Choose the Best for Your New Year’s Eve Party Menu: Here’s How

We’re not only talking about keeping your dishes simple, but also about switching to natural and fresh ingredients. Save yourself from all the unhealthy oils, fats, and preservatives and skip the processed meats and packaged food such as bacon, nuggets, and chips, among others. For your drinks, just have water infused with some fruits like lemon, strawberries, apples, or even watermelons!

Eating foods that are high in dietary fibers lowers your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Choose whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat bread and pasta over the usual “white” carbs staple like white rice, white flour, and refined sugar.

There are over 200 million people around the world who are affected by osteoporosis—a bone disease that could be prevented if only more people would pay attention to their calcium intake. Start the New Year right with strong and healthy bones. Add calcium-rich ingredients such as unsweetened milk, cheese, and beans to your dish or serve yogurt for dessert!

A diet rich in fish is proven to reduce probability of having Alzheimer’s disease, damage to retinas due to old age, and other cardiovascular complications like heart diseases.

Include some “fatty” fishes like salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and other fishes of your choice to your menu! A simple, but hearty sinigang with salmon or tuna head is perfect for a chilly evening or a simply Filipino style Inihaw na Tuna Belly, fish escabeche, or kinilaw is perfect for gatherings.

If there are good and bad carbs, then there are also good and bad fats. The most common good fats are Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fishes, and unsaturated fats which are found in nuts. Walnut, macadamia, almond, and other nuts are packed with unsaturated fats and of course, protein. It’s just a matter of asking which nuts have the highest levels of this good stuff! Just a reminder: peanut is not a nut—it’s a legume, but it is still good for you.

Parties this season are endless, and most of them are serving the infamous alcohol. For women, having one or two alcoholic drinks per day also increases their risk of breast cancer. If you cannot forego serving alcohol in the party, opt for red wine which promotes longevity and decreases your risk of having Alzheimer’s.

Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more holiday tips and guides in the Philippines!