1. Coconut and Sweet Potato Treat
Tet, the lunar New Year, is a time for family gatherings and feasting on a variety of beautifully prepared and delicious dishes. Among the Tet delicacies, candied fruits hold a special place. If you've indulged in too much meat during Tet, neglecting greens and fruits, coconut and sweet potato treats come to the rescue. Both coconut and sweet potato ingredients offer digestive benefits, preventing constipation and promoting gut health!
Speaking of sweet potatoes, they are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, and carotenoids. These beneficial nutrients in sweet potatoes can support various health aspects, including disease prevention, weight management, skin and hair improvement. Using sweet potatoes during Tet ensures easier digestion. The natural sweetness of this tuber, combined with various spices, can create both savory and sweet dishes, offering diverse culinary experiences. Depending on preferences, you can create a wide range of variations. Many families, instead of making candied fruits, opt for dried sweet potato...
During Tet, when there's a tendency to consume protein-rich foods leading to constipation, coconut and sweet potato treats serve as a light, guest-friendly option with their digestive benefits, improving this condition. Although both are traditional remedies for constipation, the sweet and refreshing taste of coconut and sweet potato treats is more enjoyable and provides faster relief.
Nevertheless, moderation is key, even for delicious Tet treats. Most candied fruits contain high sugar levels, contributing to tooth decay and creating a false sense of fullness, as the body receives energy primarily from sugar without essential proteins or starch.


2. Bananas
Bananas are a familiar and beloved fruit in Vietnam. When ripe, they turn yellow with a sweet fragrance. Bananas provide abundant vitamins for the body, promoting radiant skin and enhancing eye health. Regular consumption of bananas helps regulate blood pressure.
During the Tet holiday, bananas are commonly found as part of the Five-Fruit Tray. While bananas are beneficial for daily consumption, they become even more advantageous during Tet. Their cooling effect aids in relieving the body from the excess heat caused by indulging in sweets and rich foods during the festive season. Bananas contribute to cooling, aiding digestion, and detoxification.
If you happen to overindulge or experience indigestion during Tet, consuming two to three bananas can provide enough energy to alleviate hunger, allowing you to enjoy the celebrations without worries. Bananas can be consumed liberally without the fear of weight gain; in fact, they are known to be effective in weight management. Being a starchy fruit, bananas release energy gradually, preventing excess energy storage in the body.


3. Kumquat (Cumquat)
During Tet, most households have kumquat trees. You can buy ornamental kumquat trees to decorate your home, similar to peach or apricot trees, as they bring prosperity and luck to the family. Or buy kumquats to arrange on the Five-Fruit Tray... However, if kumquats are abundant in the spring, and if the family refrains from picking ornamental kumquats during Tet, it's advisable to buy some extra kumquats from the market. Steaming kumquats with rock sugar or honey can treat various illnesses, especially coughs and throat inflammation.
Traditionally, people have recognized that kumquats, despite their sour and slightly sweet taste when ripe, have numerous benefits such as treating coughs, diabetes, and assisting men in handling alcohol or addressing common digestive issues. For those prone to coughs, especially children or adults experiencing sore throats due to changes in activities during Tet, increased alcohol consumption causing throat discomfort, or hoarseness, steaming dried kumquat peels and drinking the infusion is very effective. Kumquats are also commonly used to make refreshing beverages when combined with sugar.
There are many uses and ways to prepare kumquats. Soaking kumquats with sugar and sealing them in a jar for about a week creates fragrant yellow kumquat syrup, which, when mixed with filtered water and a little ice, becomes a delicious kumquat drink. An even simpler option is to peel kumquats and mash them with sugar, creating a delightful treat. Therefore, during Tet, remember to buy extra kumquats and turn them into delicious dishes - valuable remedies.


4. Candied Ginger
Various studies have proven that ginger is an essential component in medicines due to its excellent healing properties. Ginger reduces pain, has anti-inflammatory effects, is valuable in treating arthritis, headaches, menstrual cramps, inhibits viruses causing colds... However, due to its spicy taste, ginger can be challenging to consume, so we can turn it into candied ginger with a sweet, fragrant, and chewy flavor. For a long time, candied ginger has been an indispensable treat during the Tet holiday.
Candied ginger has many digestive benefits due to its warming nature. Especially during the Tet holiday, with a lot of nutrients being introduced into the body, candied ginger becomes a remedy. It helps lighten the stomach and aids digestion. Additionally, ginger has detoxifying effects, prevents nausea, bloating, and stomach pain caused by excessive eating; it is used to prevent respiratory diseases (sore throat, voice loss).
Candied ginger helps your stomach handle the rich Tet holiday food easily. If you have a sore throat or cough due to excessive alcohol consumption or exposure to colds during Tet visits, try sucking on candied ginger occasionally, and you will feel comfortable right away.


5. Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds have numerous benefits, although this type of seed is not always on our radar. Vietnamese people often roast and enjoy them on various occasions, especially during festive seasons and, notably, the traditional Tet holiday. Pumpkin seeds are not just a delightful snack during Tet; they also provide many health benefits.
Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc and magnesium, promoting stronger bones. Moreover, they contain anti-inflammatory properties, help fight infections, and act as a natural remedy against intestinal worms. Feel free to snack on them or peel them for children to eat. Just remember to keep the shells tidy to avoid making a mess on the floor.
A small note: if you have a cough, it's advisable not to eat them as the shell fragments might stick to your throat and exacerbate the coughing.


6. Green Vegetables
On Tet holiday, indulging in too many sweets and nutrient-rich foods can overwhelm your digestive system, leaving you feeling tired, sluggish, and at risk of weight gain. However, there's no need to worry if you complement your Tet feast with dishes made from green vegetables.
Green vegetables can alleviate digestive issues during Tet. Whether your Tet feast is used purely for offerings and enjoyment within the family or for entertaining guests, everyone will appreciate the presence of green on the dining table. Consider boiled or stir-fried broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, and carrots. Additionally, for your regular meals, you can add raw vegetables like lettuce, winter melon, and cucumbers—good for digestion, preventing monotony, and providing ample nutrition for the body.


7. Pomelo
A Tet fruit platter would be incomplete without pomelo. Many families often buy a lot of pomelos and store them to eat gradually during the Tet days. Pomelo is a fruit that can be preserved for a long time under normal conditions, and the longer it is stored, the better it tastes. In addition, pomelo contains many vitamins that help cool down the body. According to various studies, pomelo also contains essential components such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, rich vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin P, carotene, insulin, and trace elements such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. Therefore, pomelo is a fruit that is very beneficial for the body.
During Tet, if you feel your body is heated due to consuming a lot of oily foods from traditional Tet dishes, enjoying a slice of pomelo will bring a refreshing and pleasant sensation.
One of the reasons why we should consume pomelo during Tet is that it helps the stomach digest food faster, aids in weight loss, and for those worried about gaining weight during the festive season, incorporating a few pomelo slices into your diet can be a friendly choice!


8. Red wine
During the New Year's Eve moment, people often toast each other with glasses of red wine. Through this, they send wishes of good luck, joy, and health to each other. But few know that drinking red wine is also beneficial to health.
The main component of red wine is the powerful antioxidant resveratrol. It helps prevent heart diseases and slows down the aging process. Although it is classified as a stimulant, if used correctly and in the right amount, it has preventive and therapeutic effects on various diseases. Among them, red wine is mentioned as a medicine that can prevent and treat many diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, weight loss, blood fat reduction. Red wine also has the effect of beautifying the skin, stimulating appetite, and reducing the risk of breast cancer in women.
With many health benefits, red wine is now used as a medicinal wine to prevent and support the treatment of various diseases. On Tet holiday, you can treat yourself to a glass of red wine every day (about 25-50ml), which will help with digestion and prevent many diseases for the body. And remember to drink for enjoyment, not excessively, and don't drive after drinking.


9. Pickled Onions
'Fatty meat, red couplets hanging
New Year's tree, firecrackers, green square cakes'
When it comes to traditional Vietnamese dishes during the traditional Tet holiday, people often don't forget pickled onions. On Tet day, as we eat many square cakes and protein-rich foods, it is necessary to supplement the menu with pickled onions because onions have many excellent effects. It is a type of tuber with hot and warm properties, aiding digestion, making the body warm. Therefore, we often combine fatty meat, green square cakes with pickled onions to avoid feeling too full, facilitate digestion, and also make the eater less bored with those nutrient-rich dishes.
Eating pickled onions is healthier than eating pickled cabbage (pickled with various types of vegetables in general). Pickled vegetables are cool and not hot, slightly sour, so they are only used as appetizers, stimulating digestion because of their sour taste, related to organs and liver. People with digestive diseases or colitis should not eat pickled cabbage. However, we should not overuse pickled onions, as they can cause heat and itching in the body. In addition, hygiene must be ensured when pickling onions. If you don't like to eat pickled onions, you can peel them off and eat them, but you should not eat raw onions, as it can cause various accompanying diseases due to lack of cleanliness.


10. Raisins
Raisins offer great support during the Tet days, providing both indulgence and aiding digestion, preventing constipation. This is a wonderful benefit, rescuing you from unsettled digestive issues, especially during the Tet period. Raisins contain a large amount of fiber that aids in preventing constipation, excellent for bowel movements. The fiber in raisins can eliminate toxins and waste through the digestive tract. Additionally, the oleanolic acid in raisins is beneficial for the eyes and protects tooth enamel. It also benefits those who are anemic or have weak bones.
Raisins are a popular item that many families buy to offer guests during Tet. They are rich in iron, essential for red blood cell production and oxygen transport to various parts of the body. Consuming raisins helps prevent anemia due to iron deficiency...
Therefore, regularly eating raisins has many benefits and is especially easy to consume. Both children and adults can use them. Exploring further, raisins provide numerous health benefits, so aside from Tet, you can purchase and use them daily to enhance overall well-being.


11. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are a common sight during the Tet holiday. However, these seeds also offer health benefits for humans. Knowing how to utilize the benefits of sunflower seeds is a cost-effective way to take good care of the body.
During Tet, almost every household has sunflower seeds to entertain guests. This type of seed is taken from sunflowers, a flower that always faces the rising sun. Despite being small and requiring the core to be bitten, sunflower seeds have the effect of enhancing memory or preventing aging, prolonging youthfulness. Sunflower seeds contain various nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron, fatty acids, vitamins, making them essential for bone development due to the calcium, potassium, and phosphorus content.
Moreover, these seeds are helpful in treating insomnia, nervous exhaustion, preventing cholesterol-related diseases, and promoting overall heart health. The phytosterol content in sunflower seeds stabilizes cholesterol levels, enhancing the protection of the cardiovascular system and maintaining stable blood pressure.
However, similar to pumpkin seeds, it's advisable not to consume sunflower seeds excessively or bite them with your teeth, as it may lead to coughing or throat inflammation!


12. Seafood Seaweed Soup
Seafood seaweed soup is an incredibly easy and delightful dish to make. When enjoying seafood seaweed soup, from adults to children, everyone will be captivated by its nourishing and delicious qualities. To prepare this dish, you need ingredients such as squid, shrimp, crab, a little fish if desired, and, of course, seaweed. All these ingredients blend together to create a nutritious and rich meal for your family. Squid, shrimp, and crab are foods high in protein and calcium. Additionally, they contain various vitamins, such as B12, which plays a significant role in material and energy metabolism within the body.
Seaweed is also highly nutritious and detoxifies the body while reducing cholesterol in the blood. It aids in blood circulation, heart health, kidney function, excretory and reproductive systems.
Therefore, on every Tet occasion, do not forget to include seafood seaweed soup in your feast, as it is beneficial for both the elderly and children. Moreover, seaweed is a rich source of magnesium, believed to help prevent headaches, migraines, and alleviate asthma symptoms. Combined with seafood, this dish provides essential protein and calcium for the body and enhances its deliciousness!


13. Joyful Nut Seeds
Joyful nut seeds (or turtle eggs) are often seen on Tet candy trays, used to welcome guests or in the kitchens of many Vietnamese families. The delightful taste of joyful nut seeds makes people nostalgic for Tet. This food is rich in nutrients and provides fiber to the body. Joyful nut seeds can supply up to 12% of the daily fiber intake needed for the body. With this amount of fiber, it helps a lot in digestion, absorbing nutrients from food, and is beneficial for the body's digestive system.
With the presence of nutritious seeds like joyful nut seeds on the Tet feast tray, it helps you have a healthy heart, reducing the risk of heart-related diseases. Joyful nut seeds have a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and various vitamins such as vitamin A and E. The function of joyful nut seeds helps the body resist inflammation, protect blood vessels, and reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. In addition, consuming joyful nut seeds also helps reduce symptoms of stress, regulate blood pressure, and naturally supplement vitamin B6 to improve the body's immune system.


14. Chicken Meat
Chicken meat with its excellent nutritional value will benefit human health in many ways. Firstly, the role of chicken meat is to provide a quality protein source. Chicken meat is a protein-rich and low-saturated fat meat, ranking among the top meats beneficial for the body. It is a popular food source for muscle development, serving a healthy weight loss menu. Eating chicken meat helps improve strength and fight fatigue. Among them, chicken breast is an enticing ingredient for many gym-goers in the muscle-building, fat-reducing phase, creating a calorie deficit for the body.
As age increases, the risk of developing joint inflammation also increases. Chicken meat is one of the foods that improves bone density, prevents aging, promotes strong bones, and effectively eliminates inflammation. Therefore, foods like boiled chicken and chicken soup are nutritious menus for the elderly or those at risk of joint inflammation. Additionally, eating chicken meat properly helps reduce the concentration of homocysteine in the body, a harmful amino acid for heart health. Moreover, when consuming chicken, choose lean cuts, remove skin and fat, combined with a healthy diet to eliminate bad cholesterol.


15. Bamboo Shoot and Pork Leg Stew
Another delicious and healthy Tet dish that Mytour wants to introduce to you is Bamboo Shoot and Pork Leg Stew. Bamboo shoot in traditional medicine is considered to have a slightly bitter sweet taste, with a cool and non-toxic nature. Bamboo shoot is rich in essential nutrients and minerals such as Selenium, potassium, good for heart health. Not only that, bamboo shoot contains a negligible amount of fat and calories, reduces bad cholesterol, and maintains effective intestinal activity. The process of excreting excess cholesterol also helps purify the arteries and reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, bamboo shoot is also rich in antioxidants, helping to eliminate free radicals that cause cancer, containing natural phytosterols that inhibit the growth and mutation of tumors.
Pork leg contains many beneficial nutrients for the body. This type of food contains calcium, iron, and many other vitamins that promote blood circulation, lactation, soften the skin, nourish the kidneys, etc. Moreover, the pork leg and its tendons, with the tough, crispy skin, combined with fresh sour bamboo shoots, are nutritious, delicious, easy to digest, good for kidney health, making it an ideal dish for Tet.


