soupbase that is bad

[@chocolatecookie8571]

Don't worry about calories. All broth is healthy for you. Enjoy

[@deschan2246]

Broth healthy? Not always.

[@chocolatecookie8571]

Yes, it is always healthy@@deschan2246 If people want to lose weight they better focus on minimizing carbs and sugars and eat less frequently.

[@JasonYJS_xoxo]

Nope, hotpot is to enjoy, haha :) To be healthy, just control your portion and plot your hotpot days. Oh, and don't forget exercise

[@stargazeronesixseven]

🙏 With respect to All Sides , please use Common Sense by ordering healthier vegetables & white meats , drinking unsweethened black tea & eating more fresh fruits will be healthier than consuming a lot of red meats , flour-laden desserts & drinking sugarly drinks during our meals! Thank You So Much CNA for the illumination! 😊🙏🌷🌿🌏✌💜🕊🇸🇬

[@yeosiaueyn63]

- Adding more vegetables to broth doesn't necessarily make it healthier, as vegetables can absorb sodium from the broth, causing a 200% increase in sodium content. - Customers tend to prefer richer and more flavorful soup since they have already paid for it. - Raw meat should not be mixed with cooked meat in broth. - Keep raw food and cooked food separate when enjoying hotpot. . Reflection: Our daily consumption of sodium and fat may exceed our requirements due to the natural sodium content in vegetables. To reduce sodium intake, consider steaming and opting for a clean-eating approach.

[@whirlx87]

whoever follows whatever is recommended in this piece is sure to find themselves uninvited to every hotpot gathering ever in the future

[@user-wi2fw1jk9l]

I’m also shocked to know the vegetables actually absorb so much sodium.

[@marvinmercado2867]

Enjoy the food.. We'll all die anyway.. 😅

[@heroheng3840]

So simply put. We just simply don't care at all lol just yolo lol.

[@Gehslol]

This was an example of a bad documentary. Firstly, 5 times/month hotpot is literally like less than 16% of the meals one would eat in a year if one ONLY ate one meal a day. Why is there a leap of logic to assume hotpot caused that random woman's weight gain? Secondly, they are comparing random broths of different flavours and then utilising the flavours as basis for comparison instead of the composition. Brand X's mala might have less oil than Brand Y's collagen broth, then what? This just made information more confusing instead of clearer. And then like another commentator said, the sodiom results in the lab test was "?". The control was boiling items in water, as expected, but who even regularly boils items in water? A better lab test would be testing how unhealthy hotpot can be compared to other common meals we eat often e.g. vegetables found in (a) hotpot (b) caifan (c) random homemaker's vegetable dish. There was very little useful fact finding and presentation in this one. Disappointed. Who produced this video?!?!?

[@deschan2246]

If U need to count calories, Dont Eat.😂

[@kongwee1978]

As a family of three, we can't finish the experimental dish.

[@lijinzhou9902]

Aiyoh, reduce the portion accordingly lah

[@nicolai1246]

What about Tom Yum

[@irenekoo]

Let Me Love You . Justin Bieber FT DJ Snake. WE dont talk anymore! Charlie Puth FT Selena Gomez. Story of my life . One Direction.

[@balonh1052]

It seems to me thay the nutritionist have graduated 😂

[@Bagellatte]

i have never eaten at haidilou before😂… and i think i only eat hotpot once a year the most😅 cos i don’t eat pork during hotpot so no meaning to eat… will be wasting $ if i go there and eat only vegs and mushrooms

[@renakwong2335]

aka Yong Tau Foo😂

[@kk22001]

Tell that to the hai di lau goers. Paying a premium to cook your own food. Biggest joke ever

[@lionellim1101]

its not just hai di lao. all your hotpot, pay so much for normal ingredients, service charge and gst and yet you still cook it yourself. people who go for hotpots are dumb people especially sinkie dogs

[@jasonli3279]

Misleading. How many ppl actually drink the hot pot soup by the bowels??

[@KucingJinak000]

Let's be honest here.. 13 kg in 5 years is acceptable.

[@pearlynlim9053]

Sugar content should be considered.

[@minzzles]

Read the obesity code by dr jason fung. Fat and sodium is not the enemy

[@ezekielk.3629]

Take it from a trainer POV - Don't drink the soup - Dip & not dunk the meat into the soup - Skip the rice if you wanna have less carbs - More greens - Eat everything in moderation - Ling Ling rolls are a killer - avoid at all cost

[@noct2750]

down to the core wants to be healthier just eat salad and steamed food done,everything we consumed outside processed anyway unless u went to live in a village

[@deschan2246]

Y dont u try eating wat u hv commented n see how long u live? 😂

[@noct2750]

@@deschan2246 being sarcastic actually ,if rly wanted to be health conscious just be health conscious...stay away from other foods that's the issue with modern society lacks of focus

[@shekrahman2118]

Sharing saliva

[@livefreevinnie]

Omg… Why ask how many calories? I eat whatever, but I eat moderately.

[@diff1980]

Why are we still talking about calories in 2024? Human body is not a machine so you can apply thermodynamics theory to it directly. It is all about hormonal responses to the substances we put into our mouths and thru digestive tract.

[@agoodlif3]

if you keepon counting calories, how will you enjoy your food? Just eat and exercise later 😊

[@luckymaggie6594]

Only mala hotpot is worth having

[@vivusloh]

Every year during CNY period, same spew of articles/programs on the same topic. 🙄🙄

[@kamyingfoong594]

Just eat just nice full not overly full

[@kklchau]

8-10 hot pot girl looks exactly how you would expect her to look

[@JasonYJS_xoxo]

The host?

[@christianhadi873]

This is one of fine example of misleading statistics

[@bordeux294]

But i love vegan hotpot

[@martinbrock713]

Love the meat

[@wl4006]

Don't understand the obsession over hotpot. It needs zero cooking skills. Make your own at home! The sauce can be homemade too. You need to know what's in the broth and the sauce. Sodium is just as bad as oil , and the spare parts they might add to the broth! I would not drink the collagen soup outside. Collagen is essentially what you add in your hotpot at home! Just add fresh meats, vegetables. No processed fish balls, fish cake and can food. That's all. Simple

[@noloveishere]

This video is demonising sodium so hard. Is sodium bad for you? Isn't sodium a necessity for bodily function?

[@bchpls24]

Who drink mala soup tho???

[@hsiensin]

ME and my friends

[@jonathanwong8487]

So stop adding and eating vege during hotpot.

[@kit33389]

the hate train against FATS and SODIUM has to stop. Sugar is the root of all nutritional evil. The end

[@selendrithtiras8659]

Just eat lah😂

[@gohhan655]

posted this 3 days too late lol

[@agoodlif3]

ikr

[@godsamazinggrace5331]

It's sad Enjoying food with so much caution

[@jrukawa11]

Because they are rich

[@tx31]

Sure, hot pot isn't the healthiest of food, but this seems one sided towards the part when they show off the healthier version. Lots of lab test and numbers for the chicken broth and water, but no test for the healthier version prepared by the food start up lady. Would have been more complete and persuasive if after showing the healthier option, the same set of lab tests is done, and all three data points put next to each other along with context to those data points. Otherwise there is no comparison that can be made, and the video boils down (pun intended) to just "eating hot pot outside bad, eat at home hot pot good" with extra steps.

[@crischia1427]

Show me what did i do …😅

[@jarrodyuki7081]

fire water earth air!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@iamjoycheee]

I eat hotpot almost every other week and it is the only food that allows me to poop all i ate and feel like i've had flat stomach after my toilet endulgement. Definitely this video is misleading content. the ketogenic diet i love is happening right there the moment i dip my meat in that mala soup.

[@abcdefg375]

8-10 hot pot meals during the cny? Can see why

[@Arwenpii]

We never drink the soup its gross

[@xijinpig7978]

and instead of beef an pork use bat and crickets

[@john99922]

做仙不要做人