Top 5 Lunar New Year Food at Nai Night Market Worried about obesity? Nutritionist: Remember the three lesses and three musts, drink vegetable and fruit soup to balance

People also go to night markets during the Chinese New Year. There are 33 night markets open across Taiwan. Night markets are a unique food culture in Taiwan, and visiting night markets and eating snacks can be considered the highlight of the Spring Festival. Faced with delicious food, people want to try everything, and end up gaining weight quickly. However, nutritionists remind us that when choosing to eat night market delicacies, we must remember the "three less and three must" principles so as not to "gain 3 pounds during every festive season!" Before visiting the night market or the next day, we can make our own vegetable and fruit soup to supplement our vegetable and fruit intake to maintain a balanced nutrition.

Top 5 night market delicacies: teppanyaki steak, chicken steak & fried chicken, ice cream, stinky tofu, charcoal grilled skewers

According to an online survey conducted by KEYPO Big Data Key Engine, the top night market food is teppanyaki steak, followed by chicken steak and fried chicken, ice cream, stinky tofu, and charcoal grilled skewers. Whether it's fried, grilled, salty, sweet, cold or hot, there is always someone who loves it. But how should we eat to avoid gaining weight quickly? Cancer Care Foundation nutritionist Ke Xiaotong said that when choosing night market food, keep in mind the "three less and three must" principles. When faced with a wide range of delicious food, everyone can also choose wisely and eat healthily!

Healthy eating of night market delicacies: the principle of "three less and three musts"

Less grease:

Fried foods are high in calories but low in nutritional value. This is because most of the nutrients in the ingredients are lost after being fried at high temperatures, and the oil will fission and produce trans fatty acids after being fried at high temperatures. Excessive intake of fried foods can easily form too many free radicals, leading to inflammation and obesity in the body, and will increase the risk of chronic diseases and cancer. In addition, Ke Xiaotong also reminded that some "charcoal grilled" snacks may be fried first and then grilled to increase the deliciousness, which will increase the calories and sodium content!

Excessive intake of fried foods can easily form too many free radicals, leading to inflammation and obesity in the body, and will increase the risk of chronic diseases and cancer.

Less processing:

Processed foods are common and delicious in night markets, making people salivate. However, Ke Xiaotong reminds us that most processed foods are high in fat and sodium, and processed red meat is a Class 1 carcinogen identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Therefore, it is recommended to choose fresh original foods instead of processed foods, such as: salted chicken, braised or oden vegetables, mushrooms, chicken, tenderloin, and bird eggs; in addition, spring rolls contain a lot of vegetables, and two spring roll skins have about the amount of sugar as half a bowl of rice. If peanut powder is not added, about 100 calories can be reduced; steamed stinky tofu is also a source of high-quality protein. Compared with fried stinky tofu, the calories are reduced by more than 40%, but the deliciousness is not compromised. They are all good choices for low-calorie and sugar-reducing.

Less added sugar:

Do you also order a hand-shaken drink or a bowl of sweet soup after your meal when you visit the night market? However, Ke Xiaotong reminded that most of these foods are high in sugar and calories. The upper limit of refined sugar intake per person per day is 10% of total calories (taking 1,800 calories per day as an example, the upper limit of refined sugar intake is 45 grams). A cup of 700c.c. full-sugar beverage (containing about 50 grams of sugar) exceeds the upper limit. If pearls, vermicelli, etc. are added, the calories will be even higher! It is recommended to replace sugary drinks with sugar-free tea, and the ingredients in sweet soup can be replaced with low-calorie white fungus, grass jelly, and agarwood to reduce the burden on the body.

A cup of 700cc full-sugar drink (containing about 50 grams of sugar) exceeds the upper limit of intake. If you add pearls, vermicelli, etc., the calories will be even higher!

To be hygienic:

Hygiene and safety are the most important things when it comes to food. Before purchasing, people should observe the vendor's environmental hygiene, whether the ingredients are stored in appropriate equipment and placed off the ground, whether raw and cooked food should be handled separately to avoid cross-contamination, wear a mask and reduce conversation when preparing food, change gloves regularly, and avoid food contamination that allows consumers to unknowingly eat pathogens.

To be environmentally friendly:

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the use of disposable tableware has increased significantly, and a large amount of waste has also been generated. Although people are not required to bring large and small pots to eat out, if everyone is willing to bring their own environmentally friendly tableware and cups and reduce the use of disposable tableware, a little will add up to a lot, be friendly to the earth, and reduce the risk of exposure to plastic particles or plasticizers.

To exercise:

After the meal, take advantage of the family gathering time and choose to walk home together or go to a nearby park, trail or bike path for a walk or bike ride. This will not only promote family bonding, but also burn excess calories!

Nutritionist Ke Xiaotong reminds us that night market snacks are small in portion and people often have to order a lot of different snacks to feel satisfied. This can lead to excessive calorie intake without us noticing, and it is easy to not eat enough fruits and vegetables, resulting in unbalanced nutrition. Ke Xiaotong suggested that before visiting the night market or the next day, you can make your own vegetable and fruit soup to supplement your vegetable and fruit intake. Taking the provided recipe as an example, a cup of vegetable and fruit energy soup has only 130 calories and 5.6 grams of dietary fiber. It uses guava, which is low in GI and high in vitamin C, and also contains sprouts with anti-cancer ingredients. It is light and healthy, and is highly recommended for everyone to try.