Poke Theory, more commonly known as A Poke Theory, is a shop specialising in poke bowls. They were one of the first few brands to champion the health food wave in the local food and beverage scene.
Currently, poke has become a trending health food as The Walking Sun has observed from the overflowing number of customers during lunch hour, with a never-ending queue at Poke Theory’s first outlet at Telok Ayer. With bowls starting from just 400kcal, patrons get to customise everything from the base down to the garnishes.
Ms Valerie Zi Yun, 21, a first-time customer at Poke Theory, said that eating healthy came as shock, especially for her boyfriend, who did not know that healthy food, like poke bowls, could taste so good.
Poke bowls are made of marinated sashimi, vegetables and grains. Poke, pronounced as “poh-kay”, was first introduced in Singapore about 7 years ago by Aloha Poke.
Besides poke bowls, there has also been a rising trend for healthy desserts, namely acai bowls. Acai has garnered lots of attention from food blogs and magazines like TheSmartLocal and Shape magazine since 2017. Acai berries are the fruit of acai palm trees. They provide antioxidants together with other healthy nutrients.
Maanini Agarwal, 15, a secondary school student, has enjoyed eating Acai from Project Açaí. She said that she did not know what the exact health benefits of acai are but she and her friends just enjoy eating acai as it tastes good.
The Walking Sun managed to interview Joey Lee, 25, one of the co-founders of Poke Theory. When asked about his views towards this health food trend, he said: “Healthy eating is a trend but it is almost like a growing lifestyle. We don't expect it to fade away if anything, it would just grow stronger and we believe the whole world will gravitate towards it.”
Acai, pronounced as “ah-sigh-ee”, is said to prevent cancer, heart diseases and helps to delay signs of ageing. However, there is still limited scientific research to back up these claims.
The high price of health foods has become a cause for concern for Singaporeans looking to eat healthier.
According to Today Online, it is a myth that a healthy diet will cost more. The article also pointed out that price has little to do with eating well as it ultimately boils down to individual preferences and self-discipline.
It is also crucial for parents to instil good eating habits in their kids from a young age to inculcate a sense of self-discipline.
“It all starts with how a child eats. It is important that [parents] train their children to eat more fruits and vegetables so that these young impressionable minds would know what is good for their body and continue with healthy eating habits into adulthood,” said Ms Goo.
Rise of health foods in Singapore
There has been an increase in the number of health food brands, allowing health foods to become more accessible but not everyone is thrilled about it.
By Tan Yan Hui
Published 7 August 2019
The rise in the number of health foods has given Singaporeans a wider range of options to choose from to work towards a healthier diet.
According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018 by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), Singaporeans are consuming more wholegrain alongside fruits and vegetables. The survey has also shown that our diet quality has improved, with more Singaporeans substituting foods containing saturated fat for foods with unsaturated fat.
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Charmaine Goo, 19, a final-year Applied Food Science and Nutrition Student at Temasek Polytechnic, said: “People go for checkups and [start to] realise that health problems like cardiovascular diseases are becoming a problem in our society, so they turn to health foods to eat [healthier].”