6 Simple Tips To Help You Eat Healthier This Chinese New Year

This Spotlight is sponsored by Abbott Glucerna.

Throughout the festive season, there'll definitely be a lot of feasting going on. Whether it's steamed fish and dumplings, snacks like pineapple tarts and bak kwa, or all the tea and boxed drinks, it just isn't CNY without all the food!

While most of us can enjoy all the yummy food without worry, it can be hard for those with diabetes to do the same while still sticking to their special diets.

As a supplementary nutritional drink, Glucerna helps make diabetes management easier.

With it, those with diabetes can still enjoy celebrating CNY without worrying about compromising their health—because Glucerna believes that festive celebrations are more joyous when you feel normal and in control.

Whether it's the soy sauce that comes with that whole steamed fish or the sweet plum sauce that's drizzled over yee sang, we definitely love our sauces! But sauces can actually contain lots of hidden sugars and sodium, which can affect your blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

Opt for dishes without sauce instead, or maybe just cut down on how much sauce you pour over when taking a serving of your fave CNY dish.

If you're the one cooking up your family's reunion dinner feast, instead of adding sugar or salt, use other natural ingredients to flavour your dishes. For example, you can add spices, herbs, lemon juice, or fruits for that extra burst of flavour, without the guilt.

Here's a healthy Rainbow Yee Sang recipe to get you started:

Ingredients:
- 1 small head romaine lettuce (shredded)
- 1/2 cup cucumber (shredded)
- 1/2 cup carrot (shredded)
- 8 strawberries (sliced)
- 2 mandarin oranges (segmented)
- 1/2 cup pineapples (sliced)
- 2 kiwi fruits (peeled and sliced)
- 3 tbsp pomelo sacs
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 16 pieces of salmon (sashimi-grade)

Sauce ingredients:
- 2 tbsp plum sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 scoops of Glucerna Vanilla

Method:
1. Make the sauce by mixing plum sauce, lime juice, and Glucerna in a bowl.

2. In a large serving plate, pile up shredded lettuce in the center of the plate. Arrange the fruits and other vegetables around it.

3. Serve the Yee Sang with sesame seeds and salmon on the side.

4. Pour sauce over yee sang in a circular motion. Toss the salad high and say auspicious wishes for the coming year during the “lou hei” tossing ceremony!

Of course, we'd loveeee to just hog the entire jar of pineapple tarts or peanut cookies to ourselves, but choosing healthier snacks will go a long way in helping you keep your blood sugar levels under control.

If you love snacking on nuts and seeds, choose ones that are roasted, baked, or unseasoned, instead of the ones that are fried or coated in sugar, honey, or salt. Sunflower seeds a.k.a kuaci are a great healthy option!

As for cookies, consider whipping up your own batch of yummy but healthy cookies, like the Chocolate Mandarin Oatmeal Cookies recipe below.

Ingredients (A):
- 150g butter (room temperature)
- 35g granulated sugar
- 35g brown sugar
- 5 scoops of Glucerna Chocolate
- Zest of 1 mandarin orange

Ingredients (B):
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 150°C.

2. Mix Ingredients A in a large bowl using a mixer on medium speed until creamy.

3. In a separate bowl, combine Ingredients B, except for the rolled oats.

4. Slowly incorporate the B mixture into the dough.

5. After everything is mixed together well, mix in oats, 1/2 cup at a time.

6. Once mixed well, place a baking sheet on a baking tray. On the baking sheet, place heaping 1 tsp balls of dough with 5cm space in between each ball. Using a fork, mash the batter down with a fork until 1/2 inch high.

7. Bake for 15 minutes. Take them out from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet, then serve!

Sharing means less guilt, hehe, and it also means you'll be consuming less sugar. So, instead of eating an entire Mandarin orange by yourself, pass out segments to your other family members and enjoy it together.

Alternatively, you can also take the initiative to make healthier or less sweet versions of your fave CNY snacks. Bring them along when you go visiting for everyone to share!

We do a lot of just sitting around and eating during CNY, which isn't the healthiest thing. Instead of just taking a food coma-induced nap the second you get home, make some time to exercise a bit. You can even get your family to join in. Motivate each other to keep going, or maybe turn the exercise into a friendly competition.

If your tummy is growling while you're at your aunty's house, of course la you gonna end up pigging out on all the goodies. That's a lot of calories you're consuming you know. Check out how many calories are in your favourite CNY snacks here.

Unless you're going to be having dinner at your relatives' place, eat a full meal at home first before heading over. That way, you can spend more quality time with your family, and less time munching away.

This will help you control your glucose levels*, so you can relax and enjoy celebrating CNY with your loved ones.

*Glucerna helps to manage glucose levels when used as meal replacement as part of a diabetes management plan, alongside medication, diet, and exercise.

As the number one market leader within the diabetes nutrition category, Glucerna is the most recommended diabetes-specific formula by healthcare experts in Malaysia**.

With its slow-release unique carbohydrate system, it helps promote insulin secretion to help manage glucose levels. It also contains 4X myo-inositol, which helps to improve insulin sensitivity, leading to better glucose control.

Glucerna makes diabetes care as easy as 1, 2, 3:
- 1: One glass a day
- 2: Dual-action formula to help manage glucose levels
- 3: Three delicious flavours (vanilla, chocolate, and wheat)

The slowly digestible carbohydrates in Glucerna also help you feel full, so that you'll be able to have better control over your diet. It even provides complete nutrition and can be used as a meal replacement.

**Based on Abbott Regional HCP Tracking for ADULT NUTRITION conducted by IQVIA from Apr – Sep 2019 among 191 HCPs in Peninsular Malaysia.

Purchase your Glucerna now via Lazada or Shopee. Enjoy easier control and a better celebration this Chinese New Year!

The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care.

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