Independent cafes are sprouting up across Hong Kong, and one of the latest offers a one-stop shop for healthy food, coffee, smoothies – and nutritional advice. The owner of Grain Of Salt, Tiffany Shek Tsz-yan, 30, is a registered dietitian who is keen on giving people healthier options while they eat out in the fast-paced, stressful city. “I’m hoping to incorporate more fruit, vegetables, and nuts into people’s lives in more interesting and scrumptious ways, be it in my recipes or just talking to clients,” she says. The front section of Grain Of Salt in Gough Street, Central, is a cosy cafe serving nutritious drinks and snacks, with a small area at the back selling plates with reminders of portion sizes, and boxes specially made for carrying nuts. Upstairs is Shek’s practice, where she can advise clients on how to change their lifestyle, particularly their food choices. The comprehensive cafe was an idea Shek had as a child, at first fantasising about opening a cafe with her best friend. Later on, she envisioned a space into which people could walk in and come out refreshed and transformed through diet, exercise and a fashion makeover. “Nutritionists usually do research, give health talks to people, or look into public health. But I like helping people one-on-one. If you’re working on weight loss, it’s linked with other issues like high cholesterol or hypertension.” Your gut microbiome defends against Covid-19, so keep it healthy Shek became a registered dietitian in 2018 after completing a master’s in nutrition in the UK, and combined this with her interest in preparing food. “I always loved cooking at a young age and I also remember doing role plays with my friends. I enjoyed being a teacher, which is what a dietitian does daily, empowering people with nutritional knowledge,” she says. Her mantra is to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables, at least three servings a day of vegetables – either three rice bowl-sized salads, or 1½ bowls of cooked vegetables, and two servings of fruit, each about the size of a woman’s fist or an apple. In 2015, Shek went to Los Angeles to attend the Matthew Kenney Culinary School for a few months, where she learned more about raw vegan cuisine for her own personal interest. Before and after she attended the course, she worked in a sandwich shop and briefly at organic vegan restaurant Grassroots Pantry in Hong Kong, now closed, which gave her experience in creating recipes for her clients and later for Grain Of Salt. Popular items in the cafe include avocado toast (HK$128), dumplings (HK$88) filled with mushrooms and tofu, and an almond yogurt bowl (HK$98) with chia seeds, fruit, granola and goji purée. Smoothies (HK$78) include one called “uplift” that has cacao powder, almond paste, avocado and almond milk, and “berry good” that blends blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. There’s even a QR code on the menu for people to scan to check the nutritional value of the items. Since Shek began her practice almost three years ago, most of her clients have come to her for help with weight loss. When a new client comes in, she weighs them and does a full assessment that she describes from A to E. “A is for physical anthropometry or physical measurements; B for biochemical; C for clinical, or existing conditions, medications or supplements; D for diet; and E for environment, as in who is in charge of making meals, where that person lives, the kind of access they have for food,” she says. Skinny but fat? Why you should be fighting the tummy bulge Her main concern is the person’s BMI. For Asians, Shek says, a good range is between 18.5 and 22.9. “If you are looking to lose weight and you’re around 22.9, you can choose to lose weight , but I would recommend exercise being a component, a lifestyle motivation. Losing weight is about calorie deficit and the right food choices,” she says. “I would recommend the person not to be underweight. Being malnourished can lead to long-term problems.” Her clients range from teenagers to the over-50s, and they are evenly split between male and female. During the coronavirus pandemic , Shek says some people are disciplined and continue to work out regularly, while others have fallen off the bandwagon and gained weight, turning to comfort foods like biscuits and cakes. “I remind them what their goal is, the adverse effects of having too much sugar , and to decrease the frequency of having it. I don’t believe in depriving people, they need to find balance and moderation.” That moderation is what inspired the name of the cafe, Grain of Salt. “It’s not too little and not too much, it’s about balance and moderation. When you take things with a grain of salt, you don’t blindly listen to what people say, so I feel like nutrition is a science and not a subjective opinion,” Shek explains. Obesity rises in China as unhealthy lifestyles take toll One of her success stories was a few years ago when a father brought his clinically obese 16-year-old son to see her. “We did supermarket tours and went through healthy items. I explained different types of noodles and which ones would be a better choice and why. We discovered food nutrition labels, and looked at the ingredient list,” Shek says. “We talked about food and any questions prompted in the store were answered immediately. I thought it was better than just sitting in the office.” The student was diligent in following Shek’s advice and her recipes – and lost more than 4.5kg (10lb). He became so interested in food that he is now studying hospitality. “He actually cared about what he was eating, and he made an effort to be healthy,” she says. When the pandemic is under control and government restrictions are lifted, Shek hopes to introduce a third component to her cafe, to hold talks, events and activities such as running along the harbourfront promenade, or having indoor training sessions. Grain of Salt 47 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2968 1083