5 Ways to Have a Healthy Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year — that time of the year, when everyone’s in the mood to reunite with loved ones, and eat to their heart’s content! But with growing awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, everyone’s looking for low-calorie versions of traditional snacks and even Lunar New Year calorie guides.

Here are five ways to still enjoy the festivities while taking care of your health:

With festive snacks on full display, it’s easy to eat non-stop without thinking during this season. But by making these simple changes, you can be more mindful about your portions.

To start, have a good mix of healthier snacks and regular snacks, or switch to a smaller plate to limit your calorie intake. You can also arrange the snacks to ensure the healthier ones are placed in your line of sight, while the regular ones are further out of reach.

No Lunar New Year is complete with the usual round of soft drinks and sodas. As refreshing as they are, soft drinks are high in sugar content and should be taken in moderation.

Fight the temptation by making your own drinks such as smoothies and fruit juices to enjoy with family and guests. You can mix and match your favourite fruits and vegetables for different flavours and delicious combinations. And while you are at it, you can easily adjust your guests’ preferred level of sweetness for that enjoyable yet healthy treat.

Lunar New Year visits often involve sitting around with conversation, card games and food. So where possible, find ways to incorporate movement!

It can be as simple as going for a short walk during downtime, or if your places of visitation are near each other, clock in those steps by walking from one to another.

One of the most common and beloved CNY snacks, bak kwa is a sweet and savoury meat jerky. Enjoyed for its lovely balance of saccharine and salty flavours, it’s unfortunately also high in fats and sugar.

But before you panic and swap it out completely, satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthier homemade option using honey instead. Honey is less processed than sugar, and does not raise your sugar levels as quickly.

Simply mince some chicken or pork, and mix with fish sauce, soy sauce, ground white pepper and other spices of your choice. Then coat it with honey and pop it in your Bosch oven for evenly and perfectly baked bak kwa.

Gatherings during Lunar New Year tend to be sedentary in nature, with a lot of time spent indoors. The activities also tend to leave children restless, as commonly played games are gambling or card games for adults.

This year, try switching things up with games that involve physical movement and allow everyone to participate. Some options you can start with include The Floor Is Lava, Charades and Twister.

This doubles up as an opportunity for the entire family to exercise a little together, and help entertain the children for extra family fun!