Boost your immunity by sitting around the fire during Chinese New Year, and eat healthily with these 3 tips! Nutritionist teaches you how to make 6 homemade New Year dishes to help you lose weight and have a good New Year

During the Chinese New Year reunion, in addition to taking precautions against the epidemic, the dishes served around the stove can also be adjusted so that family members can enjoy delicious food and eat healthily. Nutritionists share the following 3 tips to help you maintain immunity and body shape through diet, which can not only help you prevent diseases in a healthy way, but also help you lose weight and have a good new year.

Wu Zhengyan, a nutritionist at the Department of Nutrition at Chi Mei Medical Center, said that due to changes in consumer habits and the convenience of home delivery, the options for purchasing frozen New Year's Eve meals are becoming more and more diverse. For example, major manufacturers and convenience stores have successively launched novel New Year's Eve meal combinations, which not only provide a variety of dish choices, but also reduce many of the tedious steps of preparing ingredients and pre-processing.

In addition, Taiwan has entered an aging society. As people age, many organs will gradually degenerate, just like the skin, bones, muscles, and nervous system. The many factors related to aging mentioned above may lead to swallowing disorders, but the problem of swallowing function degeneration in the elderly has received less attention from the Chinese people. According to past domestic statistics, 12.8% of the elderly in the community suffer from swallowing disorders, which means that one in ten people may have deteriorating swallowing function; Chi Mei Medical Center also counted the number of inpatients with swallowing disorders in 2022, and screened nearly 600 people in total. If these patients do not receive clinical evaluation and treatment from a professional team, they may not be able to share the rich reunion meals.

The nutrition team at Chi Mei Medical Center also recommends that if the elders in the family suffer from swallowing difficulties, the meals can be prepared into shaped care foods that are easy to chew and eat. People can prepare meals according to the texture recommended by speech therapists to avoid choking and swallowing, and allow the elders with swallowing difficulties to eat safely and enjoy the rich New Year atmosphere together.

3 tips for eating healthy around the fire

Tip 1: Eating more fiber can help prevent the disease

Increase the intake of fresh vegetables. Vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, micronutrients and phytochemicals. They are low in calories and yet filling. In addition to making your nutrient intake more balanced, they can also help avoid excessive calorie intake and reduce the accumulation of body fat.

Tip 2: Seafood is low in calories and anti-inflammatory

In addition to the phytochemicals in vegetables mentioned above that help boost immunity, it is recommended to consume more seafood and marine fish (such as mackerel, saury, salmon and grouper, etc.), which contain a lot of immune nutrients such as zinc and fish oil. Compared with red meat ingredients, they are not only low in fat and calories, but also help reduce inflammation and promote immune regulation. They can be said to be good ingredients for epidemic prevention during the epidemic.

Tip 3: Prepare nursing food easily

Elderly people with dysphagia often suffer from insufficient food intake, weight loss and malnutrition, so the texture, calorie content and nutritional density of food become even more important. Among them, the texture of the food is often the most difficult point to overcome. It is recommended to add commercial products on the market to shape the food after blending. The more stable nature can maintain the original flavor and appearance of the food, and avoid water loss and dispersion that affects the texture; or add a small amount of white fungus paste to blend, use natural water-soluble fiber to help shape it, and finish eating as soon as possible.

Yingchun Lingzhi Black-bone Chicken Soup

The polysaccharides and triterpenoids contained in Ganoderma lucidum are believed to be beneficial in enhancing immunity and improving protection. Stewed together with black-bone chicken soup, it is a warm tonic soup for winter. It not only warms the heart and body, but the protein in the chicken and the active substances in the Ganoderma lucidum also nourish the immune system.

Yingchun Lingzhi Black-bone Chicken Soup (Photo provided by Chi Mei Medical Center)

Shufei Ganlu Dragon Tiger Grouper

Symbolizing abundance every year, fish dishes are an indispensable dish during festivals. In addition to using low-fat grouper, this dish also uses a low-temperature cooking method to reduce extra calories, eliminating the burden of traditional high-oil thickening, and retaining the nutrition of high-quality protein and fish oil, making it a fish dish that is both healthy and delicious.

Shufei Ganlu Dragon Tiger Grouper (Photo provided by Chi Mei Medical Center)

Dragon Phoenix Herbal Sea Prawns

Shrimp is also a low-fat, high-protein seafood ingredient. It is cooked with various medicinal herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula, Poria cocos, Rehmannia glutinosa, and Tragacanthus sinensis, so that the fat content of the whole dish is only 6g, playing an important role in a healthy and low-fat New Year's diet.

Dragon Phoenix Medicinal Sea Prawn (Photo provided by Chi Mei Medical Center)

Eight Treasures Stewed Vegetables

Eight Treasures Seasonal Vegetables are rich in vegetables, and are served with auspicious ingredients such as emperor beans and water chestnuts to add to the festive atmosphere. It not only supplements the intake of dietary fiber, but also brings peace, joy and good luck to everyone.

Precious Eight Treasures Stewed with Seasonal Vegetables (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Medical Center)

Huaiyang Cabbage Lion Head

The stewed and fragrant lion's head, which is delicious and goes well with rice, is a common home-cooked dish during festivals. In order to achieve a complete shape, it usually needs to be fried in oil to fix the shape and color during the production process. Therefore, pairing it with refreshing cabbage and black fungus not only increases the intake of vegetables, but also enhances the taste and removes greasiness.

Huaiyang Chinese Cabbage Lion Head (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Medical Center)

Peach Gum Tremella Sweet Soup

It would be great if a table of food could end with dessert! The main ingredient is Tremella fuciformis, which is rich in dietary fiber, and is paired with a little rock sugar, red dates and wolfberries to create a natural sweetness, forming a sweet and smooth soup. It is a low-calorie, high-fiber after-meal dessert suitable for all ages.

Golden Jade Peach Gum Tremella Sweet Soup (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Medical Center)

Nutritionist Wu Zhengyan also reminds that patients with chronic diseases (such as diabetes, chronic renal failure, etc.) can adjust their food intake according to the nutritionist's advice. By maintaining these principles, they can enjoy the atmosphere of the fireside after the New Year's feast and reduce the burden on the body.