Do you tend to overindulge during the holiday season? Has it always been a challenge to eat healthier during Chinese New Year? To eat smarter during this festive period without sabotaging your health or waistline, keep in mind to practice these 3 principles: Quality, Quantity, and Frequency.

Quality

You don’t have to deprive yourself of the traditional goodies. Replace foods of lower quality with higher quality by selecting those with lower sugar and fat content. Instead of drinking sweet and sugary beverages that are laden with only empty calories, pick unsweetened/low sugar options such as diet beverages, unsweetened Chinese/green tea, or plain water. This helps to shave a few hundreds of unnecessary calories during the festive season.

What about Hot Pot?

Hot Pot is one of the must-haves during Chinese New Year. For a healthier meal, remember the 3S:

S oup: Choose clear soup or lightly-flavoured soup instead of those with added fat and salt such as spicy (ma la) soup, Sichuan spicy soup, or laksa soup.

S auces: Prepare light dipping sauces using freshly sliced chilli, minced garlic, coriander, or spring onions with light soya sauce, vinegar or sesame oil instead of using bottled sauces or sauces with added fat and salt.

S equence: Eat your vegetables first . There is often a large variety of vegetables offered at hot pot meals. Fill up on vegetables first such as leafy greens, cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms as they have additional fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are also low in calories and friendly to your waistline!

Quantity

It is still easy to gain weight even on higher quality foods if portion control is not exercised. It is easy to go overboard with the quantity consumed if you are eating straight out from the container. Pick a smaller plate and portion out 2-3 pieces of your favourite CNY goodies on the plate to avoid unconscious overeating.

Frequency

With a large variety of traditional goodies such as kueh bahulu to pineapple tarts, love letters, and shrimp rolls to choose from, it is essential to be selective about what you put on your plate. Skip the kueh lapis, kueh bahulu, or truffle if you can have them on occasions other than Chinese New Year. Pick those that you can only have once a year!

It is helpful to understand the caloric-density of these goodies when making these choices. Here are some examples:

Focus on the conversations and company

Chinese New Year is a joyous occasion when you are constantly surrounded with friends and family. Shift your focus from food to meaningful conversations. After finishing your first helping of food, wait 20 minutes and take this time to engage in conversations with people around you instead of going for seconds straight away. Walk away from the table if lingering around the table tempts you to overeat. You may realize that you do not need the second helping after all.

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References:

Featured photo retrieved from: https://www.ajinomoto.com.my/steamboat-ying-yong-pot/

A Healthier Way at Chinese New Year. (2019, 2 January). Retrieved from: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/895/a-healthier-way-to-feast

Hetherington, M. M., Blundell-Birtill, P., Caton, S. J., Cecil, J. E., Evans, C. E., Rolls, B. J., & Tang, T. (2018) Understanding the science of portion control and the art of downsizing. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 77(3): 347-355. doi: 10.1017/S0029665118000435

Landers, H. (2015). Review: Hot pot hot spot’s food thoughts not for naught. [Online image]. Retrieved January 1, 2019 from https://dailyfreepress.com/blog/2015/03/06/review-hot-pot-hot-spots-food-thoughts-not-for-naught/

Wong, M. (2015). How to plate Chinese New Year goodies like a pro. [Online image]. Retrieved from January 1, 2019 from http://www.womensweekly.com.sg/at-home/entertaining/how-plate-goodies-chinese-new-year/