Hawaii Foods Website Give Nutrition Facts For Local Foods

Written by Sabrina Hall - shall@kgmb9.com

September 26, 2007 10:00 PM

Truck driver Darren Wong has a theory about local Hawaiian food. "It's not good for you, but it makes you feel good," said Wong as he orders a beef stew from Pee Wee Drive Inn on King Street. Whether it's chicken katsu, a mini bento, or a helping of kalua pig, Hawaii has some unique local foods, but which choices have the most calories is anyone's best guess. "Probably the macaroni salad, which I like to have instead of regular salad but having that everytime probably adds up," said David Blanchart, of Hawaii Kai. "Cheeseburgers and french fries. All the ones that are cooked in grease," said Kaui Ward, a Kaneohe resident. "Oh, Portuguese sausage! That's the worst!" said Wong. "I like loco moco but I don't really think that is good for me at my age," said Dr. Andrew Hashimoto. Now Hashimoto, and the rest of us, can know for sure. He and a team of staff members at the University of Hawaii college of Tropical Agriculture helped launch the website www.hawaiifoods.hawaii.edu. You can type in a local food like spam musubi and find out exactly how many calories you're about to eat. For example, a cup of kalua pig is 500 calories. It's about the same for chicken katsu. Poi has no fat but carries 260 calories a cup. "There is a definitely a correlation between what you put in your mouth and what is reflected in your body," said Dr. Hashimoto. Not every local favorite is up on the site yet. There are about 150 foods posted now. The goal is to reach 3,000. But will people actually use it? "If I had to find out what was wrong with my health than yeah, other than that no," said Ward, holding her take-out hamburger curry and kalua pig cabbage. And if you don't want to check out the website, truck driver Wong has some words of wisdom: Anything's okay...as long as it's in moderation. "Do you eat this stuff everyday?" asked Reporter Sabrina Hall. "No. Every other day," Wong laughed. To find the nutritional values of your favorite local foods, click on the link: http://www.hawaiifoods.hawaii.edu/

Last Updated ( September 26, 2007 10:00 PM )