Bite club

If you've ever wondered what your diet is like compared to others, here are some clues. We asked three Hongkongers to keep a one-day food diary and had the results analysed by Holistic Nutrition Consultants' registered dietitian Fion Lin Fei-yi.

'A diet diary is very useful in providing an alert to people so they become more conscious about their eating habits,' says Lin. 'I find that when my clients write a food diary they progress much quicker towards their goals.'

She says that, in general, Hongkongers tend to eat too much meat, especially when they dine at restaurants because the portions are large. Their diets are also usually lacking in vegetables and fruit as these are not often ordered in abundance when eating out.

For those watching their weight over the festive season, Lin suggests compensatory eating. 'If you know you're going to a party that night, then plan ahead by reducing the amount you eat at lunch or at other times during the day.'

We asked her to share her thoughts on these diets:

Sharon Cheung Po-wah, senior vice-president of eSun Holdings:

9am: one banana and one kiwifruit, a glass of water and a cup of tea.

11am: gym for a one-hour workout.

1pm: dim sum - a shrimp dumpling, beef rice roll, pork dumplings, a chicken bun, a small bowl of congee and stuffed eggplant plus five small cups of tea.

4pm: herbal rose tea.

6pm: sweet corn, carrot and pork soup, fried choi sum with garlic, steamed chicken with mushrooms and half a bowl of white rice.

Lin says: Sharon's diet is lacking in calcium and iron. She needs more dairy products, fortified soy milk or hard tofu, which are high in calcium and help prevent osteoporosis. Iron is another concern as she also doesn't really include enough dark green vegetables such as choi sum, wholegrain products or beef, so she's at risk of anaemia. I would also recommend that she include high-fibre cereals or wholegrain breads which are high in complex carbohydrates and will give her more energy during the day. But generally, her diet is quite well-balanced with lots of vitamins. Her food choices are low-fat - for example, she selects steamed dishes and most of the dim sum items are healthy choices.

William Mackay, general manager of the Four Seasons Hong Kong

6.15am: one croissant on hotel walkthrough.

6.30am: 50-minute cardio workout at the gym.

9am: breakfast with hotel manager, comprising one bowl of all-bran with berries and skimmed milk, low-fat yogurt, one slice of granular bread with cream cheese, tomato and smoked salmon, and one skimmed milk cappuccino.

11am: skimmed milk cappuccino and a biscotti.

1.30pm: lunch in employee restaurant. Snow fungus, pear and dried almond soup, braised minced fish and bitter melon with black bean sauce, steamed chicken with red date and lotus leaf and a small portion of steamed rice. A mug of tea with skimmed milk.

3pm: six wine gums from assistant's desk.

4pm: birthday cheesecake in the office for one of the sales managers.

6pm: tasting of two potential pinot noir wines by the glass - the total equivalent of about one glass.

8pm: dinner with hotel guest - Caesar salad with chicken and one glass of chardonnay. I drink water throughout the day - about 1.5 litres.

Lin says: William's diet needs considerable improvement as he takes too many calories from high-fat food and alcohol. He eats before exercising, which is good for preventing blood sugar levels from dropping, but croissants are high in fat, so he needs to change to toast or cereal.

His choice of office snacks, such as wine gums, is not healthy. He should make sure he has healthier snacks in the office such as nuts, seeds, fruit, cherry tomatoes and high-fibre biscuits.

He also consumes too many dairy products. The recommendation is one or two servings a day (one serving equals one glass of milk or low-fat yogurt). Too much can actually increase the risk of osteoporosis because it contains animal protein.

His liquid intake is good, but the alcohol recommendation for men is two servings a day, with 125ml comprising one serving. Too much wine can cause weight gain and increase the risk of other diseases.

Lastly, he doesn't consume enough carbohydrates. He only has a small portion of rice and no carbohydrates at dinner and for males that's not enough. He needs to eat more carbs at lunch and dinner.

Eunice Wong, publishing executive:

10am: one carton of soya bean milk, a Maxim's bun stuffed with a sausage.

1.30pm: a few pieces of dried tofu, three small bowls of Chinese fried rice with shrimp, pork and mushroom, jasmine tea, and Chinese sweet soup with red beans.

3pm: one piece of dark chocolate.

5pm: latte coffee.

8pm: one bowl of egg noodles with soup and chicken powder, one-quarter of a dish of lettuce and some pieces of steamed fish.

10pm: one pear, one glass of Diet Lemon Coke. I drink water whenever I feel thirsty during the day.

Lin says: Eunice's diet isn't well-balanced. She has too much fat and sodium which are bad for her heart. Also she doesn't get enough vitamins, minerals, calcium or fibre.

For example, lettuce is very low in fibre, so she needs to include other vegetables such as choi sum, broccoli and bak choi.

The sausage bun should also be replaced with oats or wholegrain cereals. A lack of fibre increases constipation and heightens the risk of colon cancer. So she needs to have at least one bowl of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day.

She's also not having any dairy products. The soy milk carton is most likely to be low in calcium (unless it specifies that it's fortified).