Bangkok:
It's not just people from Thailand who enjoy Thai food - it's hugely popular all around the world.
But many dishes are surprisingly fattening and with 35 per cent of Thais overweight or obese there's a move towards healthier versions of traditional favourites.
20 per cent of Thais suffer from hypertension and nearly 10 per cent over 35 have diabetes.
According to Dietitian Krisadee Bodhidatta these are preventable illnesses.
"If we want to have good health, we should eat food that comes from nature instead of fast food or ready-to-eat-food. Natural foods such as vegetables, fruits, rice, beans and meat. All these things are natural. And if we consume them in appropriate quantities, we can get all the nutrition we need," said Krisadee Bodhidatta.
In Bangkok new cooking courses have sprung up to help ordinary people eat healthier.
Shiang Ying and Adrian Cox want to cut down on fat, sugar and oil when cooking Thai food at home.
After buying fresh food at the market they are off on a re-fitted rice barge to learn some tricks of the trade.
Many guests at the Marriott Resort and Spa, where Kritphan Jitmanowan is chef, want healthier, fat-free food, so he is specially tailoring Thai recipes to meet their needs and teaching others how to do the same.
"When we grill chicken, it has a sweet taste from the fat," says Kritphan. "But if we take off the fat, I will make it tastier using other ingredients such as sauce. The taste will slightly change. It may taste a bit bland, so I will use salt, fish sauce, sugar or lemon. If the chicken is bland, the gravy's flavour will be very tasty. The seasoning could be stronger than the taste of the meat."
Shiang and Adrian already watch what they eat but Adrian is worried about what restaurants put in their dishes.
"Eating out in Thailand is great and it's easy to get good food prepared pretty much anywhere," says Adrian. "The only thing is that I'm not quite sure of the ingredients. Like a lot of times there's quite a bit of sugar or MSG in the foods."
These new courses show how easy it is to eat delicious Thai food without compromising on taste.
But many dishes are surprisingly fattening and with 35 per cent of Thais overweight or obese there's a move towards healthier versions of traditional favourites.
20 per cent of Thais suffer from hypertension and nearly 10 per cent over 35 have diabetes.
According to Dietitian Krisadee Bodhidatta these are preventable illnesses.
"If we want to have good health, we should eat food that comes from nature instead of fast food or ready-to-eat-food. Natural foods such as vegetables, fruits, rice, beans and meat. All these things are natural. And if we consume them in appropriate quantities, we can get all the nutrition we need," said Krisadee Bodhidatta.
In Bangkok new cooking courses have sprung up to help ordinary people eat healthier.
Shiang Ying and Adrian Cox want to cut down on fat, sugar and oil when cooking Thai food at home.
After buying fresh food at the market they are off on a re-fitted rice barge to learn some tricks of the trade.
Many guests at the Marriott Resort and Spa, where Kritphan Jitmanowan is chef, want healthier, fat-free food, so he is specially tailoring Thai recipes to meet their needs and teaching others how to do the same.
"When we grill chicken, it has a sweet taste from the fat," says Kritphan. "But if we take off the fat, I will make it tastier using other ingredients such as sauce. The taste will slightly change. It may taste a bit bland, so I will use salt, fish sauce, sugar or lemon. If the chicken is bland, the gravy's flavour will be very tasty. The seasoning could be stronger than the taste of the meat."
Shiang and Adrian already watch what they eat but Adrian is worried about what restaurants put in their dishes.
"Eating out in Thailand is great and it's easy to get good food prepared pretty much anywhere," says Adrian. "The only thing is that I'm not quite sure of the ingredients. Like a lot of times there's quite a bit of sugar or MSG in the foods."
These new courses show how easy it is to eat delicious Thai food without compromising on taste.
