Photo: Her World
It’s a global movement that’s now gone local. More people in Singapore are becoming more conscious about what goes into their bodies.
It comes down to this – people are going out of their way to buy and eat clean. The clean-eating movement began some years ago with the rise of wellness bloggers in the US like Ella Mills (who advocated a plant-based diet), and Madeleine Shaw and Amelia Freer (who both recommended real, fresh food). Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall’s Escape to River Cottage – the chef escaped the city to grow his own greens and raise animals – also helped raise clean eating’s profile.
Sinking roots in Singapore
By 2014, chefs like Artichoke’s Bjorn Shen, Open Farm Community’s Ryan Clift, and Restaurant Labyrinth’s Han Li Guang were introducing diners to the farm-to-table concept, choosing local and organic meat and produce where possible. As certified health coach and owner of clean-eating cafe Kitchen by Food Rebel Elika Mather says, it is “food closest to its original state”. But is local always cleaner?
Chef Christopher Millar of Stellar prepares a flight of Tajima Wagyu (MS 7-8), which includes heirloom carrot puree, pickled shimeji mushrooms, and mango. Photo: Her World
Most of the time, yes. In Singapore, strict regulations imposed by the authorities on local farmers mean that what’s produced here is largely free of toxic chemicals and other contaminants, says Ivy Singh-Lim, founder of the Kranji Countryside Association. But it’s not organic. If you’re shopping in a supermarket, the easiest way to eat clean is to look for an organic label – which certifies that your food is produced as naturally and ethically as possible. This means no hormone-injected chicken, genetically modified crops, or harmful pesticides. Crops are also grown some distance from contaminants like fogging and car exhaust fumes.
More, more, more
Demand for clean food has continued to explode. These days, consumers want to hear from the growers, to understand what goes into cultivating the produce. Manda Foo, CEO of Bollywood Veggies, says the first Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market in 2014 drew 4,000 people, a figure that has swelled to 10,000 today. Held every quarter at the D’Kranji Farm Resort, it has dozens of farmers hawking their produce, as well as sellers of artisanal products like nut butters, jams, and oils. Other such markets have spawned, including pop-ups in the heartlands. We talk to the people leading the movement and sussed out the best produce you can take straight from the farm to your table.
The hydroponic home grower
Shirley Yong’s hydroponic facility. Photo: Her World
Shirley Yong is no farmer, but she is responsible for more than 350 edible leafy plants that sit in an air-conditioned hut on the ground floor of her executive condominium in Sengkang. Shirley, 41, is one of four residents growing hydroponic vegetables in this space measuring roughly 5×2.5m – which she currently rents at $10 for two months. Her home is the first in Singapore to include a hydroponic facility in its building plans. The vegetables she’s growing include xiao bai cai, kai lan and nai bai, and lately, she’s been experimenting with cauliflower and broccoli too.
As a stay-at-home mum of two children aged eight and 10, she had read about harmful pesticides in imported vegetables, so she stuck to buying local produce. And now, she can grow vegetables herself to ensure that they are free of chemicals.
Shirley says she only needs to check in on her plants three times a week, and top up the water source with a nutrient solution. It takes just 20 minutes each time. She harvests all her leafy veggies at once, and this lasts her family about a week or two. They then have to go without the hydroponic veggies for a couple of weeks before the next harvest. Still, Shirley makes sure she supplements her family’s vegetable intake with store-bought stuff like broccoli and carrots, which don’t grow well in a hydroponic environment.
READ MORE: How to roast vegetables to perfection
The wildling who lives off the land
Photo: Esmonde Luo
Esmonde Luo, 30, is on a mission to educate people about the flavours that can be found around them – if they’d only stop to look. Since 2016, he’s been leading small groups around forested areas in Singapore to teach them to forage for food. During each tour, which lasts a couple of hours, he shows them how to identify native edible plants, including a flower with a fiery kick similar to Sichuan pepper.
Esmonde, who works as a freelance landscaper, does not organise regular paid tours at present, and is content to take people on nature walks as and when he’s available. So far, he’s conducted more than 10 such tours.
He also takes a more extreme approach once every few months, when he packs a tent and some supplies, and sets up camp in the forested areas of Lim Chu Kang, Mandai and Pulau Ubin. He’s careful to avoid restricted zones.
“I eat only what I have caught or foraged. So I don’t eat if I don’t find anything,” Esmonde says. He picks wild cucumbers and catches crickets, which he then fries in oil. Occasionally, he’ll catch a catfish. “You truly experience nature when you draw sustenance directly from the earth,” he says. By submitting himself to the elements, he’s become more mindful of what he’s putting in his body.
The clean food to eat
Not all of us can grow our own hydroponic vegetable garden or forage for food in Lim Chu Kang. There’s an easy fix: buy clean groceries.
https://www.herworld.com/wellness/clean-eating-movement-diet-health/
The clean eating guide you must read to get you off to fresh start in 2018
What does it mean to eat clean?
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It means you don’t eat processed food. It means you know exactly where your food came from, what it previously ate (before it became what’s on your plate), how it spent its days, and how it’s free of chemicals and toxins.
Here’s where to start for the cleanest, tastiest meat and produce in Singapore.
READ MORE: 5 unhealthy habits you need to ditch in 2018
This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of Her World magazine.
Photo: Ryan’s Grocery
Sustenir Agriculture
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Its produce grows on hydroponic farms where the temperature, air quality, light, nutrients and water purity are controlled, so expect a practically unblemished crop. Most kale in Singapore is imported, so Sustenir’s is as fresh as it gets. Its range includes arugula, lettuce and spinach. Sustenir supplies Salad Stop, the Tung Lok Group and Da Paolo Group.
Prices start at $7 for a 150g pack of Kinky Kale or Tuscano Kale. At Cold Storage and www.redmart.com
READ MORE: How to switch to a plant-based diet
The Fishwives
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So you can’t get local salmon. But you can get the freshest, cleanest salmon possible from The Fishwives, which imports it from Akaroa Salmon, a farm in the clear waters of New Zealand where the fish grow within their natural habitat. The salmon are reared in the open ocean, and fed fishmeal that’s close to their natural diet. Best of all, the fish arrives in Singapore within 36 hours of being harvested. Apart from salmon, you can get an assortment of fresh and smoked seafood, red and white meats, as well as pasta, sauces and gluten-free breads here, all in line with its clean-eating ethos.
From $15 for two 180g salmon steaks, with a $10 delivery fee. The Fishwives is at #01-05B Cluny Court, 501 Bukit Timah Road. Order online at www.thefishwives.com
READ MORE: How to make the perfect poke bowl
Dairyfolks
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Yes, you can get cow’s milk fresh off a farm in Singapore. Dairyfolks rears Holstein Friesian cows, which are known for their high production of milk. The animals are fed a diet of freshly harvested grass and beansprouts, and aren’t given antibiotics or hormones. No additives are added to the milk, and after it’s pasteurised – treated at a low temperature of 80 deg C that kills bacteria but maintains the flavour and texture – it’s packaged and delivered chilled to your doorstep. The milk has a shorter shelf life of just five days, but hey, your health’s worth a little extra hassle.
Bottles start at $5.50 a litre, with free delivery for orders above $20. Order at www.dairyfolks.com
READ MORE: 6 soft drinks with less than 20g sugar per serving
Ryan's Grocery
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This husband-and-wife team flies to Australia and trawls numerous farms and farmer’s markets to bring you a curated selection of organic meats and gluten-free products. Ryan’s Grocery is named after the couple’s young son, whose allergies to dairy and gluten, among other things, first led to the couple making trips to Australia to source suitable produce for him. We love the butchery in particular – it imports pasture-fed organic Angus Pure beef from Angus Australia members, along with a wide selection of other meats such as organic lamb and pork, and gluten-free sausages that are made in-house. Buy them pre-marinated, complete with instructions on how to recreate a restaurant-worthy meat dish.
Ryan’s Grocery is at 29 Binjai Park. Order online at www.ryansgrocery.com
READ MORE: Where to find the 8 best steaks in Singapore
Photo: Ryan’s Grocery
Waitrose Duchy Organic Self-Raising Flour
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Puritans might say going clean means ditching confectionery, breakfast cereals and muesli entirely. But if you can’t, opt for organic brands like Waitrose Duchy Organic and Casino Bio. The wheat and grain used in the products are, at the very least, free of artificial chemicals. Find these at the Wellness4life section at Cold Storage, which focuses on organic products, and products that cater to people with allergies. The Great World City, Plaza Singapura, Jelita and Sime Darby outlets have the widest variety.
$7.95 for a 1.5kg packet.
READ MORE: Recipe: Light and fluffy milo chiffon cake
Kuhlbarra
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Kuhlbarra isn’t like other fish farms here. It rears only one type of fish: barramundi, imported from Australia and raised in open-sea farms off the southern coast of Singapore. To ensure a clean environment for the fish, the water quality is tested every 10 minutes, and no hormones are given to speed up their growth. The farm not only harvests the fish, it also processes the flesh in cold rooms where it is cut into fillets and vacuum-packed immediately. Chefs like Pollen’s Steve Allen and Cheek by Jowl’s Rishi Naleendra get their fresh catch from Kuhlbarra.
Prices start from $10 for a single 200g tail cut, and delivery is free if you spend more than $50. Order at www.kuhlbarra.com
READ MORE: Is your desk job causing you to gain weight?
Pasar Organic, Fairprice
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This is the most affordable organic produce we could find – up to 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than other brands. Fairprice works with organic farms across Asia to bring in more than 30 varieties of vegetables, including bak choy, chye sim, kai lan, and lady’s finger. It ensures that all farms are certified organic and comply with its strict internal organic assurance programme. The supermarket also oversees the entire process from farm to store shelves.
Prices start from $2.20 for a 200g pack of lady’s fingers. Order at www.fairprice.com.sg
READ MORE: Eat healthy this year with these anti-stress foods
Photo: Fairprice
Sea Farmers @ Ubin
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Sea Farmers @ Ubin farms Pacific oysters, imported as spat (otherwise known as oyster babies) from Australia, in numerous large baskets off the coast of Pulau Ubin. It’s an all-natural set-up, where the oysters feed on phytoplankton that floats in the water. Once they are grown and harvested, the oysters are placed in a controlled, clean-water environment for three days and treated under UV light to kill off bacteria.
From $50 for 16 oysters, with free delivery for orders above $100. Order at www.seafarmers.sg
READ MORE: 7 restaurants for high-end seafood at affordable prices
Photo: 123rf.com
This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of Her World magazine.