Food to Avoid during CNY

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, besides family reunions and festive celebrations, good foods are definitely one of the best thing we can enjoy during the CNY, and we tend to overindulge on our favourite CNY snacks, yee sang and scrumptious dinners. However, changes on diet could also cause changes on body shape. Still worrying about eating too much on CNY which may lead to weight gain? Let’s take a look at some of the foods that you should avoid!

 

High-calories foods: 

Most of the Chinese New Year snacks are high calories and unhealthy. Binge eating could lead to overindulge and weight gain. Examples of Chinese New Year’s cookies that are high in calories:

10 pieces of Peanut cookies 500kcal 

10 slices of Honeycomb biscuits 500kcal

10 slices of Kuih Kapit 525kcal

Deep-fried food: 

Fried treats are definitely one of our favourites during Chinese New Year. Although we can’t deny that they are tasty, however, excessive consumption may lead to digestive problems and increased cholesterol levels. Shrimp rolls, spring rolls and fried seaweed snacks and other common CNY snacks should be consumed in moderation. 

High sugar foods: 

Desserts such as rice cakes and candies are popular during the CNY. Sugar not only affects cellular health, but also damages our collagen and accelerates our aging process. Therefore, you can try to limit your sugar intake during the CNY, food and beverage such as pineapple tart and soda are high in sugar.

High salt foods: 

Some dishes such as Chinese sausage, preserved foods, salted fish and different types of sauces are high in salt. Excessive salt intake may lead to high blood pressure, so it shouldn’t be ignored. The jerky which we call it “bakgua” is not only high in salt but also high in calories. 1 slice of jerky is 370kcal, which is equivalent to 3 bowls of rice.

 

CHEVIN Nutritionist Ke Qi:

It is indeed very difficult to avoid the temptation of good food especially during Chinese New Year. In order to enjoy festive food while maintaining health, it is recommended to choose smaller portion sizes and taste a variety of different dishes; eat more fruits and vegetables to balance out the dishes; drink more water to keep your body hydrated; and consider healthier cooking methods such as steaming or stir-frying rather than deep-frying. Of course, these are some of the suggestions that you can use as references, and we hope that you can still enjoy delicious and amazing dishes during the Chinese New Year while maintaining your health.