New Year's Eve meals are high in oil and salt, beware of the hidden dangers of "three highs"! 3 tips for eating New Year dishes to protect your heart and reduce carbon emissions

The Lunar New Year is approaching, and every family gathers together to eat New Year’s Eve dinner. However, many commercially available New Year dishes contain the “three highs” of high oil, high salt and high sugar, which may increase the burden on the cardiovascular system. To this end, the Nutrition Department of Chi Mei Hospital, Chi Mei Medical Foundation, has launched a set meal plan for the New Year with the theme of "Heart-Protecting Low-Carbon Diet", which combines deliciousness and health, and injects health and sustainability concepts into the festival.

New Choices for New Year’s Eve Dinner: Heart-Protecting and Low-Carb Diet

Chi Mei Hospital nutritionist Jiang Qizhen pointed out that according to a survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, cardiovascular disease has been ranked second among the top ten causes of death in Taiwan since 2009. Many risk factors such as high blood lipids, high blood pressure, diabetes and unhealthy eating habits can be improved through lifestyle adjustments. Therefore, this year you may want to make some changes to the New Year’s dishes so that you can enjoy the festivities while welcoming the spring and protecting your heart. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the key to maintaining cardiovascular health is to choose a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy protein sources, vegetable oils, minimally processed foods, and foods low in sodium and sugar.

Low-carbon diet has become an environmental trend and coincides with the healthy concept of heart-protecting diet. During the Chinese New Year holidays, the diet of fish and meat is often dominated by ingredients with high carbon emissions, which not only affects health but also puts a burden on the environment. Therefore, while paying attention to the health of the body, we also hope to contribute to the protection of the earth through a sustainable diet. Both heart-healthy and low-carb diets encourage the intake of more fruits and vegetables, unrefined grains, less red meat, and the selection of seasonal local ingredients to reduce energy consumption during transportation and processing.

The "Eight Treasures Royal Delights" New Year's Eve dishes launched by Chi Mei Hospital, Chi Mei Medical Foundation, make the New Year's Eve dinner table not only delicious, but also healthy and sustainable. (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Hospital)

3 tips for eating New Year dishes to protect your heart and reduce carbon emissions

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations pointed out that emissions related to animal husbandry have a profound impact on the climate. Choosing plant-based proteins such as beans and soy products can reduce carbon emissions and meet the needs of a healthy diet. The choice of high-quality protein in both diets also complies with the order of "beans, fish, eggs, and meat" in the daily dietary guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Focusing on these concepts, grasping the following three tips can protect your heart and be sustainable:

1. Choose the right amount of snakes and pair them with colorful vegetables to bring you good fortune

When cooking, choose local and colorful fruits and vegetables. A sufficient amount of vegetables can not only increase satiety and avoid consuming too much greasy food, but also provide rich minerals and phytochemicals, allowing you to maintain a slim figure after the New Year holidays. In addition, seasonal and local ingredients can reduce carbon emissions, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and are healthy and environmentally friendly.

2. Choose beans, fish, eggs and meat in order, protect your heart, be low in carbon and feel at ease

From the perspective of low carbon emissions and heart protection, the choice of protein should follow the order of "beans, fish, eggs, and meat". Compared with animal protein, plant protein is richer in plant sterols and dietary fiber, and has a lower saturated fat content. You need to avoid consuming too much cholesterol and pay attention to crab roe, shrimp heads, shrimp eggs, shrimp paste, mullet roe, or offal.

3. Choose good food to welcome the New Year, and add a spoonful of nuts to add to the festive atmosphere

Replacing refined starches such as rice and noodles with unrefined grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats can not only provide more complete grain nutrition such as B vitamins, vitamin E, and minerals, but also reduce the energy consumption required for processing. It is recommended to have a teaspoon of unseasoned nuts with each meal and consume a moderate amount of good oil to help the body maintain function and metabolism, so as to achieve a more effective heart protection effect.

Eight Treasures: A New Choice for Healthy New Year Dishes

Chi Mei Hospital, Chi Mei Medical Foundation, has launched the "Eight Treasures Royal Delicacy" New Year's Eve Dinner, making the New Year's Eve dinner table not only delicious, but also healthy and sustainable. By using healthy ingredients that are low in oil, salt and sugar, combined with high-quality protein and abundant seasonal fruits and vegetables, we have created a series of healthy and delicious New Year dishes. We invite you to celebrate the New Year in a heart-protecting and low-carbon way, so that health and happiness will always be with you, and you can easily practice the concept of a heart-protecting and low-carbon diet. The following are the ingredients and preparation methods of Eight Treasures Imperial Products:

Dragon and Phoenix Herbal Prawn (Photo provided by Chi Mei Hospital)

Phoenix stewed with precious grass jelly (Photo provided by Chi Mei Hospital)

Braised tiger paw and rice cake (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Hospital)

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

Hong Kong-style Double Fresh Jing Yuan Bao Huang (Photo provided by Chi Mei Hospital)

Braised gluten with precious vegetable sauce (Photo provided by Chi Mei Hospital)

Baby cabbage in scallop soup (Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Hospital)

Good Luck Tremella Dew (Photo provided by Chi Mei Hospital)