Notes on Shopping for Chinese New Year
Introduction: The New Year brings new beginnings, and many people enjoy "sprucing up" their homes before the Spring Festival. More and more people are joining the "shopping army," buying New Year gifts, home decorations, festive foods, and all sorts of delicacies and snacks, making the New Year shopping list longer and longer. A healthy body is key to a happy New Year.
New Year Decorations
The vibrant and lively New Year decorations can hide potential health hazards:
1. Unclean stuffing for plush toys
Fabric dolls, pendants, and cushions all face the issue of whether their stuffing is clean. As these items straddle the line between toys and decorations, their regulation and production standards may have loopholes. Therefore, you should first choose products with proper labels and from reputable manufacturers. Then, feel them with your hands to check for any overly hard stuffing, smell them for any pungent odors, and finally, inspect the craftsmanship for quality.
2. "Decorative fabric" may contain formaldehyde
Most fabric pendants are made from "decorative fabric." To reduce fire risk, this fabric is treated with flame retardants, which can lead to the generation of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is harmful to human health, so it is recommended to choose dolls and pendants made from silk or cotton, which are safer and healthier.
3. Don't get too "close" to newly bought decorations
For newly bought decorative pendants, try not to hang them in places that are very close to people, such as bedrooms or by the bedside. It's best to hang them on the balcony for a few days first to allow any harmful substances to evaporate. Also, don't hang too many decorations in the house. Families with members who have asthma or respiratory diseases should avoid buying them.
It's best to buy New Year goods from large supermarkets
Dietary items for the New Year are currently the most crowded areas in major shopping malls. Many supermarkets have even set up a "New Year Goods Street," featuring large gift boxes of smoked, cured, and roasted products, candy and chocolate gift boxes, gift wines, dairy product gift boxes, and imported fruit gift boxes. At the same time, preserved fruits and non-staple foods are also popular choices.
If you want to buy these loose, natural delicacies, it's best to learn how to identify them: for example, natural tremella (a type of fungus) is light yellow with relatively intact flowers; products that are too white or too fragmented are hard to guarantee for quality. For various dried mushrooms and other fungi, look for plump shapes; if they are too shrunken, the quality will not be ideal.
Consider using the "substitution principle" when shopping for New Year goods
Try to choose unprocessed foods, as each additional processing step increases the use of calories and seasonings. Therefore, you can use lower-calorie foods like dried fruits, dried konjac, seaweed, pumpkin seeds, and konjac jelly to replace regular meat jerky, dried squid, candy, and nuts.
Choose more dried fruits for snacks, and less candy
When shopping for New Year goods, dried foods are the main items to stock up on. Try to buy fewer cured and preserved products, as they can contain high levels of nitrites, which are carcinogenic. You can buy more dried fungi, which are great for boosting immunity. Dried seafood is also highly recommended. Additionally, it's best to eat more seasonal vegetables during the festival, such as radishes and cabbages.
Secondly, it is not recommended to buy greenhouse-grown vegetables and fruits, as these products look good but lack flavor and have much lower nutritional value. Because the diet during the New Year tends to be greasy, it is recommended to use oils with a lower fat content, such as olive oil or sunflower oil.
Again, snacks are also a major part of New Year goods. Since people tend to eat more food during the Spring Festival, snacks should be eaten as little as possible. It's good to have some nut-based snacks at home, which are beneficial for boosting immunity and for the intellectual development of children and the elderly. Try to have fewer candy-based snacks to avoid excessive calorie intake and prevent holiday weight gain.
Don't stock up too much on fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables should not be stored for too long, as prolonged storage leads to a loss of nutrients. Fruits are best eaten fresh to also get fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, it's best to buy fruits and vegetables as you need them and eat them right away.
Choose more healthy beverages
If you have elderly people and children at home, you can switch from carbonated drinks to sugar-free tea, plain water, or low-calorie soda to reduce the intake of refined sugar, artificial colors, and calories. This kind of combination can help reduce the intake of excessive oil, salt, and sugar, thereby lowering the risk of various chronic diseases and weight gain. This is especially important for people with diabetes or heart disease.