Festive Eating Tips That Mummies Shouldn’t Miss
Festive Eating Tips For Mummies
1.Bak Kwa (Jerky)
Yummy! One of the ‘CNY-to-have-delicacy’ during Chinese New Year in Malaysia.
The ingredients to make Bak Kwa include ground pork/ chicken with fat, sugar and honey. Bak Kwa is considered as a high energy dense food. Why do we say so? It is because you can gain plenty of calories from a single piece of it! A piece provides you approximately 370kcal, which you can find in five to six slices of plain bread! On top of that, it is also high in sodium, which is detrimental to one’s health.
There are complications if pregnant mothers consume Bak Kwa in large quantities. This may lead to excess weight gain, high blood sugar, gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia and even increase the risk of macrosomia. Apart from that, mothers who are still under confinement should be cautious on the intake too as there is minimal nutrients from Bak Kwa. Due to the pro-inflammatory property, it may slow down the rate of recovery after delivery as well.
Healthy Tips: Opt for homemade grilled honey chicken instead! Grill with minimal addition of oil and condiments. Use natural flavour enhancers like herbs and spices to increase the flavour!
2. Soft/ Sweet Drinks
Life isn’t complete without these sweetened beverages during the festive season. However, due to the high refined sugar, pregnant mothers should restrict their consumption.
Excess intake of refined sugar will lead to excess weight gain, high blood sugar, gestational diabetes mellitus and macrosomia baby. Refined sugar will slow down the wound healing as well for postpartum mothers.
Healthy Tip: Replace the commercial sweetened beverages with natural fruit infused drinks. You can choose any of your preferred fruits! Besides indulging the natural fruity flavour, you can gain numerous benefits which are good for your health too!
3. Peanuts
How about peanuts? You should avoid peanuts only if you are allergy to it. Otherwise, consuming peanuts during pregnancy is safe, even during the postpartum period. Peanuts are loaded with protein, fiber, monounsaturated fat, also known as the good fat as well as important vitamins (niacin, folate, thiamine, vitamin E etc.) and minerals (copper, manganese, iron, magnesium etc.) to maintain good health.
Peanuts are rich in multiple nutrients; this has made peanuts a good source of nutrient dense food- a great alternative for healthy snacks! However, be aware of commercial peanuts products which are high in saturated fat, trans- fat and refined sugar.
4. Pineapple tart
Pineapple is a source of vitamin C, folate, iron and magnesium. Eating pineapple is good for your health. However, does eating pineapple tart do the same? No. pineapple tarts are typically high in saturated and/ or trans- fat and refined sugar. One single tart provides approximately 90kcal, which has higher calories from one single slice of plain bread (~70kcal).
Similar to Ba Kwa, it is not recommended for pregnant mothers and postpartum mothers to consume in large quantities.
Healthy Tip: Savour each piece slowly to control the cravings. Limit the amount to two to three pieces. Then, opt for healthy alternatives like grilled pineapple kebabs with honey and lime.
No worries! You can still indulge all the CNY desserts, however please limit the quantity and choose a healthier alternative. Enjoy your festive season!