During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, gatherings with friends and family inevitably involve eating and drinking. Overindulging can lead to excessive calories and indigestion. Here are a few tips for a balanced and balanced diet. We’ll also share how to incorporate autumn ingredients like lotus root, okra, pomelo, persimmon, pear, and star fruit into your barbecue.

Choose low-fat meats and seafood, and don’t forget high-fiber fruits and vegetables.

When purchasing meat and seafood, be sure to shop from a familiar butcher or trusted outlet to ensure freshness. Focus on lean meats (loin steak, chicken breast) and seafood. Don’t forget vegetables, such as king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, baby corn, and bell peppers—they’re all easy to grill.

Alternatively, pre-cooked vegetables and fresh fruit can help alleviate any greasy sensations during the barbecue.

Vegetable Meat Rolls

Wrap enoki mushrooms, shredded radish, shredded onion, baby corn, or okra in pork slices. If you’re overloading and worry about them falling apart, use scallions to help tie them together for a more attractive look and a more fragrant aroma.

Persimmon Stew

When grilling, you often worry about not getting enough vegetables. Some vegetables aren’t ideal for grilling. Preparing a pot of stew ahead of time, such as autumn-only persimmons and lotus root, can help cut through the greasiness of the grilled meat and replenish the dietary fiber it lacks.

The key is, this is a quick and easy recipe; just chop and toss the ingredients in.

Luffa and Clams

Use aluminum foil to wrap clams, chopped loofah, and some sliced ​​ginger. Add a little water, grill once, and you’re ready to go. This refreshing, summer-cooling soup requires almost no seasoning.

Marinate Meats and Make Your Own Refreshing BBQ Sauce

To avoid excessive sugar and sodium intake, marinate your meats the night before or make your own vegetable and fruit sauce. If you absolutely must buy a can of barbecue sauce, dilute it with water before use.

Marinate Meats (Delicious with Apple Cider)

Stop the fuss of applying barbecue sauce right on the grill. Marinate meats and chicken overnight. Even grilling novices can create delicious dishes.

Seasoning meats beforehand also prevents overdoing it and potentially consuming too much sodium. (Tip: Marinate meats, so you don’t need to dip them in barbecue sauce.)

Pear BBQ Sauce

This sauce, made with pears (or apples) and onions, has a lighter flavor than regular sauces and offers a wide variety of uses.

Besides being a spread on meat, it can also be used to make barbecue rice, barbecue vermicelli noodles, and barbecue bread.

Stay hydrated and avoid excessive sugar intake with natural juices and soups.

Barbecues are usually held outdoors, so even in autumn, you’ll still sweat a lot, so remember to stay hydrated. If you still can’t resist reaching for drinks to quench your thirst, be mindful of your sugar intake.

It’s recommended to focus on unsweetened tea and water, or try homemade refreshing drinks with autumn fruits. Alternatively, you can make a pot of chicken soup with pomelo, a Mid-Autumn Festival must-have. Don’t worry, these are easy recipes that won’t leave you scrambling.

Fresh Fruit Juices: Dragon Fruit Juice, Star Fruit Juice

Dragon fruit and star fruit, both abundant in autumn, are healthier and less burdensome than commercially available sugary drinks. Honey dragon fruit juice, for example, is rich in dietary fiber and can promote gastrointestinal motility, increase satiety, and help prevent overeating.

Star fruit juice, with its salty and sweet flavor, can also relieve coughs, reduce phlegm, and soothe the lungs. It can be enjoyed chilled or warm.