How to Eat Smart in Winter | Chinese Famous Food "Hot Pot"

Every winter, people always like to gather 3-5 friends or the whole family to have a hot pot together.

Today, the nutritionist will take you to the famous Chinese food "hot pot" and teach you how to eat a healthy and nutritious hot pot.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

1. Choice of pot base

There are many kinds of hot pot soup bases, such as clear soup, mushroom soup, red oil, tomato... Which soup base do you usually choose? What are the differences between these soup bases?

In fact, the biggest difference is the source and content of fat.

Red oil hot pot base is usually made from beef tallow, which has a high content of saturated fatty acids, which is not good for cardiovascular health. The ingredients absorb a lot of fat during the cooking process, and the fat intake of this meal is not less than that of fried foods. In addition, a large amount of sodium-containing seasonings are added during the production process of this type of hot pot base, and its sodium content is also much higher than other hot pot bases.

Therefore, it is recommended to choose clear soup base as much as possible to reduce the intake of animal fat and salt.

Ingredients and nutritional information of a commercially available red oil hot pot base

The first and second places in the ingredient list are both oils, with the fat content of 100g of base material reaching 60.5g. The sodium content is even more alarming, with the NRV (nutrient reference value) being 229%, more than double the sodium required for a day.

2. Choice of dipping sauce

Sesame paste, peanut butter, shacha sauce, garlic oil sauce, miso sauce, seafood sauce... There are many kinds of dipping sauces, and different preferences are enjoyed in different regions of the north and south.

These dipping sauces usually contain salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, MSG, etc., which are also high in sodium. No matter which dipping sauce you choose, you must learn new ways to eat it.

Don’t put the cooked ingredients into the dipping sauce bowl all at once. If you do, you will have to eat several bowls of dipping sauce in one hot pot meal, which will lead to excessive sodium intake. In addition, the taste of the ingredients themselves will also be masked by the dipping sauce.

So what should we do?

Place an empty bowl next to the dipping sauce bowl to hold the prepared ingredients, and use a small spoon or chopsticks to apply a little dipping sauce on the ingredients. This way, you can have the richness of the dipping sauce and taste the natural flavor of the ingredients, killing two birds with one stone.

3. Choice of ingredients

Meat and seafood: Meat and fish and shrimp can each account for half. Fish and shrimp have a low fat content, which helps control the total fat intake. Try not to choose processed meat, such as luncheon meat, various meatballs, fish balls, shrimp balls, crab sticks, etc., which have high oil and salt content and lower high-quality protein content than unprocessed animal foods.

Staple food: When eating hot pot, staple food is often ignored and consumed less. Here we recommend that you choose potatoes and root vegetables as staple food, such as sweet potatoes, corn, lotus root, potatoes, etc.

Vegetables: Choose dark-colored vegetables and fungus and algae vegetables. Dark-colored vegetables (such as spinach, chrysanthemum, pea sprouts, etc.) contain more minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber and plant compounds than light-colored vegetables. Fungus and algae (such as mushrooms and fungus) are rich in protein, polysaccharides, minerals, etc., and kelp is also rich in iodine.

Soy products: When eating hot pot, you can appropriately match some soy products, such as tofu, blood tofu, dried bean curd skin, etc. Here I want to remind you that fish tofu is not a soy product. Its main ingredients are fish paste and oil, and it is also processed meat.

4. Other considerations

Drinks: Many people like to order beer and drinks when eating hot pot. But in reality, after a hot pot meal, the total amount of food intake is often higher than usual. At this time, drinking a lot of beer and drinks will not only exceed the energy limit, but also increase the gastrointestinal burden. Therefore, warm water is the best choice.

Hot pot soup: After hot pot soup is cooked with meat, seafood, soy products, etc., it will contain a lot of purine, which can easily cause gout attacks in patients with hyperuricemia. In addition, the fat content in the soup is also high. The nutritional value of hot pot soup itself is not high, so it is not recommended to drink it.

Temperature: When eating food above 65℃, the esophageal mucosa is easily damaged. When eating hot pot, don't be too greedy.

Food safety: Keep raw and cooked food separate, and it is best to prepare a pair of chopsticks specifically for picking up raw food. Make sure the ingredients are cooked during the hot pot process, and keep boiling seafood for at least 1 minute before eating to avoid foodborne diseases.

Exercise: As mentioned before, a hot pot meal has a high calorie content. It is recommended that you exercise after eating hot pot. You can choose to take a walk or brisk walk to help burn excess calories.

After listening to what I have said, come and have a healthy and nutritious hotpot!

Author: Lu Tong | Registered nutritionist and popularizer of Chinese nutrition knowledge

Reviewer Li Jibin | Professor, School of Public Health and Management

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