Having a nice hot pot dinner is an excellent way to spend an evening with family and friends. Autumn and winter are great times for hot pot, and many restaurants offer "hot pot buffet" in these seasons. However, Sylvia LAM, a dietitian, reminds us that we should not overeat and that we should choose healthy Ingredients and soup base.

"People tend to eat more when they are in a happy, festive mood," Sylvia says. She recommends a healthy order of eating, that is, eating vegetables first and then meats and other Ingredients.

Health Traps in Hot Pot Meals: High Fat, High Sodium and High Calories

Sylvia says, "Hot pot soup bases such as pork bone soup and Sichuan-style hot-and-spicy soup have a high fat content. Meats also release oil during cooking. Beer, soft drinks, sour prune drink and sugarcane juice have high sugar content. People who have high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood cholesterol should be especially vigilant."

On average a man needs about 2,000 kcal and a woman about 1,500 kcal per day, while the fat intake relative to these amounts of calories is 67g and 50g respectively. If, for instance, you eat half a bowl of vegetables, half a bowl of mushrooms, two pieces of half lean, half fatty beef or mutton, several meatballs or fish balls and half a bowl of noodles during a hot pot meal, you may have acquired approximately 50% of the recommended daily calorie intake, and your fat intake may have already exceeded the maximum daily level.

Moreover, food items such as Taiwan style meatballs, luncheon meat, cheese sausages, instant noodles and Shacha sauce have high sodium content. They are not recommended for people with high blood pressure.