Eat less meat during the Chinese New Year and choose the 5 principles of food carefully

Chinese New Year is a big day for family reunion. Mothers are all gearing up to buy New Year's goods and dishes. How to make the family eat healthy and delicious food has become a new topic for modern mothers during the New Year. Nutritionists suggest that if you want to have a healthy and carefree New Year, you should start with selecting ingredients and cooking healthily. This will easily reduce your calorie intake and avoid weight gain after the New Year.

Nutritionists recommend that when buying New Year's Eve meals, you can replace vegetables with the main dish and reduce meat intake. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

【Planning menu and selecting ingredients】

Ke Liling, a nutritionist at Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital, said that to avoid buying too much food, you should first plan the style and quantity of the Chinese New Year menu. It is recommended to classify the ingredients and then set the required quantity of each ingredient, such as the following 5 points:

1. Serving size conversion: Convert the equivalent amount of New Year food based on your daily food intake.

2. Increase fiber: Change the meat menu to side dishes and vegetables as the main dish, add longevity vegetables or leeks, and turnips for good luck, etc.

3. Buy less processed food: such as canned food, bacon, sausage or pickled food, and reduce the use of seasonings by enjoying the original flavor of fresh food.

4. Choose snacks and drinks carefully: eating snacks such as melon seeds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, etc. in moderation is good for the body. For drinks, be sure to read the nutrition labels carefully. Boiled water, black coffee, tea or sugar-free tea drinks, and low-calorie Coca-Cola are all good alternatives.

5. Stop and look and listen to the ingredients: When purchasing fresh meat, be sure to look for the CAS mark and the "slaughter hygiene inspection certificate mark"; when buying dried golden needles, dried shrimps, bamboo fungi, shark fins and other dry goods, packaged foods are preferred, and do not buy products that are too bright or too white in color, and they must be dry enough and avoid odors.

【Healthy cooking, low in oil, salt and sugar】

Nutritionist Ke Liling said that the cooking method of each dish must comply with the four principles of "low oil, low salt, low sugar, and high fiber". Low-oil cooking methods can be referenced such as steaming (steamed prawns with garlic), braising (braised beef shanks), roasting (roast duck), stewing (stewed pork ribs with green papaya), smoking (smoked chicken), braising (braised edamame), stewing (braised vegetarian tripe), and cold salad (cold salad with sea bream).

In addition, hot pot, which symbolizes family reunion, is best made with fresh, less processed food. Appropriate amounts of meat slices or soy products, vegetables, and konjac can increase the feeling of fullness. The hot pot soup base is made with fruits and vegetables, which is delicious and not greasy. The dipping sauce can be made with onions, ginger, garlic, chili, basil, coriander, soy sauce, and vinegar. The calories are about one-fifth of that of shacha sauce, and it can also reduce salt intake.