Vegetarian food has been gaining popularity in Singapore in the ten years or so. As much as personal preference is in play, vegetarian restaurants and stalls should make sure that they are providing nutritious food to their customers.

One of the easiest ways to ensure that sellers are being socially conscious is to include the below food on their menu:

1.   Toufu

Toufu is made up of soybeans. This food contains amazing benefits for those who consume them. Click hereto check out the benefits of soybean products including toufu (bean curd).

Some of the toufu and soy bean products that CKH Food supplies are:

• EL Beancurd
• Big bean curd
• Medium bean curd
• Small bean curd
• Soft tofu
• Eff tofu
• Sunup red silken tofu
• Sunup green tofu
• CKH Box Tofu
• Dried bean pok
• Meng chuan bean pok
• Bean pok (cube)
• Fried bean strip
• Bean sprout
• Big bean sprout

2.   Lentils

Brown, green, yellow, red or black — lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate and an excellent source of protein. They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors. They’re easily cooked in 5–20 minutes, which — like soaking — reduces their antinutrient content.

Types of lentils are:

• Brown lentils
• Green lentils
• Red and yellow lentils
• Black beluga lentils
• Puy lentils

            It is said that black beluga lentils are the healthiest among all.

3.   Beans and Legumes

Beans and legumes are rich in plant protein, fibre, B-vitamins, iron, folate, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Most beans are also low in fat. Eating more beans as part of a healthy diet can help lower blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, and other heart disease and diabetes risks.

List of beans and legumes:

• Adzuki beans (red beans)
• Anasazi beans
• Black beans
• Black-eyed peas
• Fava beans
• Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Lima beans
• Pinto beans
• Split peas 

4.   Green leafy vegetables

In general, green leafy vegetables are typically low in calories and fat. They are high in protein per calorie, dietary fibre, vitamin C, pro-vitamin, carotenoids, folate, manganese and vitamin K. The vitamin K content of leaf vegetables is particularly high, since these are photosynthetic tissues and phylloquinone is involved in photosynthesis. Accordingly, users of vitamin K antagonist medications, such as warfarin, must take special care to limit consumption of leaf vegetables. 

Based on nutritional value, the 13 healthiest green leafy vegetables are:

• Kale
• Microgreens
• Collard greens
• Spinach
• Cabbage
• Beet greens
• Watercress
• Romaine lettuce
• Swiss chard
• Arugula
• Endive
• Bok choy
• Turnip greens

To help your customers reap the many impressive health benefits of leafy greens, make sure to include a variety of these vegetables in your diet.

5.   Nuts

Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife but it is seldom that we give them any credit in our daily food intake. They generally have a high oil content. Nuts are also a highly prized food and energy source. Many seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a snack food, or pressed for oil that is used in cookery and cosmetics.

Most common nuts that can be found in the market are:

• Chestnuts
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Pistachios
• Peanuts
• Coconut
• Macadamia
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Pine
• Brazil nuts
• Pecans

These nuts would improve the texture and deliciousness of your dishes. You can use them in salads, stir fried vegetables, and so on.

6.   Grains

Did you know that people who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases? Despite the bad reputation that white rice has given grains, they are in fact, important sources of many nutrients. This includes fibre, B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and folate) and minerals (iron, magnesium and selenium).

Examples of whole grains include:

• Amaranth
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur
• Corn
• Einkorn
• Farro/Emmer
• Fonio
• Freekeh
• Kamut Khorasan
• Kaniwa
• Millet
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Rye
• Sorghum/Milo
• Spelt
• Teff
• Triticale
• Wheat
• Wild rice

Singaporeans love eating rice. Sadly, white rice is one of the less good grains to consume. Thus, we suggest for you to include quinoa, rye, oats, millets, and wild rice as an option in the menu to cater to customers who are health conscious.

Are you looking for a trustable supplier?

For more information in regards to vegetarian produce, kindly contact us using this contact form or call us at (65) 6261 4995 or email us at ckhfood@singnet.com.sg

We look forward to speaking with you further. Let us help you make your F&B business better with our premium products that are available at an affordable price.