After a long weekend filled with Chinese New Year feasts, we can’t help but feel bloated from all the good food. To get back onto a healthy-eating track, here are five easy and simple tips to get rid of that extra belly.

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   1.No crash diets

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After indulging heavily during CNY, avoid doing a drastic U-turn when it comes to eating. If you go from feasting on haisom, sea cucumber that is both healthy and tasty, and roasted pork every night of the long weekend to only consuming celery juice on the first day after the holidays, your body will feel starved. So re-adjust your eating habits at a slow and steady pace to ensure that your post-holiday diet is more than just a crash diet that lasts a few days.

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 2.      Drink Chinese-style tea

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As we already know, drinks are a major source of calories, so be mindful of your choice of drinks. Substitute sweetened or carbonated drinks with Pu-erh tea, a tea consisting of polyphenols (flavonoids, catechins and theaflavin) renowned for its good properties, such as its ability to accelerate fat burning. Tie Guan Yin, a premium variety of Oolong tea, and Oolong tea, which is a traditional Chinese tea made with Camellia sinensis leaf, are other types of tea you can consume during or after heavy meals.

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 3.      Quit compulsive snacking

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CNY is not complete without typical snacks like pineapple cookies and salty peanuts. These snacks, although delicious, are high in calories. So it is best to halt munching on leftover snacks even after CNY. If you feel peckish, substitute CNY snacks with naturally sweet and crunchy baby carrots. Unsalted almonds are another good choice, especially for those with blood pressure issues.

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 4.      Move it, move it

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If you are the type that eats as if every day is CNY meal-wise, make sure that you exercise the calories away. Take up aerobic or weightlifting classes at the closest gym or join your neighbourhood running team. You can also move more during the day by taking the stairs instead of the lift and do light stretches from your chair during a work break. Small things add up when it comes to moving your body.

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5.      Mindful meals

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Although it is not as easy as it seems, mindfulness is a good skill to learn. Mindfulness is a mental state attained by focusing one’s consciousness on the present moment, often done through meditation. When it comes to eating, mindfulness means paying attention to your body before, during, and after you feed it. A good example is to not rush when you are eating. Take time to chew your food properly as this will not only aid in breaking down the food, it will also allow you to savour the meal. Additionally, pay attention to whether you are truly hungry or just craving so that you will avoid over-stuffing yourself.

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