Eating right, getting enough sleep and engaging in more physical activities can help people avoid gaining weight during the Lunar New Year holiday, health experts said.
Data from the Health Promotion Administration showed that people on average put on 1.7kg during the holiday due to the numerous gatherings and feasts.
Playing video games, mahjong or card games long into the night and sleeping during the day, or binge-watching TV shows while snacking also contribute to those unwanted gains, said Fan Chun-mei (范純美), head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Nutrition Department.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
“There are tips that people can follow to help them eat well and enjoy the delicious dishes at family gatherings while keeping their weight in check during the holiday,” she said.
These include taking care to select the right ingredients, eating meals at regular times and setting specific portions, chewing the food slowly, drinking unsweetened beverages and engaging in more group recreational activities.
Fan recommended preparing dishes by steaming, boiling, baking, roasting or braising.
“Go for more legumes and beans, chicken and fish as priority, as these are tasty and healthy choices, and have lower fat content,” she said.
While the regular daily meal pattern might be disrupted during the holiday, with people having meals outside the usual hours, it is important to stick to a set time and eating regular portions, she added.
She also touted the benefits of eating slowly, which allows people to savor each bit and enjoy the flavor of the food.
Chewing each bite 10 to 15 times and taking 20 minutes or more to finish a meal gives the brain time to recognize that one is full and aids digestion, she said.
While stocking up on snacks and treats for the holiday is a tradition, Fan advised against buying too much “as they are addictive, and people have a tendency to continue nibbling on little bits and pieces without thinking.”
She suggested that during meals people can prepare green tea, oolong tea, barley tea or herbal tea, and replace soda with carbonated drinks without added sugar.
“When pooling a table together for mahjong, card games, playing computer games, or watching TV, people must remember to take breaks at intervals, stand up and move around for about 10 minutes,” she added.
Physician Yang Chih-yao (楊智堯) at Slender Figure Clinic said that people tend to consume large amounts of food that is high in calories, salty and spicy, and drink a lot of beverages.
“In combination with overnight activities and sleeping in, people do not move around much or have little physical activity. These could lead to a weight gain of 2 to 3kg during the holiday,” he said.
He advised drinking boiled water regularly during this period, saying no to overnight activities, going to bed early, and eating vegetables before carbohydrates during meals.
Yang also warned against using too much sauce or spices, and urged people to engage in outdoor activities to prevent weight gain.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
Hungarian Member of Parliament Tompos Marton said he considers Taiwan to be a better alternative to China as a strategic partner. Marton, who is the vice president of the opposition Momentum Party, made the remarks in an interview with the Central News Agency on Sunday. He draped a Republic of China flag across his shoulders to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the capital city, Budapest, on Thursday last week, and openly voiced support for Taiwan on social media. He said in the interview that he wanted to remind the world that there were alternatives to China, and that “Taiwan has
A female physician at New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital was bullied and made to work for 32 consecutive hours by a senior colleague while pregnant before later having a miscarriage, an internal investigation found, the hospital said on Monday. The perpetrator has been removed from his post, the hospital said. The attending physician in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, identified by the pseudonym Y, earlier on Monday told reporters that she had been bullied by a male senior colleague who arranged shifts in her department. In January, shortly after she became pregnant, Y asked the department director if she could avoid overnight