High-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat New Year snacks should be limited

Visiting relatives and friends during the New Year or staying up late to watch TV all involve eating some snacks. However, snacks are high in sugar, salt and oil. Nutritionists remind us that "limited intake" is the key to avoiding excessive intake. In addition to self-control of food intake, we may wish to arrange more outdoor activities, which can increase the amount of exercise and avoid the habit of wanting snacks as soon as we sit down.

Snacks are often high in sugar, salt and oil. Nutritionists remind us that "limiting" is the key to avoiding excessive intake. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

High-sugar snacks

Most of them are pastries rich in carbohydrates, such as pineapple cakes and shachima. It is recommended not to eat more than 2 pieces a day. In addition, candies such as milk candy and Swiss candy also have a high carbohydrate content, so patients with diabetes and other conditions who need to control blood sugar should be more cautious when eating them.

High-salt snacks

Mainly dried seafood. For example, 100 grams of cod shreds contains 2000 mg of sodium, which is close to the daily sodium intake of no more than 2400 mg per person. Eating too much high-salt snacks will make you feel sour and thirsty. Most people can dilute the sodium in the body by drinking more water, but for patients with hypertension, this may affect blood pressure control.

High-fat snacks

Mainly nuts. A moderate intake of nuts is good for the body, but excessive intake will result in excessive fat intake, which will be converted into body fat. For example, 100 grams of macadamia nuts or almonds have about 600 calories; a small plate of 100 grams of melon seeds or peanuts has nearly 500 calories.

Another high-fat snack that is often overlooked is dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Although they have the aroma of fruits and vegetables, they are fried first, just like potato chips, so it is easy to consume too much calories. For example, 100 grams of banana chips is equivalent to the calories of 9 bananas. Moreover, eating dehydrated fruits and vegetables does not have the dietary fiber and satiety of fruits, and has none of the benefits of eating fruits.