Saying no to CNY treats

As a melting pot of ethnicities, Malaysia is blessed with many cultural festivals.

Unsurprisingly, food plays a big part when each celebration rolls around, as family and friends gather to partake in the festivities.

Although the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations may be more muted this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this does not mean that families will forego the popular traditional CNY goodies such as pineapple tarts, peanut cookies and love letters.

After all, the ubiquity of these treats during this festive season means that they can be hard to resist.

Unfortunately, they can also be high in calories, and low in the nutrients and vitamins our bodies need.

One way to resist unhealthy sweets and foods this season is to incorporate more protein into your meals, while cutting back on refined carbohydrates and fat.

You’ll feel more full, so you’re likely to eat less and cut down on unhealthy snacking or cravings.

Building you up

Protein is important because it helps you build and maintain lean muscle mass.

It’s the foundation for bones, muscles, skin, blood and connective tissue.

Each person’s protein needs varies depending on their body size and composition, age, and activity level.

Protein also helps to make meals more satisfying.

Add some eggs to your breakfast for extra protein to help fill you up and prevent yourself from overeating. — Filepic

Having some protein at every meal and snack helps with appetite control over the course of the day.

Protein-rich foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, legumes, and seeds also supply B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc and magnesium.

So, when you’re adding protein while cutting back on empty calories, you’re also getting the benefit of extra nutrients your body needs.

Resist overeating

Here are some ways to incorporate more protein in your diet to help reduce all those yummy holiday temptations:

> Have a healthy, protein-rich breakfast

Start the day with a high-protein breakfast – about 25g of protein should do it.

Try boiling some eggs, grilling some lean sausages, or replacing your jam or butter with a nut butter like peanut butter.

You can also have plain Greek yoghurt, non-fat cottage cheese, a meal replacement shake or oatmeal with protein powder blended in.

Studies suggest this not only helps keep you full until lunch, but may even help curb your food intake over the course of the day.

> Incorporate healthy snacking

All those tempting goodies lined up on your table calling your name during the day?

Instead of snacking on them all the time, try to vary your in-between meal munchies with protein-rich bites.

A plain Greek yoghurt or non-fat cottage cheese with fruit also makes a good snack, aside from breakfast.

Other high-protein snacks you can keep in stock include unsalted nuts (limit yourself to just a handful at a time), protein-rich snack bars or a piece of low-fat string cheese.

> Be selective about holiday food

While we may not be able to gather in large extended family and friend crowds this CNY, it doesn’t mean that we can’t have delicious meals, especially with the many restaurants and hotels offering special CNY menus for delivery and takeaway.

So, when ordering or cooking up a meal this festive season, do cut down on starchy sides like white rice, bread, mashed potatoes and white-flour pasta.

Instead, put more vegetables on your plate, and look for protein-rich beans and grains such as soybeans, black beans or kidney beans.

As for the main course, try to incorporate ingredients with a protein boost, such as lean chic-ken or seafood, with edamame, tofu or beans as a topper.

You don’t have to completely avoid your favourite holiday foods.

One trick is to skip the foods that you can eat all year round, like chocolate chip cookies.

As for seasonal snacks that are high in calories and only appear during CNY – such as nian gao fritters, love letters or prawn rolls – try to control your intake.

Or indulge instead in healthier treats like Chinese walnut cookies, tapioca flour cookies or oatmeal cookies.

Also, don’t forget to keep up (or begin!) your exercise routine – you’ll not only feel better, but you’ll also continue to fit well and look great in your holiday best.

Susan Bowerman is Herbalife Nutrition Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training senior director. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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