Chinese New Year, a festival full of laughter and reunion, is also a great time for us to enjoy good food. However, eating during the Chinese New Year has its own unique features, and it is also accompanied by some common misconceptions. To ensure your health and happiness during the festive season, this article will provide you with a healthy guide to eating during the Chinese New Year.
The importance and characteristics of the Spring Festival diet
Chinese New Year is the most important traditional festival in China, and families look forward to a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve dinner and reunion with family and friends. The diet of this period has the following characteristics:
Rich variety of dishes: Every household will prepare a variety of ingredients, such as fish, meat, vegetables, seafood, etc., which means "there is more than enough every year".
Strong traditional characteristics: Spring Festival recipes in various places have their own unique flavors, such as dumplings in the north, rice cakes in the south, etc.
Pursuit of reunion and good fortune: In the process of preparing and cooking food, good wishes for family harmony and good luck in the coming year are often pinned.
Common dietary problems and misunderstandings during the Spring Festival
While celebrating the festive season, we should also be wary of some common dietary misconceptions:
Dieting or overeating: Some people choose to go on a diet or binge eat in order to control their weight or crave delicious food, which can be damaging to the body.
Excessive alcohol consumption: During the Chinese New Year, family and friends often drink alcohol to cheer up, but excessive alcohol consumption may cause physical discomfort.
Neglect of dietary balance: Neglect of vegetables, fruits, etc., in order to pursue taste, resulting in unbalanced nutrition.
Arrange the Spring Festival diet reasonably, pay attention to balanced nutrition and scientific matching.
In order to have a healthy and happy Spring Festival, we should follow the following principles:
Meat and vegetarian matching: Make sure you eat enough vegetables and fruits to provide your body with the necessary vitamins and fiber.
Moderate intake of meat: Meat is a high-quality protein**, but too much can increase fat intake. It is recommended to consume lean meat, fish, etc. in moderation.
Choose a healthy cooking method: Try to avoid high-oil cooking methods such as frying and frying, and recommend low-oil cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and stewing.
Drink alcohol in moderation: If you have a habit of drinking, you should control the amount of alcohol you drink to avoid harm to your body.
Pay attention to food hygiene: ensure that the ingredients are fresh and the cooking process is hygienic to avoid food safety problems such as food poisoning.
Healthy dishes and cooking methods are recommended.
Celebrate the New Year in peace and auspiciousness
Here are some recommendations and cooking tips for Chinese New Year dishes that are both delicious and healthy:
Steamed fish: Fresh fish is made with shredded ginger and green onions, steamed to maintain the original flavor of the fish.
Vegetable salad: Use fresh vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc., and mix well with low-fat salad dressing.
Stewed soups: such as chicken broth, bone broth, etc., which can provide nutrients and protect against the cold.
Grilled vegetables: such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes, etc., are both delicious and rich in fiber.
Moderate intake of traditional New Year's goods and local specialties
During the Spring Festival, there are abundant special foods and traditional New Year's goods in various places. We can enjoy these delicacies in moderation while taking care to pair them with other ingredients to reduce the risk to the body. For example, when eating rice cakes, you can pair them with some green leafy vegetables; When eating meat, it can be served with some tofu or vegetables. This not only satisfies the cravings of the appetite, but also ensures a balanced nutrition.
Create a good dining environment, advocate food conservation, respect for traditional culture and other values
While preparing and enjoying food, we should also focus on creating a warm and harmonious dining environment. This includes, but is not limited to, reasonable meal times, giving up seats for the elderly, avoiding food wastage, etc. In addition, we should also respect traditional culture and values, so that the traditional festival of the Spring Festival can be inherited and carried forward.
Travel safety and food safety precautions
When traveling or buying food during the Spring Festival, we should pay attention to the following points: choose regular channels to buy food, pay attention to check the production date and shelf life of food; Obey traffic rules when traveling; If you go to crowded places, you should wear a mask and maintain social distancing; This not only ensures our travel safety and food safety, but also reduces the risk of contracting diseases.