What foods to eat for intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) in Singapore can be quite easy to maintain due to the wide variety of foods available. Here’s what you can eat during your eating window to stay healthy and support your fasting goals:

1. High-Protein Foods (For satiety & muscle maintenance)

• Hainanese Chicken Rice (without rice or with brown rice) – Good protein from chicken
• Yong Tau Foo (without deep-fried items, with clear soup) – Tofu, fish paste, and vegetables
• Grilled or Steamed Fish (e.g., from Tze Char or food courts)
• Egg-based dishes – Soft-boiled eggs, omelets, or kaya toast with half-boiled eggs

2. Healthy Fats (To keep you full longer)

• Avocados – Available in smoothie stalls or supermarkets
• Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds as snacks
• Coconut Milk Dishes – Laksa (go easy on the noodles), curry chicken (without too much rice)

3. Fiber-Rich Foods (To support digestion & blood sugar control)

• Chap Chye (Mixed Vegetables) – A good mix of fiber and nutrients
• Thunder Tea Rice (without too much rice) – Contains vegetables, nuts, and seeds
• Stir-fried Kang Kong, Chye Sim, or Spinach – Found in hawker stalls

4. Complex Carbohydrates (For sustained energy)

• Brown Rice or Quinoa – Found in economy rice stalls or health-conscious cafes
• Sweet Potatoes – Sold at snack stalls or as a side dish
• Wholemeal Bread or Wraps – Found in sandwich shops like Subway

5. Hydration & Drinks (To stay hydrated & curb hunger)

• Water – Best choice for fasting periods
• Kopi O Kosong or Teh O Kosong (No sugar) – Black coffee or tea for an energy boost
• Unsweetened Soy Milk – Available in hawker centers
• Bone Broth or Herbal Soups – Double-boiled soups from Chinese stalls

Here are meal suggestions based on different intermittent fasting (IF) methods in Singapore:

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1. 16:8 Fasting (16-hour fast, 8-hour eating window)

Ideal for beginners. You can have 2 meals + 1 snack within your eating window.

Example Schedule

• 12:00 PM – First Meal (Lunch)
• 4:00 PM – Snack
• 8:00 PM – Second Meal (Dinner)
• 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM (Next Day) – Fasting Period

Meal Plan

🔹 Lunch (12:00 PM):

• Grilled chicken with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables (Tze Char)
• Yong Tau Foo (clear soup, no fried items, with tofu & egg)

🔹 Snack (4:00 PM):

• Handful of nuts (almonds, walnuts)
• Kopi O Kosong or Teh O Kosong (no sugar)
• Hard-boiled eggs or cheese slices

🔹 Dinner (8:00 PM):

• Thunder Tea Rice (less rice, more veggies, and protein)
• Steamed fish with garlic sauce & stir-fried vegetables

Consideration whether to monetize HDB

I'm going to clear my mortgage for my HDB by this year 2025. I have an outstanding loan of $30k+ which i estimate with the monthly installments and the capital repayment that i will be doing over the next few months. I am counting down towards end of Oct 2025 whereby the loan will become $0. After that what is next. As i ponder along, i come across the book for Mortgage Free in 6 years. That book opens up my mind on the possibilities. Firstly is how do i monetize my HDB. Last i check my HDB is valued at $700k which is almost 90% gain from the purchase price i did back in 10 years ago. Yeah you read that right, it has come to 10 years before i have a fully paid up HDB.

Some possibilities float to me as i think. With the equity unlock at $700k, mi and my wife can buy 2 private properties with each paying the 25% downpayment for $350k. Assuming we buy 1 property at $500k and 1 property at $1.3m. We will rent out the $500k property which will probably yield about $3k per month with $36k per year rental income. The other property we will stay in it. i'm looking at a property that can have 4 rooms. As i check the property pages on property guru, i could not find a property with 4 rooms at that kind of price and also the 1 property at $500k. I guess the property market is heating really up. I guess this option is off the table.

The alternative that i can think of is the Mortgage free from 6 years. Using the 700k to purchase a condo that have 4 rooms but the price out there is huge disparity. The amount is a staggering $3.5m. Assuming i used the 700k, i still have $2.8m loan to handle. If i go for the 3 bedroom, the amount is $2.4m. That means i will have $1.7m loan to handle. After considering these, i guess will stick to new BTO instead and i can get a fresh lease of 99 years. I'm looking at a 5 room flat so that i can accommodate my family of 6-7 people.

Mortgage free in 6 years book

I recently borrow a book on MORTGAGE Free in 6 years. I was attracted to the title of the book that i can potentially retire with 2 fully paid private properties. After i read the book, i understand that the Author wanted people to embrace using debt (for private property) and margin in the stock account to create wealth. Also to unlock equity every 6 years so that the equity that is unlocked will be able to pump into the stock (REITS) to produce more dividend income. My mind was definitely opened up. 

As i will be 48 this year. Based on Darrren Goh's assumption that for private property you can borrow till you are age 75 which means i can have a loan at age 49 with 26 years of loan to repay a property. If i am going to purchase a property of $1 million dollars. I would need to come up with the seed fund of $250k (both CPF and cash) assuming i clear my hdb loan by this year. And to come up with $110k. Total upfront outlay will be $360k in order to leverage. 

On paper it is not easy to come up with such money. Unless i sell away my HDB and use the proceeds to fund for my private property. This will in turn unlock equity in my HDB and i can use the proceeds to go for this strategy of Mortgage free in 6 years time. It shows promise as long as i can stomach the loan and also the trading strategies. 

The trading strategies are using margins in the stock account to purchase in terms of leverage 1:1 whereby $110k will double up to $220k which in turn will generate potential 10% interest in REITS in Singapore. This sounds really plausible if i can stomach the ups and downs of stock market. That means ignoring the ups and downs of the market and focus more on the dividends i gain from the 2 REITS. 

After every 6 years assuming a 30 years loan for a young couple, it is definitely possible to have 2 (1 house fully paid up) Reits portfolio that generate passive cash flow, potential up to $200k per year. This will set most of the people free and to financial freedom. 

1. Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio

The LTV ratio determines how much of the property price you can borrow:

Number of Outstanding Home Loans	Maximum LTV Ratio	Minimum Downpayment
0 (First Home Loan)	75% (if tenure ≤ 30 years & age ≤ 65)	5% cash, 20% CPF/cash
1 (Second Home Loan)	45% (if tenure ≤ 30 years & age ≤ 65)	25% cash/CPF
2 or more loans	35% (if tenure ≤ 30 years & age ≤ 65)	25% cash/CPF

• If your loan tenure exceeds 30 years or extends past age 65, the LTV drops further (55% for the first loan, 25% for the second, 15% for the third).
• You must pay Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) and Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) if applicable.