Top 6 Tips for Feasting During Lunar New Year | 賀年食品暗藏「三高」陷阱 簡單六招防超標

It’s almost Lunar New Year, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people are more likely going to eat unhealthily, indulging in various festive foods. However, traditional Chinese New Year dishes tend to be high in sugar, fat, and sodium content, thus contributing to “three highs” diseases. The “three highs” stands for high blood sugar, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which in Hong Kong affects over half of the population at age 15 to 84. So, before the holidays, let us at The Central Clinic share 6 tips for healthy and happy eating festive habits!

Tip 1: Avoid Traditional Chinese New Year Cakes

“Lo Bak Gou” (turnip cakes), “Nin Gou” (new year cakes), taro cakes, and water chestnut cake are four main cake treats for the new year. They are mostly high in fat, sodium or sugar content, therefore affecting cardiovascular health under high intake.

For example, a standard sized “Nin Gou” available on the market, one cake (about 600 grams) contains 1,590 calories, and is rich in fats and carbohydrates. Mere two slices of the coconut Nin Gou contain over 6 teaspoons of sugar, exceeding suggested daily intake by the Centre for Food Safety. If the cake slices were fried in 2 teaspoons of oil with an egg batter, the calories are even higher than a Big Mac burger! In general, avoid foods that are high in fats and carbohydrates for the sake of your cardiovascular health.

Tip 2: Read the Labels & Select Lower Sugar Content Foods

“Nin Gou” Contains 25% Sugar

For adults, the average suggested daily intake is about 2,000 calories and not exceed 50 grams of sugar. 2 slices of “Nin Gou” already contain over half of the recommended amount of sugar in a day. In addition, “Nin Gou” made with coconut milk contains even more fat. When choosing your cakes, remember to read the nutritional facts, so as to select ones with lower fat and sugar content.

According to data from the Centre for Food Safety, these are the daily intake limits per person:

Total Fat: 60 grams (4 tablespoons of oil)
Sugar: 50 grams (10 cubes of sugar)
Sodium: 2 grams (1 level teaspoon of salt)

Tip 3: Replace Cured Meats to Lower Sodium Intake

Cured sausages and cured pork belly are common ingredients to “Lo Bak Gou” and taro cakes. According to a report from the Consumer Council on common brands of “Lo Bak Gou” or taro cakes, 2 slices of such cakes (about 100g) contain about 5.2g of fat, equivalent to 1-2 teaspoon of oil in terms of fat content. At the same time, these foods are also high in sodium, at about 373g per 2 slices. One may think they could be a simple snack, but this amount would already reach half the suggested sodium daily intake at the World Health Organization.

Not only do the cured meats in traditional cakes tend to be high in fat and sodium, people also enjoy adding sugary condiments, thus making it easy to exceed the daily quota. It’s best to remember that moderation is key, and best to resist the temptation and stop at 2 pieces. This applies especially to those who are obese and suffering from high blood pressure.

Of course, we can still enjoy these festive foods while staying healthy. One way is to make these at home, so as to have better control on the ingredients. We also suggest choosing alternative ingredients such as dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, or dried conpoy, or picking out the cured meats to reduce the fat and sodium intake.

Tip 4: Be Selective on Cooking Methods & Avoid Condiments

Use healthier ways to heat up new year cakes, such as using non-stick pans, steaming or using the microwave oven. All of these methods minimize the use of oil, thus reducing the oil intake. Also, since 2 slices of “Nin Gou” already contain the equivalent amount of calories as a whole bowl of rice, it’s best to avoid adding an egg batter that would increase the calories in the dish. Avoid adding condiments as well when enjoying the foods.

Tip 5: Choosing Healthier Feasting Dishes

“Poon Choi”, or “big bowl feast”, is a traditional Cantonese festival meal that is served as a large communal meal with many layers of different ingredients. Most “Poon Choi” contain ingredients like pork belly and roast duck that are high fat and sodium, while other ingredients have been fried (such as taro and bean curd). Therefore, people suffering from “three highs” should only eat these feasts in small amounts.

Another factor can also affect cardiovascular health – the sauces may contain high sodium (such as abalone sauce and oyster sauce), and ingredients in the bottom layer (such as lotus root and turnips) may soak up more of the sauce.

Healthy Ingredients Breakdown

Here is a helpful breakdown of common “Poon Choi” ingredients for patients who have high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or are obese.

Healthier Choices:

Vegetables: Shiitake mushrooms, turnip, lotus root, chestnuts, fresh vegetables
Protein: Shrimp, sea cucumber, dried conpoy, dried oysters, skinless steamed chicken

Avoid:

Vegetables: Fried taro, bean curd sheets
Protein: Pork belly, pork skin, pork knuckles, roast duck, duck’s feet, roast goose, abalone, fried fish balls

Eat More Vegetables, Use Less Sauce

The Central Clinic doctors also suggest “three highs” patients, when they wish to reheat their “Poon Choi” dishes, they should pour out half of the sauce, and dilute using water. Another suggestion is to order smaller “Poon Choi”, combining with carbohydrates (such as plain rice) and adding fresh vegetables. This helps to increase the full sensation in order to control the total intake amount. Also, avoid adding the sauce to rice to lower sodium intake.

Tip 6: DIY Healthy Candy Box

It’s tradition to offer sweets from a candy box, and TCC suggests making your own healthy version, bringing your family a healthy new year.

The watermelon seeds commonly found are mostly processed with sauces that raise the sodium levels in these seemingly natural snacks. We suggest selecting baked seeds such as pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds without additional flavouring.

Also, replace deep fried ingredients such as sesame balls with baked nuts and unseasoned seaweed. Seeds and nuts are good sources of protein, healthy fats, fibres, vitamins and minerals, but they should still be eaten with moderation, up to one palmful.

Candies may seem necessary in a candy box, but we recommend replacing them with konnyaku jellies with original flavour, or natural and unseasoned dried fruits, which are higher in fibre. Patients with diabetes should pay attention to their overall intake. A simple hack is to select smaller, individually portioned foods to help keep the temptation to overeat at bay.

Conclusion

While we all love to enjoy the festive holidays, it’s important to keep a balanced diet. After indulging in large feasts with lots of meat, we should also eat more vegetables and fruits, and avoid eating foods that are high in calories, sugar, sodium, or fats. Remember that moderation is key – while we feast away with our loved ones, we should also balance with a balanced diet, adequate exercise.

Here at The Central Clinic, we wish you all a Happy, Healthy Year of the Ox!

 

農曆新年將至，疫情所限留在家中再加上各式各樣的賀年食品，令人難以抗拒誘惑開懷大吃。然而賀年食品大多屬高糖、高脂和高鈉，節日氣氛下更分容易墮入「三高」陷阱。 「三高」即高血糖、高膽固醇及高血壓，在全港15至84歲人士當中，逾半人出現最少一項「三高」病徵。因此，在佳節來臨前，中環專科為大家帶來六招避免三高貼士，幫大家吃得開心又健康！

貼士一：賀年糕點多屬三高食品，不宜多吃

蘿蔔糕、年糕、芋頭糕和馬蹄糕這4大賀年糕點，許多都是高脂，高鈉或高糖份，過量進食容易影響心血管健康。

以市面上常見的包裝年糕為例，一底(約600克)年糕約有1,590卡路里，屬高脂和高澱粉質食物。在以傳統椰汁年糕為例，兩片的糖份已超過6茶匙，超出食品安全中心每日建議攝取上限。如果加上兩茶匙油連同蛋漿一起煎煮，熱量更比巨無霸漢堡包還高！為了您的心血管健康，避免過高脂和高澱粉質食物。

貼士二：要控制糖分  買糕點前留意其營養標籤

年糕四分之一的成份都是糖

以成年人為例，每天平均需大概攝取2,000 卡路里，每天攝取糖分不應超過50克。2片年糕已佔整天所需糖分的5成多。另外，要特別留意椰汁年糕，它也會比一般年糕含有更多脂肪。選擇年糕時，應多留意營養標籤上的成份，可幫助你選擇一些脂肪和糖分較低的糕點。

跟據食物安全中心資料，一般人士每日總脂肪，糖和鈉攝入上限如下:

每日總脂肪攝入：６０克（４湯匙油）
每日糖攝入：５０克（１０粒方糖）
每日鈉攝入：２０００毫克／２克（１平茶匙鹽）

（來源：香港食物安全中心）

貼士三：控制攝入納  以冬菇、蝦米替代臘味

臘腸和臘肉為蘿蔔糕和芋頭糕的常見配料，脂肪含量亦特別高。跟據消委會調查，市面上常見品牌每2片蘿蔔糕/芋頭糕（約100克） 有約5.2克脂肪，相等於1至2茶匙油的脂肪含量。同時更是高鈉成員，每2片蘿蔔糕和芋頭糕約有373毫克，為世衞組織建議每天攝取的鈉含量的一半。

蘿蔔糕和芋頭糕中的臘腸／臘肉脂肪和鹽分含量較高，再加上含高糖分的醬料作為佐料，隨時鈉及糖超過建議攝入量。需要減重和高血壓人士切忌蘿蔔糕當飯食，只宜「一件起，兩件止」。想要吃得健康，除了自家製作，更可選擇以冬菇、蝦米或瑤柱作為配料的糕點。更或可挑走臘味後進食，以減少脂肪和鹽分攝取。

貼士四：控制攝入脂肪／油  講究煮法  減少調味醬料

選擇更健康的烹飪方法來加熱賀年糕點，以烹飪方法達至更健康。例如可選用易潔鑊以減少用油煎香。蒸煮翻熱糕點或用微波爐加熱也是少油烹調的選擇。此外，2片年糕已相等於一碗飯的熱量，故不建議沾上蛋漿煎，以免攝取更高的熱量。而享用糕點時，也避免使用調味醬料。

貼士五：如何選擇盆菜？

大部分盆菜用料不少高脂、高鹽食材（如豬腩肉、燒鴨等）；另外部分食材會先經過油炸（如芋頭、枝竹等）令脂肪含量更高，三高人士應多加注意避免進食過量。值得注意的是除了材料外，盆菜的醬汁鹽分亦較高（如南乳、鮑汁及蠔油）；而盆菜底層的食物，如蓮藕和蘿蔔則容易吸收過多醬汁，不利於心血管健康。

健康盆菜食材選擇表

三高人士和正值體重管理人士可以考慮以下較佳盆菜食材選擇：

較佳選擇：

蔬菜類：冬菇，蘿蔔，蓮藕，栗子，新鮮蔬菜
海鮮肉類：蝦，海參，瑤柱，蠔豉，去皮切雞

應避免選擇：

蔬菜類：炸芋頭，炆枝竹
海鮮肉類：豬腩肉，豬皮，豬手，燒鴨，鴨掌，燒鵝，鮑魚，炸魚蛋

加菜減醬 增飽腹感　忌醬「汁撈飯」

中環專科亦建議三高人士在加熱盆菜前先倒去一半醬汁，注入清水以稀釋醬汁和減少鹽分攝取。另外亦建議預訂較少人數的盆菜，并搭配穀物類（如白飯）及額外補充蔬菜，以增加飽腹感和控制食量，避免進食過量。切忌以醬汁用來拌飯以免攝取過量鹽分。

貼士六：自製健康全盒

中環專科建議為家中添置一個自制健康全盒，寓意全家人來年身體「健健康康」。市面上紅瓜子和黑瓜子大多以醬油醃製加工而成，含鈉量較高，健康全盒食材方面可選擇原味烘焙瓜子如南瓜子或葵花子。 并選擇原味烘焙堅果及無添加紫菜代替煎堆、酥角等油器食。種子及堅果類食物含高蛋白質、健康脂肪、纖維、維生素和礦物質。 每日種子及堅果類的建議量以一個掌心份量為上限，不宜進食過多。

至於糖果則可選原味蒟蒻凍或天然及無添加糖及鹽的乾果取替，以增加纖維攝取量，但糖尿病人仍要注意進食份量。也可盡量選購小巧獨立包裝的食物，以助控制進食的分量。

結語

在歡度節日的同時，亦應注意均衡飲食，在進食較多肉類食材的盆菜後，更應多進食蔬菜水果，避免進食過多高熱量、高糖、高鈉及高脂肪的食物。親友聚首一堂，適量食用賀年糕點也是慶祝佳節的一大樂事。多吃美食之餘謹記適可而止、均衡飲食和多加運動的準則，美食與健康還是可並存，期望牛年大家事事順境、身體健康。