A Chinese New Year Cheat Sheet!

In order to prepare you for an awesome Lunar New Year celebration, we’ve put together a “Healthy CNY Cheat Sheet” to help avoid the usual pitfalls that come with festive over-indulgence as well as keeping yourself healthy and strong during the festive season.

1. Prepare or opt for healthier CNY dishes

Starting with reunion dinner, here are some ways for you to have healthier options (but still delicious) for you and your loved ones!
 

• Boil your hotpot broth

Avoid purchasing ready-made broth as they are usually not the healthiest option. Make effort to boil your very own hotpot soup broth as you are able to control what ingredients and spices that goes into your soup. The best part is, there’s no need to add MSG or too much salt with all the natural ingredients used to boil the soup. Don’t forget to add lots of vegetables for the extra sweetness as well as natural fibre.

• Include food with a variety of nutrients

Include a variety of ingredients such as fresh greens, mushrooms, tofu and healthy proteins like fish and chicken for a balanced meal during reunion dinner. A reminder to choose lean meats and skinless poultry over fattier cuts of meat as a healthier alternative. Seafood consumed in moderation also provides a good source of proteins and important minerals.
 

• Go light on the oil and sweet sauce in “Yee Sang”

Add the oil and sweetened plum sauce in moderation onto your Yee Sang; you’ll probably find that the Yee Sang is actually tasty already by using just half of the provided oil and sweet sauce!

If you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, why not try making your very own Yee Sang salad by including these fresh ingredients – carrot, capsicum, pomelo, salmon and turnips for the extra crunch, texture and most importantly they are packed with vitamins and other nutrients!
 

• How about a fresh fruit platter for dessert?

Instead of opting for sweet pudding or Chinese ‘kuih’ for desserts, it would be a wiser option to pick a plate of colourful fresh assorted fruits. Fresh fruits will help to balance our meal with a rich intake of vitamins and boost of fibre to ease digestion from all the feasting.
 

2. Look out for healthier options when shopping for CNY snacks

When shopping for snacks and beverages, do keep an eye out for healthier options. Choose baked snacks instead of fried, look for reduced sugar, lightly salted, no trans-fat options.

3. Snack in moderation

It’s never fun to be counting calories in our heads while indulging in yummy CNY treats. Instead of trying to completely abstain, go ahead and indulge in some of your favourite CNY snacks but be mindful to snack in moderation so we don’t go overboard with higher calories or higher sugar/salt content snacks.

Don’t hold on to the snack tin or bottle while snacking, leave it a comfortable distance away and take the pieces you plan to eat. Having the snack placed a distance away will help to reduce your tendencies to snack on more than you intended to. Alternatively, if you have less self-control towards food, you can try taking a weight management supplement with a key ingredient such as garcinia cambogia. It helps to curb cravings which will help to resist your CNY snacks temptations. 
 

4. Stay active

When you are not out doing home visits or receiving guests, why not use the time to go for a jog or embark on a quick home workout. You could also take a stroll with the family after dinner, which is also great for bonding (plus it helps with after-meal digestion and mood relaxation)!

Are you stressed trying to lose belly flab? You can consider taking supplements with key ingredients such as Corn Silk Extract, Lemon Balm Extract, Red Vine Leaf Extract, Lotus Leaf Extract and Eucommia Leaf Extract and Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) to enhance fat metabolism and reduce fat build-up.

5. Stay hydrated

Make sure to constantly keep yourself hydrated with the recommended intake of 8 glasses/2-Litres of water a day to keep most ailments away! Plain water is truly the best thing that we can consume for our health and our body.

At zero calories, plain water may not taste anywhere as fancy or as enjoyable as bubble tea, sweetened beverages and juices; IT IS what your body needs to stay healthy and hydrated. Other than keeping us hydrated (and dry skin at bay), water also helps to flush out and cleanse our bodies of accumulated toxins and waste.

6. Recognize the signals that your body sends when it is (too) full

• You start to feel bloated during/after your meal
• Burping and belching
• Feeling of Heartburn
• Feeling full and uncomfortable, stomach feels stretched and expanded
• Feeling nauseous

Think of your tummy as a balloon. You certainly don’t want to be overeating such that your stomach is stretched to its limits. Overeating over an extended period greatly contributes to obesity and could lead to the onset of other obesity-related ailments. It also taxes our digestive system, making our digestive organs work overtime to digest the excess foods and clear out waste and toxins. This can also mean that the foods you eat will remain in the stomach for a longer time, increasing the chances for them to be stored as body fat.

Get probiotics or enzymes supplements that contain fermented food extracts to improve and ease your digestive systems. It further helps to alleviate those uncomfortable symptoms and discomfort while improving our nutrient absorption to the body.

7. Boost Immunity

CNY is a time when you will be visiting your relatives as well as reuniting with your friends. Since you will be meeting with lots of people, it is crucial to build a strong body immunity to defend yourself from any viruses and illnesses. Make sure to take supplements such as Vitamin C & D and Zinc to strengthen your body’s immunity system and resist any possible disease.

We hope this cheat sheet has been helpful for you. Here’s to making wiser choices for a healthier you this Chinese New Year! Make 2022 a year of abundant health for you and your loved ones.