As the weather turns cool, hotpot becomes the go-to choice for many to ward off the cold. However, after a hotpot meal, ladies might feel deeply sorry for themselves for overeating and gaining weight. So, how can one "cleverly" eat hotpot in the winter without gaining weight?
1. Meat
Hotpot is unthinkable without meat, but the calorie content of meat varies. Ladies can opt for lower-calorie choices. Below is a table of common meat items found in hotpot restaurants with their calorie counts; you can mix and match according to your needs.
Low-calorie meats (Calories/100g): Duck breast 90/100g; Lamb (loin) 94/100g; Beef (round) 98/100g; Rabbit 102/100g; Lamb (breast) 109/100g; Wild hare 84/100g; Beef tripe 72/100g; Chicken breast 133/100g; Yellow croaker 99/100g.
2. Vegetables
For vegetables, we recommend ordering leafy greens multiple times. After all, they are low in calories and are believed to aid in detoxification. Pairing a rich, "heaty" hotpot with some "cooling" vegetables is beneficial for your health.
Cabbage: It's also a vegetable rich in dietary fiber. After the weather cools, cabbage becomes sweeter and has a great texture. It's very beneficial for your health right now. When used as a hotpot vegetable, it soaks up the broth, becoming tender and delicious.
Bitter Melon: Bitter melon isn't just for summer; it's an excellent side dish for cool-weather hotpot. Paired with a "heaty" hotpot, it can help cool the blood and detoxify, and may even aid in weight loss after a heavy meal.
Celery: It might seem strange to use celery in hotpot, but I've tried it and find it works really well. Celery is high in coarse fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, helping to expel excess nutrients and metabolic waste from the intestines, thus aiding in weight loss and cleansing the intestinal cavity.
Winter Melon: Many people love to add winter melon to hotpot. In fact, it has a high water content and is very low in calories. It has a significant diuretic effect, making it very effective for internal cleansing and weight loss.
Spinach: Spinach is great for your complexion, rich in iron and carotene, and an excellent source of Vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, and potassium. Spinach also contains protein; every 0.5 kg of spinach has a protein content equivalent to two eggs.
3. Sauces
As for seasonings, things like peanut sauce, satay sauce, sesame oil, etc., are all extremely high in calories. Moreover, each seasoning can stimulate your taste buds, making your appetite even stronger. In fact, you can choose to use vinegar as a substitute, as its calorie content is much lower.