Mr David Yong of Tanjong Rhu Wanton Noodle uses less salt in his soup and wonton filling. SINGAPORE – In the past year or so, more hawkers have been selling less salty food, either by cutting down on the table salt they use or by switching to lower-sodium salt. And judging by the reaction – or lack of it – customers have not noticed. Owners of five hawker stalls that now serve less salty food say none of their customers have complained. Two of them say some customers help themselves to soya sauce, but for the most part, it is business as usual. Convincing hawkers to sell less salty food is part of the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) war against salt. Nine in 10 people here bust the recommended daily limit for sodium. That recommended daily limit is 2,000mg, which is one teaspoon of table salt, kosher salt or rock salt, including Himalayan pink salt. But according to HPB’s 2022 National Nutrition Survey, which tracks the eating habits of adult Singapore residents, nine in 10 people here are averaging 3,620mg of sodium a day, compared with 3,480mg a day in 2019. The Health Ministry’s National Population Health Survey of 2022 shows that more than one-third of Singapore residents have hypertension, one of the consequences of a high-salt diet, and this proportion has nearly doubled from 2010. HPB has been fighting the battle on all fronts since 2011: getting sauce manufacturers, caterers, restaurants and other businesses to reduce sodium levels in their food, and getting people to cut down on salt when cooking. A spokesman says that in July, the board ramped up its efforts among hawkers, rolling out its Healthier Ingredient Promotion Programme to encourage them to use lower-sodium ingredients. “We are looking into how to better support them in this journey, as they may not be aware of available lower-sodium alternatives and where to get them,” the spokesman adds. “Given that hawker centres are a common eat-out option for many Singaporeans, supporting hawkers in reducing sodium content will enable us to increase the availability, accessibility and variety of affordable lower-sodium meal options.” So, the board sends promoters stall to stall to educate hawkers on why there is a need to reduce sodium in their food, hand out samples of lower-sodium ingredients and link them up with suppliers of these ingredients, among other things. Some 300 hawkers have made the switch to lower-sodium salt, sauces and seasonings as at September, and the board hopes to reach out to hawkers in 110 centres by the end of 2025. While some hawkers have reduced the amount of table salt they use in their food, others switched over to K-salt or potassium salt, which HPB says is at least 25 per cent lower in sodium than table salt. Potassium, which is found in food, is often blended with table salt to lower its sodium content. The mineral is said to help lower blood pressure. To find healthier hawker food, look for stickers on the stall that say “Lower-sodium options available here” or “Healthier options available here”. Extending self-care Where: 01-60 Geylang East Market & Food Corner, 117 Aljunied Avenue 2 Open: 6am to 2pm (Fridays to Wednesdays), closed on Thursdays Tanjong Rhu Wanton Noodle’s soup is made with pork bones, dried ikan bilis, peppercorns and rice grains for thickening, among other things, and 15 per cent less salt. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Wonton noodle seller David Yong, 49, began getting the occasional dizzy spell a few months ago. They were not severe, but he decided to get checked up at the polyclinic. Doctors told him the spells could be because he was not drinking enough water or it could be due to his elevated blood pressure. They advised him to cut down on salt in his diet. He did that and, three months ago, also cut down on the salt he uses for his wonton soup and wonton filling. Mr Yong has been selling wonton noodles for more than 20 years, with the last six years in Geylang East. He figured that what is good for him would also be good for his customers, many of whom are elderly. “I didn’t tell customers,” he says in Mandarin, of the lower-sodium move. “I have a lot of elderly customers and I noticed how some of them would now add soya sauce to their soup. Slowly, I think people will get used to the taste.” His wonton noodles, priced from $3.80 a serving, come with soup made with pork bones, dried ikan bilis, peppercorns and rice grains for thickening, among other things. The proportion of ingredients remains the same, but there is now 15 per cent less salt. Business has not dipped since he made the change, and he has ordered K-salt, a lower-sodium alternative, with a view to using it in the food he sells. He tried it at home after getting samples at an HPB roadshow. “At home, I tried the healthy salt in my cooking, and without MSG, it tastes good,” says the hawker, who has a 20-year-old son. “I find that when there is too much normal salt in soup, you just don’t want to finish it. And my son complains when the food is too salty.” More spices, less salt Where: 01-53 Albert Street Market & Food Centre, 270 Queen Street Open: 11am to 7pm daily What Da Duck co-owners (from left) James Sie, Metika Wisadrungjarend and Paxton Ong use lower-sodium alternative K-salt in their Thai duck noodles. ST PHOTO: TAN HSUEH YUN The rich, dark soup at this six-month-old stall that sells Thai-style duck noodles is simmered for more than six hours. The colour comes not from soya sauce, but from patience. That is because the four entrepreneurs behind the brand decided to halve the amount of soya sauce they use in the all-important broth, and replace it with K-salt, a lower-sodium alternative to table salt. To get the same rich flavour, Ms Metika Wisadrungjarend, 34, tweaked her mother’s recipe. She simmers the soup for longer, and uses more cinnamon and star anise, among other spices, to achieve the same flavour. “We cook it at a higher heat and cook it longer to strengthen the taste,” she says. The noodles are priced from $5.50 a serving. What Da Duck’s duck noodles are priced from $5.50 a serving. PHOTO: WHAT DA DUCK She runs What Da Duck with her husband Paxton Ong, 35, and Mr James Sie, 35, and his wife Metapiya Sriwanna, 30. They also run three-month-old Siam Munchies, which sells Thai fried bananas across from the noodle stall. K-salt has also replaced regular salt in the batter in the other stall. Mr Sie says: “We are in a silver zone. About half of our customers are elderly. When we see them, we are reminded of our parents. So when HPB came by our shop with K-salt, saying it has the same flavour of salt, but with less sodium, we thought, why not do something for our customers?” He adds that his father, who is in his 60s, has the “three highs” – high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. “Some food that we find salty, to them, it’s not salty at all,” he says. “They complain there is no flavour in it.” His health-conscious maternal grandmother raised him, and he grew up eating food with less salt, he adds. Now, he hopes to convince his dad to cut down on salt in his diet. “If you have any ideas, tell me,” he says. Business bump Where: 01-108 Boon Lay Place Food Village, 221B Boon Lay Place Open: 11am to 9pm daily Mr Hisham Osman of Big Daddy’s Chicken & Noodles uses lower-sodium K-salt. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Since he swopped table salt for lower-sodium K-salt in the food he sells two months ago, Mr Hisham Osman, 50, has seen a 20 to 25 per cent increase in business. The Muslim-owned stall is getting more Chinese customers, who have started coming for his signature Roasted Chicken Rice ($5), Chicken Char Siew Rice ($5.50) and Roasted Chicken Noodle ($5). He thinks it is because the stall displays HPB’s “Lower-sodium options” sticker, which tells customers it uses lower-sodium alternatives to salt. “The sticker is helpful, especially for Chinese customers,” he says. “People think Malay food has a lot of MSG in it, but they now feel confident to give us a try. I have one Chinese uncle who eats my chicken rice every day.” He has a personal reason for switching to lower-sodium salt. One of his eight brothers is diabetic, while the others and his two sisters have hypertension. He has been cutting down on sugar and carbohydrates in his own diet, and in six months went from 135kg to 95kg. He sweetens his drinks with stevia, a sugar substitute. Some 80 per cent of his customers are elderly, and he sometimes tells them about the lower-sodium salt he uses. He is also looking for dark soya sauce and oyster sauce with less sugar. “I also recommend it to friends who run nasi padang and Western food stalls,” he says of the lower-sodium salt. “I tell them it’s good for health.” Less salt, less sugar Where: 01-16 112 Bukit Merah Market & Food Centre, 112 Jalan Bukit Merah Open: 3.30 to 10am (Mondays to Thursdays), 3.30am to 12.30pm (Fridays to Sundays) Ms Serene Teo of Jit Man Prawn Noodle & Lor Mee cut the amount of salt in her food in 1997. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO While most of the hawkers featured here cut down on the salt in their food recently, Ms Serene Teo, 60, has been doing it since 1997. The change was pretty drastic – she halved the amount of salt in her prawn broth. She says her mother, who was diabetic, died at age 70 in 1995, the year Ms Teo took over her father’s prawn noodle business. “She had to take medications every day,” she says of her mother. “I was afraid of getting diabetes too, so I started eating less salt and sugar. I want to be healthy and I want others to be healthy too.” There are no other changes to her father’s recipe for the prawn noodles, priced from $3.50 a serving. Even her laksa (from $3.50) and lor mee (from $3.50) have less sodium. The broth for Jit Man Prawn Noodle & Lor Mee's signature prawn noodles is made with less salt. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO About half her customers are elderly, and no one complained about the less salty food when she made the change. Then and now, she adds, about 10 per cent of customers help themselves to soya sauce. The changes she made to her own diet have paid off, as she has normal blood pressure and blood sugar. Her three children, aged 19 to 26, have also become accustomed to eating less salt and sugar. For health-conscious customers Where: 02-01 Jurong West Hawker Centre, 50 Jurong West Street 61 Open: 11am to 3pm, 4 to 9pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays Mr Louis Lee and his son Marcus Lee run Nam Wah Heng Fish Head Steamboat. ST PHOTO: TAN HSUEH YUN Swopping table salt for lower-sodium salt was a no-brainer for Mr Marcus Lee, 32, who runs Nam Wah Heng Fish Head Steamboat with his father Louis Lee, 59. Every day, they would get eight to 10 customers asking for less oil and salt in their food. So, about four months ago, they made the switch. The stall, and two others in the hawker centre that they run – Mini Wok Zi Char and Old Street Hainanese Curry Rice – sport the “Lower-sodium options” sticker. The three stalls go through about 20kg of K-salt a month. The younger Mr Lee says: “A lot of our customers ask for less oil and salt, especially those in their mid-teens to early 20s.” For Nam Wah Heng Fish Head Steamboat’s signature fish steamboat stock, the cooks make a one-for-one swop with K-salt, and add more ginger and herbs to enrich the flavour. PHOTO: NAM WAH HENG FISH HEAD STEAMBOAT For the signature fish steamboat stock, the cooks make a one-for-one swop with K-salt, and add more ginger and herbs to enrich the flavour. Prices start at $28 for the Angoli (sea bream) steamboat and top out at $88 for a whole Red Grouper or Pomfret. Other popular dishes include Curry Fish Head ($28), Hotplate Oyster Omelette (from $12) and Ginger Paste Chicken ($18). All are made using lower-sodium salt. Mr Lee says: “When HPB came to introduce us to the lower-sodium salt, we gave it a try. We used it in the dishes and there was not much difference in taste, so we will continue to use it.” Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now
The No. 12 Clemson Tigers and the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks face off in the Palmetto Bowl. If you are looking to find Tigers vs. Gamecocks tickets, information is available below. Clemson vs. South Carolina game info How to buy Clemson vs. South Carolina tickets for college football Week 14 You can purchase tickets to see the Tigers square off against the Gamecocks from multiple sources. Clemson vs. South Carolina betting odds, lines, spreads Odds courtesy of BetMGM Clemson Tigers schedule Clemson Tigers stats South Carolina Gamecocks schedule South Carolina Gamecocks stats This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.Pep Guardiola admits he is questioning himself after Manchester City’s latest defeat left them in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout stages. City slumped to their seventh defeat in 10 games in all competitions as they were beaten 2-0 at Juventus in their latest European outing on Wednesday. Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie at the Allianz Stadium left Guardiola’s side languishing in 22nd place in the standings. With just two games of the league phase remaining, a place in the top eight and automatic last-16 qualification looks beyond them and they face a battle just to stay in the top 24 and claim a play-off spot. City manager Guardiola said: “Of course I question myself but I’m stable in good moments and bad moments. “I try to find a way to do it. I’m incredibly honest. If we play good (I say) we played good and today I thought we played good. “Our game will save us. We can do it. We conceded few chances compared to the Nottingham Forest game that we won. We’re making the right tempo. “We missed the last pass, did not arrive in the six-yard box (at the right time) or have the composure at the right moment. “But I love my team. This is life, it happens. Sometimes you have a bad period but I’m going to insist until we’re there.” City now face a crunch trip to Paris St Germain, who are also at risk of failing to qualify, next month. Guardiola accepts the top 24 is now the only aim. He said: “It’s the target. We need one point or three points. We go to Paris to try to do it and the last game at home.” Veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said after the game he felt City were suffering from a loss of confidence but Guardiola dismissed his player’s comments. “I am not agreeing with Ilkay,” he said. “Of course it is tough but, except one or two games in this period, we’ve played good.” City now face a further test of their resolve as they host rivals Manchester United in a derby on Sunday. Gundogan told TNT Sports: “It (confidence) is a big part of it. That’s a mental issue as well. “You can see that sometimes we miss the ball or lose a duel and you see that we drop immediately and lose the rhythm. They (the opponents) don’t even need to do much but it has such a big effect on us right now. “Even more you have to do the simple things as good as possible and create and fluidity, then it’s work hard again. This is how you get confidence back – do the small and simple things, (but) in crucial moments at the moment we are always doing the wrong things.” Juventus coach Thiago Motta was pleased with the hosts’ performance, which boosted their hopes of making the top eight. “It was a deserved victory,” he said. “We had to defend as a team and be ready to attack with quality. “We have shown we can compete at this level and now we have to do it consistently.”
Apart from the landslide victory in the 2024 assembly polls, the big win in the Vidarbha region is the icing on the cake for Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shinde Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar). The remarkable tally of 49 out of 62 seats in Vidarbha has surely given the alliance something more to cheer about. The BJP has bagged 38 seats, a good improvement from the 29 it won in the last elections. The results have come as a huge surprise for poll pundits of every hue as the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which was expecting a clean sweep in Vidarbha, had to bite dust. Top leaders of the grand old party and Uddhav Sena have tumbled, while the NCP (SP) has been totally wiped out. At least in 35 of the 62 seats in this region, the BJP and the Congress were in one-on-one fights. Once again it has been proved that in direct contests the BJP gets the better of the Congress. However, the latter's state president and aspiring chief minister, Nana Patole, was saved from embarrassment in the Sakoli constituency and won by 208 votes against the BJP's Avinash Brahmankar. Among other stalwarts who lost badly are former state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre from the Digras seat in Yavatmal, who was defeated by Sanjy Rathod of Shinde Sena. In the Teosa constituency of the Amravati district, Yashomati Thakur, believed to be a core member of team Rahul Gandhi, also lost. In the final tally of Vidarbha, the BJP got 38 seats, Congress nine, Shinde Sena four, NCP (Ajit) six and Sena (UBT) four. MVA was on cloud nine as it had hoped to repeat its Lok Saha elections performance when it had won seven seats out of total 10 segments in Vidarbha, while Mahayuti was victorious in the remaining three. The BJP could win only two seats : Nagpur (Nitin Gadkari) and Akola (Anup Dhotre), while Shinde Sena's Pratapsinh Jadhav had bagged the Buldhana seat. In a surprising turn, the NCP (SP), which had secured one Lok Sabha seat (Wardha) from the region in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, failed to win any assembly segments since its inception in 1999. In the just-concluded polls, the NCP (SP) had fielded candidates in three constituencies within Nagpur district alone – Hingna, Nagpur East and Katol. The assault drama staged by former minister Anil Deshmukh to get sympathy for his son, Salil, proved to be a damp squib as the latter was defeated by BJP's Charansinh Thakur with a comfortable margin. The 2014 assembly elections were also notable for the fact that all four major parties contested independently, allowing each to fully test its strength. Back then, the BJP won 44 seats, which helped Devendra Fadnavis to head the BJP-Sena government and successfully complete a full term as the CM. However, in 2019, the BJP's tally dipped to 29 seats in Vidarbha, which weakened its bargaining power in the pre-poll alliance with the undivided Sena. The loss of 15 seats diminished the party's leverage, ultimately leading to the collapse of the alliance over disagreements regarding the CM's post. Historically, Vidarbha has been the Congress' bastion, which maintained a significant influence over the region for four decades till 1990. However, after that the BJP made deep inroads in the region and dominates its political landscape now. Following the debacle in these polls, the Congress has been completely wiped out from the Gondia, Bhandara, Amravati, Buldhana districts. Among the notable winners in this election is Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who secured his sixth term by defeating his Congress rival, Praful Gudadhe-Patil, in Nagpur South-West, with a margin exceeding 30,000 votes. Similarly, state BJP Chief Chandrasekhar Bawankule successfully retained the Kamptee seat. He was denied a ticket in the 2019 elections when the BJP fielded rural leader Tekchand Savarkar, who drove to victory. In the Aheri constituency, NCP candidate Dharmababa Atram triumphed over his nearest rival, Bhagyashree Atram, who is his daughter and contested as an NCP (SP) nominee in a triangular contest. Former minister, Ambarish Atram, who was denied a ticket this time, ran as a rebel from the same constituency. Assembly Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar managed to retain his Brahmapuri seat by a narrow margin. RSS watcher Dilip Deodhar said that the cohesive BJP campaign – led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and very well-managed by Fadnavis – could exceed expectations because of the major role of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Not only the RSS cadres fanned out across the region for campaigns, but Sangh got a valid reason to polarise voters. The Hindu vote consolidation was done successfully, thanks to Islamic scholar Moulana Sajjad Nomani's direct call (fatwa) to defeat all Mahayuti candidates. The Ulema Council's ill-timed letter to the Congress leadership, raising 17 demands that the party accepted, also proved counter-productive. Rahul Gandhi's call for caste census was also seen as an attempt to divide people, while Modi's loud and clear call of “Ek hai toh safe hai” won the day for the BJP.