On New Year's Eve, a sumptuous reunion dinner to stay up late and welcome the new year marks the beginning of a family reunion, but it also kicks off seven days of heavy eating and drinking for many. While it's certainly right to eat well during the New Year, how can you enjoy your meals while also staying healthy? Here, we synthesize the advice of multiple experts to provide you with comprehensive tips.
Eat more steamed dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner
During the New Year, every household is stocked with chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Here, we suggest changing the cooking methods and serving more steamed dishes. The reason is obvious: this method not only preserves the original shape, juices, and flavors but also uses very little oil, making it suitable for the "meat and fish diet" of the festival.
For example, when making chicken wings, you can first make three cuts on each wing. Marinate them with cooking wine, salt, pepper, and light soy sauce. The savory flavor of these seasonings will seep into the meat through the slits. Then, place shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts, or some taro at the bottom of a dish. Arrange the marinated chicken wings on top and steam for twenty minutes.
Drink more water during the New Year
You will definitely eat more than usual during the New Year, and it's often high-sugar, high-fat food, so it's even more important to drink more water. This can boost the body's metabolism and speed up the elimination of waste. Additionally, the holiday season is busy with people coming and going, making it easy to forget to drink. Most people only have a glass when they are extremely thirsty. In fact, in addition to the water consumed from food, a person must ensure they drink at least 1200 milliliters of water daily. Therefore, you can keep a tea cup handy and take a few sips whenever you have a spare moment.
When socializing, have a little bit of each dish
No matter how important a social dinner is, your health comes first. For gatherings you really can't refuse, try to eat as little as possible. One bite of each dish is enough, especially for animal-based foods like chicken, duck, and meat to avoid overconsumption, as this can make the body's system acidic and lead to fatigue. Also, be sure to chew slowly and eat as many vegetables as possible. Maintain a vegetable-to-meat ratio of 3:1 to 4:1. This way, even if you consume too much fat, it can be excreted along with the dietary fiber from the vegetables.
Choose fruits based on your body type
As an important aid to digestion, eating some fruit an hour before a meal is very beneficial for the body. The choice of fruit can actually vary from person to person. For bananas, it's best to choose plantains, which can moisten the intestines and regulate the body's qi. They are quite beneficial for people with poor digestion to have one after a meal. Additionally, fruits like grapefruit and oranges are rich in vitamin P, so people with cardiovascular issues might want to eat more of them. During the New Year, it's not recommended to eat persimmons or durian, as both are high in sugar. Grapes and pomegranates may also not be very fresh, so it's best to avoid them if possible.
Keep some hawthorn slices on hand as snacks
Hawthorn is sour and sweet, with a slightly warm nature. It is used to stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, resolve stagnation, invigorate blood, and dissipate phlegm. It is particularly effective for treating indigestion from meat. Therefore, eating more hawthorn slices or tanghulu is a very good choice, and it's best to always have some at home.
Nuts are also very popular snacks during the New Year. Almonds help moisten the lungs and relieve coughs, walnuts can dispel cold, and chestnuts are believed to strengthen yang. Of course, a small spoonful per day is enough, and they must be unsalted. As for pumpkin and sunflower seeds, while they are also essential holiday snacks, remember that pumpkin seeds contain less oil and are healthier than sunflower seeds. Peanuts are extremely high in calories, so never eat more than 10 a day.