Top 10 must-visit temples and must-eat temple delicacies during the Spring Festival! Nutritionist Gao Minmin reveals the calorie ranking list, this is the first

During the Chinese New Year, the most popular activity is to visit temples to pray for good fortune and good luck, such as the popular Xingtian Temple in Taipei, the Zinan Temple in Zhushan, Nantou, the City God Temple in Hsinchu, the Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Yunlin, etc. In addition, the snacks and delicacies at the temple entrances are the favorites of gourmets. Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that tasting Miaokou delicacies can satisfy the taste buds and relax the body and mind. However, when choosing snacks and delicacies, you still need to be careful to avoid exceeding the calorie limit and causing obesity.

(Photo taken from Beigang Chaotian Temple official website)

Common snacks at the temple include: large intestine wrapped in small intestine, oyster omelette, nutritious sandwiches, fried stinky tofu, fried chicken, as well as beef noodles, rice noodles, meat soup, meat balls, etc. It can be said that there is everything available, and people can't finish eating one stall after another. Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that these delicacies are delicious and can satisfy your appetite, but for people who are losing weight, they are hidden calorie bombs. To avoid getting fat after eating a lot of temple food for several days in a row, you may want to learn about the calories of each temple food:

Temple Food Calorie Ranking

Beef noodles (one bowl) 870Kcal

Cold noodles (one plate) 653Kcal

Bubble milk tea (one cup) 650Kcal

Fried Chicken (1 serving) 600Kcal

Nutritional sandwich (one serving) 585Kcal

Large sausage wrapped with small sausage (one serving) 582Kcal

Stinky tofu (one plate) 565Kcal

Oyster Omelette (one plate) 516Kcal

Rice cake with oil (one bowl) 515Kcal

Fried rice noodles (one plate) 510Kcal

Braised pork rice (one bowl) 500Kcal

Mixed fried noodles (one plate) 500Kcal

Noodles (one bowl) 415Kcal

Meat soup (one bowl) 370Kcal

Meatball (one piece) (324Kcal

Peanut powder pig blood cake (one piece) 321Kcal

Roasted corn (one) 315Kcal

Grilled sausage (one) 295Kcal

Runbing (one) 225Kcal

Tomato Candied Fruit Candied Haws (one) 100 Kcal

(Photo provided by nutritionist Gao Minmin)

Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that you don’t have to be too nervous about the calories in these temple delicacies. It’s not that you can’t eat them, but you have to eat them in moderation and choose wisely. You can also choose to share the food and distribute the calories, which will make it less burdensome and you don’t have to worry about praying for blessings and good luck, as your body will become blessed as a result.

If you want to eat beef noodles, it is recommended to choose clear stew soup and beef tendon, as well as thick noodles, because braised soup will add bean paste, which has terrible calories. Beef shank has less fat and is a lower calorie cut. Thick noodles are chosen because they are larger in size and absorb less soup. Also, don't drink up all the soup just because it tastes good. The most terrible calories are in the soup.

In addition, a bowl of refreshing cold noodles has 653 calories, and a portion of stinky tofu has 530 calories. Especially if you put kimchi into the stinky tofu and eat them together, you need to pay attention to the sodium content, which will directly exceed the daily sodium intake, and you will weigh 2kg more due to edema the next day.

As for corn, pig blood cake, rice cake, rice noodles, thickened oyster omelette and soup, and meatball skin, they are all starch. If you eat it, you should reduce your food intake. People with high blood sugar should avoid such sources of starch.

Let's analyze why the nutritious sandwich has a high calorie content. The main reason is that the fried bread crust is paired with a thick layer of mayonnaise, which is a greasy, hidden high-fat food. The fried chicken is coated with flour and oil, and then fried, so the calories are piled up layer by layer. The calories in the food can be 2-5 times more than the original ingredients.

In addition, don’t think that you can be safe just because candied haws are not high in calories. After eating the sugar-coated fruit, you should not drink sugary drinks, otherwise your daily sugar intake will exceed the limit.

Finally, it is recommended that people who are on a diet should choose starchy foods with original ingredients, or choose a dessert you want to eat and pair it with sugar-free tea. For example, fried rice noodles with roasted corn, a string of candied haws and sugar-free green tea. No matter what food you eat, it is best to share it with family and friends. This not only disperses the calories but also enhances relationships.

Top 10 temples to visit during the Spring Festival

The following are the top ten temples that must be visited during the Spring Festival. Most of them are ancient temples that are more than 100 years old. People can not only pray for peace in the coming year, but also feel the surrounding of incense and see the ancient monuments with a long history:

NO.1 Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Yunlin: With a history of more than 300 years, it is now a national second-level historical site and an important birthplace of Mazu belief in Taiwan. During the Japanese colonial era, the "Yunlin Beigang Welcoming Mazu" event and the "Taipei Dadaocheng Welcoming the City God" celebration were known as the two largest festivals in Taiwan; and the "blasting the sedan chair" and "eating firecrackers" rituals, which are the characteristics of the procession, are one of the religious activities famous for "firecrackers" besides the "Taitung blasting Handan Ye" and the "Tainan Yanshui bee firecrackers".

Beigang Chaotian Temple (Photo taken from Beigang Chaotian Temple Facebook)

NO.2 Tainan Nankunshen Daitianfu: The temple was built about 300 years ago and is a national historical site and the main temple of Taiwan's kings. It was once selected as a Michelin three-star tourist attraction. During the Spring Festival, it will build the most complete and largest Seven-Star Peace Bridge in the country, hold ceremonies such as the Seven-Star Peace Bridge, the Centipede Array, and the An Tai Sui, and light lanterns, to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and the people.

NO.3 Dajia Jenn Lan Temple in Taichung: Jenn Lan Temple, known as "Dajia Ma" by believers, holds an opening ceremony at midnight on the first day of the first lunar month every year. Many believers take the tour bus to participate in order to be the first to burn incense.

NO.4 Donglong Temple in Donggang, Pingtung: The King Welcoming and Peace Festival held every three years at Donglong Temple has been listed as an important national folk custom by the Council for Cultural Affairs. During the Spring Festival, the temple will hold a wisdom-opening ceremony for children, praying for their academic progress. People who feel that they have bad luck can also practice "chasing and changing their fortunes" by throwing divination blocks to ask the gods. After the gods agree, the older generation of temple leaders will punish the believers in front of the gods to change their fortunes. This is a folk belief with local characteristics.

NO.5 Longshan Temple in Monga, Taipei: The temple was built more than 200 years ago. During the Spring Festival, there are two peace lanterns in the square in front of the temple, which are open to the public for them to walk under and pray for a safe and smooth new year.

NO.6 Nanshan Fude Temple, New Taipei City: Nanshan Fude Temple, located in Hongludi, Nanshijiao, is a holy place for people to seek wealth. Every year, it attracts many salesmen to come here to worship, exchange for fortune money, and pray for a prosperous new year.

NO.7 Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple: The sixth day of the Lunar New Year is also the birthday of Qingshui Zushi, and there are lively pig-race and god-worship activities every year.

NO.8 Lukang Tianhou Temple in Changhua: The temple was built more than 400 years ago and is the only temple in Taiwan that enshrines the statue of the founding Mother of the Meizhou Ancestral Temple. During this year's Spring Festival, it will launch a lantern exhibition that is free for the public to visit.

NO.9 Zi Nan Temple in Zhushan, Nantou: It is known as the "Da Gong Temple". The main deity is Fude Zhengshen. There is a custom of "borrowing money for fortune". Netizens call it the most generous temple in Taiwan.

NO.10 Yunlin Beigang Wude Temple: It is the largest five-way temple of the God of Wealth in Taiwan. During the Lunar New Year, the limited number of red envelopes of blessings from the Heavenly Official are distributed, which are the treasures of peace and wealth that believers must line up to get every year.