Chinese Cuisine is world-famous and food is an integral part of Chinese people's lives. We celebrate festivals and many other occasions by holding a banquet. We even hold business talks at a dinner table over a meal. Few other nations have as many feasts as Chinese people do. During the New Year period, everyone's schedule is filled-up with different feasts.
But over-indulgence can also cause health problems, especially excessive drinking. Chang Cui-Qing, is a dietitian from the Chinese Nutrition Society. He gives us some good advice on sensible feasting.
"There is a traditional saying in Chinese that there is no feast without alcohol. But excessive drinking will cause trouble to our liver. So people should abstain from drinking. According to Chinese Nutrition society, the healthy quantity is under 100 grams of distilled spirit, under 750 milliliters of beer and under 100 milliliters of wine."
Chinese people are increasingly paying attention to their daily diet and trying to endure they have a balanced and nutritious diet. But when it comes to enticing feasts, a lot us just forget healthy eating rules and want to indulge. Here is Chang Cui-Qing again, telling us a good way to avoid overindulging.
"Usually at feasts, people tend to have big dishes like different types of meat, and fill-up on these dishes first. When it comes to vegetables, a lot of people are almost full. Here I have a knack when ordering dishes: to avoid having too much meat, you can order vegetables first. Don't omit main food, as 50 to 100 grams of rice is a must to get balanced nutrition."
Why not pick up tips from the expert! Enjoy your festivities in this New Year season and indulge in healthy balanced feasts.
(CRI January 5, 2005)
