Chinese food culture has a long and profound history, and the Spring Festival is no exception when it comes to feasting. From grand banquets to tables full of snacks, the clinking of glasses and lively chatter fill the air. The food during the Spring Festival is always abundant and diverse. How can you eat and drink healthily?
Part 1
The New Year's Eve Dinner,
Order dishes with "moderation" in mind.
The arrival of the Spring Festival marks the beginning of the year's biggest culinary feast. On New Year's Eve, the whole family gathering for the reunion dinner is considered the most important and grand meal of the year. However, ensuring that everyone at the joyful gathering eats to their satisfaction and stays healthy requires some consideration. Yan Feng, director of the Nutrition Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, points out that traditional Spring Festival gatherings are often overly lavish with unbalanced nutritional combinations. Dishes with large amounts of fish and meat are high in fat and protein, which can easily lead to bloating and diarrhea, turning the New Year's Eve dinner into a "New Year's Eve headache." Therefore, the reunion dinner should be diverse, well-proportioned, and balanced to be beneficial to health.
Health Tip 1:
Don't order "one dish per person."
A wide variety of dishes are a hallmark of the reunion dinner, including meat, seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, soy products, and more. With so many choices, most people base their order on the "one dish per person" rule, ordering 10 dishes for 10 people. Although individual intake varies, this approach often leads to waste or excessive consumption for an individual.
Generally, if a dish is large, you can reduce the number of dishes by one. If there are more elderly people, children, or women, you can also reduce the number of dishes. If you must stick to a specific "number of dishes," you can order more small dishes instead.
During the New Year's Eve dinner, the elderly and children are most likely to be "spoiled" and eat too much. During the festival, families are especially attentive to children and the elderly, frequently serving them food, which can result in them overeating. However, the elderly and children do not have as strong a physical constitution as young people, and overeating often leads to bloating and abdominal pain.
Health Tip 2:
Order more fish and white meat.
Roast goose, white-cut chicken, roasted pork, steamed fish... these are classic dishes on a Cantonese New Year's Eve dinner table. Sometimes, to make the occasion more grand, all these "classics" are served without omission. Yan Feng believes that nutritional research has proven that eating livestock is not as good as eating poultry, and eating poultry is not as good as eating fish. This is what we often call "four legs are not as good as two legs, and two legs are not as good as no legs." The so-called "four-legged" mainly refers to pork, beef, and mutton, also known as red meat. These meats are high in protein, but their fat is mainly saturated fatty acids, which can easily lead to cholesterol deposition in the coronary artery walls, causing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, the daily intake of red meat should not exceed 80 grams.
The "two-legged" mainly refers to poultry such as chicken, duck, goose, and pigeons. They have a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids, are easy to digest and absorb, and are called white meat, which is healthier than red meat. The "no-legged" mainly refers to fish and other aquatic products. Fish is an important source of protein; the protein content of fish is about 15%-24%, and 100 grams of fish can provide half of the daily protein requirement for the human body. Moreover, this protein is highly absorbable. Therefore, it is better to order more fish and white meat for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Health Tip 3:
Minced tofu with meat.
More plant protein, less animal protein.
Reunion dishes often revolve around a pattern of large amounts of fish and meat, from appetizers like roasted meat platters to the second course of roast goose, followed by chicken, duck, fish, and so on. Protein intake is high, but in fact, excessive protein increases the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidneys. You Huazhi, a physician in the Nutrition Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, explains that a person's daily protein intake is limited; a healthy person needs about 70 grams of protein per day. If you eat all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat at one banquet, you will exceed this limit.
The sources of protein are divided into animal and plant. The protein in meat is animal protein, but much of it becomes denatured and becomes inferior protein once it is fried or stir-fried. Therefore, under the same framework, reducing meat dishes and appropriately increasing legumes can allow plant-based protein to partially replace animal protein intake. "Legumes are rich in high-quality plant protein, contain no cholesterol, and help reduce fat and cholesterol intake."
Health Tip 4:
Don't order greasy vegetable dishes.
Ordering dishes should pay attention to the balance of meat and vegetables, generally one-third vegetables, one-third meat, and one-third semi-vegetarian dishes. However, vegetables do not necessarily mean healthy. When eating at restaurants, people often prefer "strong-flavored" dishes, including vegetables. Strong flavors are nothing more than heavy oil, salt, or sugar. For example, a dish of "stir-fried Shuidong mustard greens" might use up to 30 grams of oil, and some are even stir-fried with "pork oil scraps," which is delicious, but such oil-heavy vegetables have no less fat than meat. Therefore, it is healthier to prepare vegetables in a light way, such as blanching or salting.
Health Tip 5:
Staple foods are essential.
The New Year's Eve dinner has an abundance of dishes, and many people get full just from eating the dishes. However, You Huazhi believes that according to the Chinese Dietary Pagoda, the base layer, which constitutes the largest portion of food, is staple foods, namely rice, flour, and tubers. An adult should eat at least 2 liang (100 grams) of staple food per meal. Therefore, during the New Year's Eve dinner, don't just eat meat and vegetables and forget the staple foods. It is recommended to follow the balanced dietary principle of "a variety of foods, with grains as the mainstay, and a combination of coarse and fine grains" to absorb sufficient and reasonable nutrition while enjoying the food.
It should be noted that most restaurants and hotels offer a variety of fancy staple foods, such as fried noodles, dim sum, fried rice, and clay pot rice. These staple foods, which are high in oil, are not good for your health. The best staple foods should be coarse grains, prepared by steaming or boiling, such as steamed cornbread or coarse-grain buns, which are good choices.
Part 2
Understanding alcohol can reduce harm to the body.
During the Spring Festival, gatherings with friends and family inevitably involve drinking. It's easy to get "too drunk" when clinking glasses. What kind of alcohol to drink and how to drink it can reduce the damage to the liver?
You Huazhi, a physician in the Nutrition Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, explains that the alcohol concentration is mainly calculated by the concentration of ethanol, and the different components of various alcoholic beverages also play a role. The approximate ethanol concentrations of different alcoholic beverages are: beer 3-5%, yellow wine 12-15%, wine 10-25%, and spirits 40-60%. After this alcohol is consumed, 80% is rapidly absorbed, and 90% of it is metabolized by the liver. Alcohol has the greatest impact on the human body. The higher the alcohol content and the more you drink, the higher the demand on the liver's metabolic capacity. Therefore, drinking too much and too quickly should be avoided. Frequent toasting is even worse, as a large amount of alcohol entering the digestive tract accelerates the absorption of alcohol by the gastrointestinal tract, causing a rapid rise in blood alcohol concentration to its peak in a short time, thereby increasing the burden on the liver.
You Huazhi suggests that it is best to have something to eat before drinking. A semi-full stomach can slow down the absorption rate of alcohol by the stomach, thereby reducing the burden on liver metabolism. Additionally, you can drink some milk and eat some meat before drinking to create a "protective layer" for the stomach, slowing down alcohol absorption. You can also eat foods rich in B vitamins, such as coarse grains, dairy products, egg yolks, and mushrooms, as the metabolism of alcohol in the liver requires their help. If you drink slowly, allowing enough time for the alcohol to evaporate, liver damage will be reduced, and it is less likely to get drunk.
It is not recommended to mix alcohol with carbonated drinks, but drinking some fruit juice is beneficial. In addition to vitamins, the fructose in fruits and juice can oxidize ethanol, which helps accelerate other metabolic processes and evaporation.
Beer: Start with one glass, stop at two.
Beer has the lowest alcohol content and can be considered the least intoxicating among alcoholic beverages. Beer is a beverage made mainly from malted barley, with high nutritional value, containing carbohydrates, various amino acids, vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and other substances, earning it the nickname "liquid bread." However, beer is diuretic and can easily cause the stomach to bloat, so it should not be consumed in large quantities.
People with gastritis, peptic ulcers, liver diseases, gallstones, gout, hypertension, and diabetes should be cautious when drinking beer. This is determined by the components of beer. The oxalic acid in beer can increase the amount of uric acid in the human body, so patients with high uric acid should not drink it. Drinking beer can also cause blood pressure to rise in hypertensive patients and damage the gastric mucosa in patients with stomach diseases.
Yellow Wine: No more than 100ML.
Yellow wine is a low-alcoholic fermented wine rich in nutrients such as sugar, organic acids, abundant amino acids, and some vitamins. Moderate consumption can promote the secretion of digestive enzymes, but the daily intake should not exceed 100ML.
Red Wine: No more than 100ML.
Red wine is a relatively healthy type of alcoholic beverage. In addition to its low alcohol content, red wine also contains various amino acids, vitamin C, multiple organic acids, minerals, and some "phenolic substances." Moderate consumption of red wine can lower blood pressure and has a protective effect on the human cardiovascular system.
You Huazhi emphasizes that although red wine is good, it should not be consumed excessively. The daily intake should not exceed 100ML. Furthermore, the effects of alcohol on women and men are different. Under the same moderate intake, alcohol has a slightly lower impact on men, so women should not think that because red wine has a low alcohol content and is good for the skin, they can drink more of it.
Spirits: No more than 50ML.
The main components of spirits are ethanol and water. A small glass of spirits contains a surprisingly high amount of calories. Two liang (about 100 grams) of 50-proof spirits is almost equivalent to a bowl of rice. Additionally, its high alcohol content most easily increases the burden on the liver when consumed in excess.
Note: Special populations need to abstain from alcohol. For example, people with hepatitis or other liver diseases, and those with gout should absolutely avoid alcohol, even beer with low alcohol content, so as not to worsen their condition. People with urinary system stones should also not drink alcohol. Furthermore, patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease should also try to drink as little as possible.
Part 3
Snacks,
Eating them wisely is beneficial,
Eating them indiscriminately is harmful.
During Spring Festival gatherings, children are happy, and adults have free time, so a wide variety of snacks become the most popular items. Melon seeds, peanuts, pistachios, chocolate, cookies... you can eat too much without realizing it. So, how should you eat snacks? Yan Feng, director of the Nutrition Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, believes that snacks must be eaten selectively. Some snacks are beneficial to health when consumed in moderation, while others merely satisfy a craving and are not beneficial when eaten in excess.
Cookies: Beware of trans fatty acids.
Cookies are mainly made from flour, sugar, and oil, so it's no surprise that they are high in calories. Yan Feng explains that every 100 grams of cookies contains over 500 kilocalories. Additionally, cookies often contain trans fatty acids, which are harmful to the human body and should be eaten as little as possible.
Candied Fruits: High in sugar and additives.
Candied fruits may have a sugar content of over 60%. Moreover, due to the long cooking process during processing, most of the vitamins originally present in the fruit are gone. Candied fruits are high in sugar, high in calories, and low in vitamins. Not only that, but candied fruits may also contain other additives, such as flavorings and synthetic colors to make the color and aroma stronger, which can damage the liver if eaten in excess. Some candied fruits also contain a lot of salt, and high salt intake can burden the kidneys, making foods that are already low in nutritional value a health hazard.
Nuts: Beneficial, but control the amount.
Nuts can be said to be rich in nutrients among many snacks. In addition to rich protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids, they also contain vitamin E, various B vitamins, and various minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.
It should be noted that no matter how high the nutritional value, the intake of nuts needs to be controlled. Nuts have a high oil content, ranging from 40% to 80%, and they are tasty, making it easy to overeat them. Furthermore, nuts that are roasted, salted, or coated in a sugar glaze destroy their original nutrients. It is recommended to eat plain nuts. When buying nuts, pay attention to whether they are moldy, as moldy nuts are very harmful to the human body.
Chocolate: High in fat and sugar.
Chocolate is one of the most appealing sweets, but it is a high-fat, high-sugar, and high-calorie food with low protein content. Therefore, intake should be strictly controlled, and about 50 grams per day is sufficient. Be wary of some inferior chocolates that contain "cocoa butter substitutes," as the trans fatty acids they contain are extremely harmful to the cardiovascular system, even more so than saturated fatty acids. People with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia should not eat too much.
Fried Foods: Can easily cause "heatiness".
Fried foods like potato chips and "youjiao" (fried dumplings) are children's favorites because they are the most "savory," emphasizing taste over nutrition. Fried foods lose most of their vitamins after being deep-fried at high temperatures, and harmful substances such as acrylamide are also produced during the process. At the same time, fried foods contain large amounts of saturated fat and trans fatty acids, which are harmful to the human body. Children, people prone to "heatiness," and patients with pharyngitis should not eat too much.
Meatball fried potatoes