Editor's note: "Little year, little year, after today is the year!" "For the sons and daughters of China, a joyful, warm and melting breath comes to the face! Today is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, which is also a "small year", which is the day of offering sacrifices to the stove, sweeping the dust, eating the stove sugar in traditional folklore, and a beautiful day to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to welcome the good fortune!
Small year tradition
According to the folklore of the King of the Stove, as the god of the kitchen sent by the Jade Emperor to the human world to supervise good and evil, the full name of the King of the Stove is "The Eastern Chef Commandery Nine Spirit Yuan King Dingfu Shenjun", just as the so-called "Heaven speaks good things, the Nether Realm descends auspiciously", the King of the Stove will play the Jade Emperor on the twenty-third day of the 23rd lunar month every year, reporting on the thousands of scenes in the world, and the Jade Emperor will reward and punish according to the report of the King of the Stove. The common people felt that the king of the stove must be respected, so they had the "little year" of the stove on the twenty-third day of the waxing moon, and prepared sweet and sticky stove sugar to pray for peace and fortune in the coming year.
When cleaning up the small year, every household must clean the environment, clean all kinds of utensils, remove and wash the bedding curtains, sprinkle the room courtyard, dust and cobwebs, and clean up the Spring Festival. The north calls it "sweeping the house", and the south also calls it "dust dust", pinning people's good wishes for the old and the new. A nine-year follow-up study showed that more housework could significantly reduce all-cause mortality and cancer rates in mainland men [1]. Many studies have also found that doing housework is a good thing for physical and mental health, such as reducing cardiovascular risk, improving cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of stroke, and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. In this way, cleaning is quite a healthy benefit, and sugar friends can also do some light housework, such as dust removal, dishwashing, sweeping the floor, etc., to make up for the lack of exercise. So, are you ready to clean up except?
Small Year's cuisine
How can such a festive day be without food? On the day of the New Year, many places have the custom of eating stove sugar, eating dumplings, and steaming flower buns. Let's take a look at these delicacies and unwind!
Stove sugar has a layer of sesame seeds on the outside, the inside is made of yellow rice and maltose, the viscosity is very large, it is pumped into a long strip of sugar stick called "Kanto sugar", pulled into a flat round type is called "sugar melon", eat crisp and sweet, unique flavor. Although suitable for all ages, delicious haunting, do not covet! Sugar friends who need to strictly manage blood sugar should taste it and stop it, and it is enough to taste a small piece of relief
In 2015, the World Health Organization issued the Guidelines for Sugar Intake in Adults and Children, which recommended that free sugar intake should be reduced throughout the life course, and that free sugar intake in adults and children should be reduced to 10% of total energy, and that further control within 5% would bring more benefits to the body [2].
Dumplings are eaten in the New Year, which means "sending off dumplings to the wind". From the perspective of nutrition, dumplings are a compound food, meat filling contains protein, vegetable oil contains fat, vegetarian filling contains fiber, vitamins and minerals, dumpling skin is carbohydrate, a dumpling is a small unit of balanced diet, according to the scientific ratio of 25% fat, 30% protein, carbohydrate 45% to 55% of the scientific ratio, you can ensure the nutritional balance of diabetic patients [3].
Vegetarian stuffed dumplings are preferred, recommended carrots, celery, leeks, Chinese cabbage, fennel and other vegetables with low starch content, while matching black fungus, shiitake mushrooms, white fungus and other fungi, not only can enhance freshness and fragrance, but also enrich nutrition, which is beneficial to blood sugar control and cardiovascular health. In addition, sugar friends should eat a ration, and eat dumplings should also be rationed, with 12 to 18 medium-sized dumplings. Of course, eating dumplings with cold cucumbers is best, and it can also be paired with other cold dishes, which can also reduce the intake of staple foods and not raise blood sugar [4].
Flower bun "a steamed flower bun, neighbors come to help". Flower buns are generally divided into two categories: worshiping the gods and sending relatives and friends, the former is solemn, and the latter is flowery. It is said that steamed flower bun is a great opportunity for folk women to show their dexterous craftsmanship, and a flower bun is a handicraft!
When making, adding a little konjac powder can reduce the GI index of the flower bun, so that you can eat the flower bun in moderation and relieve the hunger! At the same time, it is recommended to eat a certain amount of vegetables or high-quality protein foods before eating.
In the face of good food, but try to control their mouths, this is probably the biggest pain of sugar friends. I believe that there are also sugar friends who have thought: can you eat it first, and take more medicine after meals to lower your blood sugar? This is certainly not advisable! After all, diabetes is a lifestyle disease, eating is sometimes more important than taking medicine, eating and drinking is not advisable. However, on the basis of regular monitoring, it is also possible to taste the food of the heart and mind, and pay attention to the way and method!
epilogue
Little year, little reunion! Winding road, red dust, home in peace. Looking back on the past year, we are still battling COVID-19! At present, the epidemic situation abroad is still raging, the epidemic situation is spread in many places on the mainland, and the task of epidemic prevention and control is still arduous and heavy! In order to ensure the health and safety of the people, many places in the country have put forward the initiative of "local New Year", Xiaobian believes that in today's digital era, even if they are thousands of miles apart, we can also use the Internet to visit the New Year with parents, lovers, relatives and friends, pass on blessings, cross time and space, and reunite online. Under the unremitting efforts of governments at all levels and related enterprises, whether it is at home for the New Year or the Local New Year, it will have a strong taste and warmth. Finally, let us thank ourselves for silently paying and persevering in 2021, thank everyone who walks with us in 2021, and let us jointly welcome a better 2022 Year of the Tiger!
The stronger the taste of the year, may your clothes and flowers not fall, and the years will not stop like songs.
bibliography:
[1] Rudy Yu et al. Housework Reduces All-Cause and Cancer Mortality in Chinese Men[J]. PlosOne. , 2013, 8(5):e61529.
ZHANG Wei. WHO publishes new sugar intake guidelines recommend limiting free sugar intake[J]. Food Sciences, 2015(8):1.
GU Ping. Eating dumplings is more exquisite[J]. Friends of Diabetes, 2008(1):65-65.
[4] Irene. Eating Dumplings Healthy[J]. New World of Diabetes, 2014(02):62-63.