Eat smart and keep happy

Spring Festival is the longest period during a year when we gather with family members, relatives and friends to eat big meals, play mahjong and watch TV. We have seven days off and are allowed to stay in the holiday mood for another eight more days after that. Our lunar new year lasts until the 15th of the first lunar month (Feb 17 this year), or the Lantern Festival when we savor sweet dumplings.

While we still have seven days to celebrate our most important annual festival, many of us have already put on weight over the past eight days and health experts are urging us not to overindulge.

In fact, our weight and waists are catching up with those of people in advanced countries. Take our kids, for example, it is estimated that 12 million of our children are obese, accounting for 13 percent of the world's total.