Snack calories break the record 1 spoon of pistachios is nearly 1 bowl of rice

During the Chinese New Year, it is a great time for the whole family to watch TV and get together to eat New Year snacks, especially eating melon seeds and chatting. It is the happiest thing. But, do you know? Eating just 1 tablespoon of these seemingly harmless snacks and dried fruits is equivalent to consuming nearly the calories of a bowl of rice! Nutritionists say that the Chinese New Year is approaching, and in order to avoid consuming too many calories during the holidays, which would result in a battle to shape your body and lose weight after the New Year, you must pay attention to calorie control in your diet while enjoying a leisurely Chinese New Year holiday.

During festivals, snacks such as pistachios and melon seeds are indispensable in every home, but do you know? Eating a tablespoon of pistachios is equivalent to eating 4/5 of a bowl of rice! (Photography by Lai Yizhou

Chen Wenhui, head of the nutrition team at Lukang Christian Hospital, reminded the public that most of these "easy-to-eat" and delicious snacks have alarming calorie counts, with 100 grams containing up to 500 calories, which is equivalent to the calories of eating 2 bowls of rice in one go. Therefore, people must pay attention to the amount of food they eat so as not to take in too many calories and gain weight after the New Year. The following are the top 5 of the 10 snack calorie mines that nutritionist Chen Wenhui reminds people to be aware of:

Calorie mine TOP1: 1 tablespoon of pistachios = 4/5 bowl of rice

Although the unsaturated fatty acids in nuts have many benefits to the human body, it is not recommended to consume too much at one time. After all, it is still a high-fat food, and 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. The fat content in pistachios is the highest among nuts. 100 grams of pistachios contain 653 calories, and eating 1 tablespoon (30 grams) is equivalent to eating 4/5 of the calories in a bowl of rice.

1 tablespoon of candied cashews has almost the same calories as 1 bowl of rice, about 595 calories per 100 grams. (Photography by Lai Yizhou)

Calorie mine TOP2: 1 tablespoon of honey cashews = 4/5 bowl of rice

Sweet and crispy honey cashews are one of the New Year snacks that many people like to buy. However, be careful. Cashews, which are already high in fat, will instantly have a calorie load off the charts when topped with high-sugar honey. There are about 595 calories per 100 grams. If calculated based on a 1 tablespoon (30 grams) serving, this is almost equivalent to the calories in 4/5 of a bowl of rice.

The calories in 1 tablespoon of melon seeds are about 3/5 of the calories in a bowl of rice, and it takes 1.5 hours of brisk walking to burn them all off.

Calorie mines TOP3: 1 tablespoon of melon seeds = 3/5 bowl of rice

Melon seeds of various flavors are the best companion for most people to drink tea and chat, and people often eat a handful of them without realizing it. However, be careful with the seemingly small melon seeds. Their calories are not low compared to the above two. Every 100 grams of melon seeds contains 570 calories. Eating 1 tablespoon (30 grams) of melon seeds is equivalent to eating 3/5 of a bowl of rice, and you need to walk briskly for 1.5 hours continuously to burn them off.

Calorie mine TOP 4: 1 packet of potato chips = 1 bowl of rice

In addition, potato chips, which are loved by both adults and children, have a very high calorie content in a small bag, although the calorie content may increase or decrease depending on the flavor and manufacturing process of the potato chips. But looking at the small packages generally available on the market, a package of about 50 grams of potato chips has as much calories as 230 calories. If a person eats a package while watching TV, he or she will consume almost the calories of a whole bowl of rice.

Moreover, most potato chips are produced mainly by high-temperature frying. During the high-temperature frying process, the raw potatoes are very likely to produce carcinogens. Long-term excessive consumption will cause a considerable burden on the human body.

Although peanuts are high in nutritional value, their relative calories should not be underestimated. (Photography by Lai Yizhou)

Calorie mine TOP5: 1 tablespoon of peanuts = 1/2 bowl of rice

The delicious and nutritious peanuts are the favorite snack for many people when they are bored. They are not only small and delicious, but also do not get your hands dirty. However, nutritionist Chen Wenhui said that peanuts are not only high in nutrients, but also high in calories. 100 grams of peanuts have 553 calories, and eating 1 tablespoon (30 grams) is equivalent to the calories of 1/2 bowl of rice. If you don't carefully control your food intake, you may accidentally eat almost the calories of a whole meal, so people should be more careful.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

The mycelium in moldy nuts can easily produce aflatoxin. Long-term excessive consumption can easily lead to abnormal liver function and increase the incidence of liver cancer. Therefore, when purchasing nuts, consumers should pay more attention to their appearance to see if they are intact, moldy, corroded, or blackened. They should also try to choose those with intact outer packaging, clear labels, and no abnormalities to avoid buying problematic nuts.

Finally, nutritionist Chen Wenhui would like to remind the public that peanuts, melon seeds and other snacks that have been seasoned and prepared through multiple procedures have very high sodium and phosphorus content. For patients with kidney and gout diseases, they are landmines among foods that affect their health and should be avoided or the possibility of consumption should be reduced.

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