Avoiding happy weight gain during Spring Festival celebrations

Author: Unknown; Reviewer: Unknown; Curator: Unknown; Production/Organizational Information: Unknown. Title: Avoiding happy weight gain during Spring Festival celebrations Introduction: Spring Festival feasts may cause 'happy weight.' The article discusses high-calorie foods and offers tips for weight management. Keywords: ['Health Management During the Spring Festival', 'Obesity'] Main text: During the Spring Festival, it's easy to gain what is referred to as 'happy weight.' The truth is that it's not just about indulging in delicious food.

During the days of the New Year, do you feel like there's secretly an extra layer of fat on your belly? You didn't really think you ate that much, so why is the scale starting to beep? Don't rush; today we'll dig into where the 'caloric assault' during the Spring Festival really hides. "I'm just going to munch on some" — The Gentle Trap of Nuts. "Come, come, have some sunflower seeds." "Try this pistachio, I just bought it." Sounds familiar, doesn't it? You might think it's just 'a few pieces,' but when you sit down, a small mountain has already formed in front of you. Nuts may not look significant, but their calorie density is surprisingly high. Two liang of melon seeds is roughly equivalent to the calories of a full meal. The key is that this snack is addictive; once you start, you can't help but keep eating, and before you know it, you've exceeded your limits. The leftover dish cycle of 'having surplus year after year.' The New Year's Eve dinner is characterized by its abundance, with a table full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat. It's essential to leave some food behind, symbolizing 'having surplus.' This leftover is not a big deal; over the next few days, it's all about the 'leftover annihilation' campaign. In the morning, I'll have fried rice with leftovers, for lunch, I'll heat up some braised pork, and in the evening, I’ll mix it all together. It may seem like I'm not eating much, but in reality, each meal is loaded with high oil and high salt 'processed foods.' 3. Stacking carbohydrates, rice becomes dumplings. There is an old saying in the North: 'Comfortable is not as good as lying down, delicious is not as good as dumplings.' But have you noticed that on the New Year's Eve dinner table, it is often rice served with dumplings, dumplings with steamed buns, and then some glutinous rice cake and eight-treasure rice? This is simply a 'gathering of champions' for carbohydrates. When refined carbohydrates are consumed, blood sugar levels soar, and insulin works frantically, causing excess energy to be stored as fat. 4. 'What you drink is emotion' — Liquid calories are more subtle. 'Deep feelings, all in one gulp.' At the drinking table, while toasting and exchanging cups, you may not have eaten much food, but the calories from alcohol have quietly crept in. One gram of alcohol contains 7 kilocalories, whether it’s beer, liquor, or wine, all of them contribute. What’s worse is that the snacks you often have while drinking, like fried peanuts or sausage, are typically high-calorie foods. 5. 'Even when doing nothing, I'm still talking' — can't stop my mouth. Usually, I'm busy with work and have regular meal times. But when I'm on vacation at home, I sit in front of the TV, and the snacks on the coffee table are within reach. Chips, candies, chocolate, and nuts take turns calling to me. It's not hunger; it's 'idleness.' When my mouth feels lonely, my hand unconsciously reaches for the snack bags. What should I do? Here are a few suggestions for you: Nuts should be served in a bowl, and take only a small handful at a time; avoid eating directly from the bag. Try to limit the consumption of processed nuts (those with added sugar, salt, or fried with starch). It’s best to choose unsalted nuts, and I especially recommend small bags of mixed nuts. The daily recommended intake of nuts is about 10 grams, according to the 'Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents.' This is equivalent to a small handful. To give you a more intuitive understanding of weight, here are the approximate number of common nuts that correspond to 10 grams (calculated based on the edible portion): Walnuts: about 2-3 pieces (referring to whole halves of shelled walnuts). Almonds: About 8-10 pieces. Cashews: about 8 pieces. Hazelnuts: About 6-7 pieces. Peanuts: approximately 15-20 pieces (if they are in-shell peanuts, about 15-20 nuts). Pistachios: about 15 pieces (with shells). Sunflower seeds (melon seeds): approximately 2-3 handfuls with shells. The reason for controlling the quantity to this amount is mainly due to the high fat content of nuts (usually around 50%) and their relatively high calorie count. A 10-gram portion contains approximately 50-70 calories, which allows you to obtain nutrition without easily gaining weight. Mixed consumption: Different nuts have varying nutritional values, so eating a combination of several types is better than consuming just one type alone. Special population: If there is a need to strictly control calories or if blood lipids are high, it is advisable to reduce the intake to 5-7 grams. Overweight individuals are recommended to correspondingly reduce the amount of cooking oil after consumption. Leftover food should be reheated only once. Before drinking alcohol, eat some dishes first; do not drink on an empty stomach. During the New Year's Eve dinner, eat more vegetables and less starch to leave some space in your stomach.