With Christmas barely over, many of us are still feeling guilty about the Christmas feasts we had indulged in. It certainly doesn’t help that the Chinese New Year festivities are starting slightly earlier this year, with it being held at the end of January.

The first few days are usually celebrated with an endless amount of sinful, yet delicious food and snacks. However, it is still possible to maintain your waistline without going on an extreme diet.

Here are 7 Simple Ways To Survive Chinese New Year Feasting.

#1 TRY NOT TO VISIT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

This is the same logic to why you should have a heavier breakfast to avoid having larger portions of lunch and dinner. Have a high protein breakfast which is likely to keep you feeling full longer.

You are less likely to be tempted by food if you are not feeling very hungry.

#2 USE SMALLER PLATES

There is a limit to how much you can pile your food up on a plate. Hence the smaller your plate is, the less food you can take—unless you cheat and go back for more servings. Which you know you shouldn’t be.

#3 PICK FOOD THAT ARE RICH IN FIBRE

Food rich in fibre takes longer to be fully digested, therefore keeping you fuller or a longer period of time. Choose your food wisely if you do not want to end up snacking every 30 minutes.

Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are great fillers that do not give you unnecessary calories!

#4 LIMIT YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE

Alcohol is actually good for health when consumed moderately. It reduces the risk of heart diseases and may also reduce your chances of getting a stroke.

That being said, weight gain is just one of the few negative consequences should you over-consume alcoholic beverages. Try to limit yourself to only one glass for that night.

#5 SIT AWAY FROM THE FOOD

If you are one who is easily tempted, sit as far away as possible from the dining table or kitchen once you are done with dinner. This is especially important when there are so many traditional Chinese New Year snacks (which are loaded with calories) available.

You will find it a hassle to keep walking long distances to get the snack and may give up on snacking altogether.

#6 YOU DON’T HAVE TO FINISH EVERYTHING

Did you know the Chinese believe that abundance represents an excess of good fortune for the year? This is the reason why Chinese New Year feasts are always prepared so generously and in large portions.

The amount of food prepared by the host is usually more than enough!

#7 KNOW THE CALORIE COUNT OF YOUR SNACKS

Still want to eat? Go on, we won’t stop you.

But please take a look at this guide to the Calories in 12 Popular Chinese New Year Snacks.

We usually do not think much when it comes to snacking during Chinese New Year. Granted, there is nothing wrong with pigging out on snacks on the first couple of days of the Chinese New Year. After all, what is CNY without these liberated joys, right?

But can we just tell you how these processed cookies and snacks contain a lot of sugar and other potentially harmful ingredients? Sorry to burst your bubble but everyone should know how much calories you are taking in every time you pop a pineapple tart into your mouth.

This is a list of Calories in Popular Chinese New Year Snacks.

Summary:
#1 Bak Kwa – 179 calories per slice
#2 Cornflake Cookie – 82.8 calories per piece
#3 Green Pea Cookie – 53.33 calories per piece
#4 Kueh Bahulu -40 calories per piece
#5 Kueh Bangkit – 23 calories per piece
#6 Kueh Lapis – 157 calories per piece
#7 Love Letter – 112 calories per piece
#8 Mini Dried Shrimp Spring Roll – 22 calories per piece
#9 Nian Gao – 482 calories per serving
#10 Peanut & Almond Cookie – 72 calories per piece
#11 Pineapple Tart - 82 calories per piece
#12 Sugee  Cookie – 53 calories per piece

#1 BAK KWA

3 slices of Bak Kwa equates to 7 bowls of rice. We know how hard it is to resist these sweet pork jerky, but you should have no more than 1-2 regular slices in a day.

Average: 179 calories per slice

#2 CORNFLAKE COOKIE

These sweet treats are totally amazing to munch on, and we remember going crazy for these when we were kids. Unfortunately, all good things in life are fattening. We sure hate how these seemingly small and innocent cookies are so sinful.

Average: 82.8 calories per piece

#3 GREEN PEA COOKIE

You might think that green peas are healthy but since they are already processed and made into cookies, the calorie count for 3 small cookies is  a whopping 160. Lovely to much on indeed, but so very horribly bad for our waistline!

Average: 53.33 calories per piece

#4 KUEH BAHULU

This is a childhood favourite for many and it is something we must enjoy during the lunar festival. While no one is stopping you from treating yourselves to this Chinese New Year snack please note that it is not as innocent.

Average: 40 calories per piece

#5 KUEH BANGKIT

These melt-in-your-mouth coconut cookies are a definite crowd pleaser, and we love them too! Take no more than 5 in one day. Remember, you still have other Chinese New Year goodies to munch on too.

Average: 23 calories per piece

#6 KUEH LAPIS

We absolutely adore kueh lapis and it is something we have difficulties saying no to, but because of the amount of butter in it (that makes it so tasty), a slice of kueh lapis is a crazy 157 calories! Unfortunately, we love kueh lapis, but we do not enjoy running as much.

Average: 157 calories per piece

#7 LOVE LETTERS

Love letters are one of the most addictive Lunar New Year goodies; actually, any time of the year. It might interest you to know that  one love letter is 112 calories, making it a snack with one of the highest calorie counts.

Average: 112 calories per piece

#8 MINI DRIED SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS

These are really tiny and easy to forget how many you have already had. Always happens to us, so we feel you. But please read on to find out the calorie count per piece. Yes, it is very sickening.

Average: 22 calories per piece

#9 NIAN GAO

Nian Gao is a popular staple every Chinese New Year but the calorie count is too high a price to pay. We are definitely gonna cut a smaller slice for ourselves this year.

Average: 482 calories per serving

#10 PEANUT & ALMOND COOKIES

Peanut or almond – whatever the flavour, these can be very addictive. And each piece contains about 72 calories! You are welcome.

Average: 72 calories per piece

#11 PINEAPPLE TARTS

Our ultimate favourite, and sadly, the darnest thing to eat. We should be telling you to not eat more than 3 pieces, but we are finding it hard to practise what we preach ourselves.

Average: 82 calories per piece

#12 SUGEE COOKIES

Sugee cookies are the bomb! Another Chinese New Year snack that we love for the crunch and buttery taste, but the extra laps we have to jog for them… let’s just stick to 3 pieces.

Average: 53 calories per piece

*For our calorie calculations, we took an average from 5 different sources. It is important to note that our calculations are based on an average and will not be accurate for every single snack, as they all differ from each other, some more than others. Hence, our calculations provide you with the closest possible average to these popular Chinese New Year snacks, according to individual serving sizes and the most common way they are served.

Sources: My Fitness Pal, Fat Secret, Calorie Count, Calorie King, Spark People & USDA.

Illustrations for ladyironchef by Anna.