New Year snacks are so "fat"! 2 egg rolls 200 calories

The Chinese New Year is a great time for family reunions, chatting and chatting. People drink tea with snacks, cakes and pastries, and unknowingly consume sugar and salt, resulting in excessive intake of calories and sodium, which increases the burden on the body's metabolism and leads to chronic diseases such as obesity and kidney disease. Nutritionists remind people that the average daily calorie intake of snacks and desserts during the New Year holidays should not exceed 200 calories, which is equivalent to 2 egg rolls or 11 small puffs.

Common Chinese New Year snacks such as egg rolls, puffs, and chocolate cookies generally have the problem of being high in calories. (Photo courtesy of Taipei City Health Bureau)

Every Chinese New Year, friends and relatives will exchange gifts and inevitably bring some souvenirs to wish each other a happy new year. However, the common souvenir gift boxes sold in the market, such as processed meat products, seaweed, egg rolls, puffs or chocolate biscuits, are mostly high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar, and high-sodium foods. When people "eat more and more, they become more addicted", they often accidentally consume too much calories and salt.

No more than 200 calories a day for snacks during Chinese New Year

The Taipei City Government's Health Bureau conducted a random inspection of gift boxes on the market and found that gift boxes of nuts such as pistachios, almonds, and cashews had over 600 calories per 100 grams. Egg rolls, Korean seaweed, and chocolate chips, which are popular among both adults and children, as well as biscuit gift boxes with fillings or layers, such as puffs, sandwich pastries, pine cone biscuits, rolls, mille-feuilles, and flan, have an average of 500 to 600 calories per 100 grams, making them the high-calorie, high-fat gift boxes that are most easily consumed in excess. In addition, dried meat, which you can’t stop eating once you start, has about 300 to 350 calories per 100 grams, which is not low in calories.

Nutritionist Lin Yongpei from the Zhongxing branch of Taipei City United Hospital reminds people that the snacks and desserts they eat during the New Year holidays should not exceed 10% of their daily calorie needs. Women need about 1450 to 1900 calories a day, and men need about 1800 to 2400 calories. Although the calorie requirements of each person may vary slightly due to gender, age and activity intensity, if calculated based on an average calorie requirement of 2000 calories, it is recommended that the average adult's daily intake of indulgent snacks and desserts should not exceed 200 calories.

Nutritionist Lin Yongpei reminds that snacks such as seaweed and cashews are high in calories and sodium, so people should exercise moderation when eating them to satisfy their cravings. (Photo courtesy of Taipei City Health Bureau)

If we compare the calorie labeling units of commercially available gift boxes, a 200-calorie food portion is equivalent to 37 pistachios, 11 small puffs, 2 mille-feuilles, 2 egg rolls, 2 chocolate biscuits or 1 chocolate chip. If you eat snacks while watching TV, you may overeat if you are not careful.

Are Chinese New Year snacks high in sodium? Excessive sodium intake can cause edema

In addition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommends that adults' daily sodium intake should not exceed 2,400 mg, which is equivalent to 6 grams of table salt. However, processed foods such as beef jerky, squid shreds, and seaweed in Spring Festival gift boxes have an average sodium content of more than 500 mg per 100 grams. These are so-called "high-salt foods." One packet of squid shreds a day almost reaches the daily intake limit. Excessive intake may increase blood pressure and affect water metabolism, leading to edema. Patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and kidney disease should be especially careful when enjoying their appetite.

Nutritionist Lin Yongpei reminds people that when giving New Year gifts, they may choose tea and coffee gift boxes, or replace fattening souvenirs with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and unseasoned nuts, so that they can eat appropriately and healthily. In addition, snacks should be taken in fixed quantities. Eating food while watching TV can easily distract attention and lead to excessive intake. Replace snacks with fresh New Year specialty fruits such as pears, dates, apples, pears, oranges, etc. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, can increase fiber intake, and reduce the intake of fat and refined sugar, making them both delicious and healthy.

★《Snacks with high calories》1 spoon of pistachios is nearly 1 bowl of rice