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Fix a Heart Healthy Chickpea Salad for Dinner.

February 12-26: Spring & Lantern Festival Following the previous night’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, this marks the beginning of the Spring Festival. In an effort to fend off evil spirits, loud fireworks are often set off on the ground. Ancestors are paid respect in the form of shrines and offerings. Both kids and unmarried adults receive money in lavish red envelopes from parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The first full moon marks the last day of the Spring Festiv...al. That last day (this year February 26th) is traditionally China’s most important festival: the Lantern Festival. These celebrations welcome spring and symbolize the reunification of the family bond. The daytime is filled with folk dancing in the streets, food vendors selling tangyuan (ball-shaped sticky rice dumplings), music, art exhibitions, riddles, and more. As evening falls, onlookers enjoy watching the extravagantly crafted lanterns float into the night sky under the first full moon of the year. See more

February 11: New Year’s Eve New Year’s eve is aligned with the new moon. Families come together for a reunion dinner, many traveling long distances to return home. This dinner consists of traditional symbolically lucky meals, and of course Chinese dumplings. From 8:00 PM-12:30 AM, television sets in family rooms will be set to CCTV’s New Year Gala for a 4.5-hour live presentation of games, songs, dances, martial art exhibitions, sketches, music, acrobatics, drama, and more.

When it comes to your heart, what you eat matters. Follow these tips for heart-healthy eating: 1. Eat less saturated fats. Look for lean meats, like seafood, poultry, lean cuts of pork, and cut back on fatty red meats and high-fat dairy products. Limit foods like pizza, burgers, and creamy sauces or gravy. Look for products with no trans fats and choose foods with unsaturated fats like salmon, nuts, seeds, avocados, and oils. 2. Cut down on sodium (salt). Read the Nutrition F...acts label and choose foods that are lower in sodium. Look for the low-sodium or no salt added types of canned soups, vegetables, packaged meals, snack foods, and lunch meats. 3. Get more fiber. Eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to add fiber to your diet. Fiber is a carbohydrate that your body cannot break down, so it passes through the body undigested. Fiber can help prevent heart disease from its ability to lower both blood pressure and cholesterol. 4. Cut back on sweeteners. Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease. When choosing a sweetener, look for natural options like honey, dates, maple syrup, molasses, or agave nectar. Without a healthy heart, the body cannot function properly and the mind may be clouded and disconnected. Contact me for a consultation to see how acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can assist you with all of your heart health needs.

The Lunar New Year celebrations happen in phases. February 4-11: Little Year The first phase, lasting for 8 days, is called the Little Year. This is the time of preparation - cleaning, sweeping, and an overall fresh start mentality. In traditional and contemporary Chinese culture, the color red represents happiness and prosperity. Red is considered a lucky color. The belief is that by surrounding yourself and your home with elaborate red decorations good luck will follow you into the New Year.