By Jiaqi He and Xiang Fei Tan, student dietitians Curtin University (2025)

Chinese New Year (CNY) brings family, celebration, and plates filled with symbolic dishes that represent luck, abundance, and new beginnings. The trouble is… many festive favourites are deep-fried, rich, salty or sugary, and after a few days, the sluggish feeling starts to creep in.

The good news? You don’t need to give up the traditions to eat well. With a few clever tweaks and a deep appreciation of the symbolism behind each dish, you can enjoy the flavours you love while feeling energised and comfortable throughout the celebrations.

Below, we explore the food traditions of CNY and show you how to give them a modern, healthier twist, including recipe ideas you can use straight away.

Add colour and fibre with extra vegetables

Vegetables are rarely the “main character” on CNY tables, but adding them boosts fibre, antioxidants and fullness, helping balance richer dishes. Here are some ways to add more vegies:

Add greens

Simply prepared greens are delicious! Lightly cook bok choy, choy sum, broccoli with garlic and ginger in a hot wok or frypan. Add a splash of reduced-sodium soy sauce or oyster sauce and sesame seeds.

cooked bok choy and choy sum on a plate with sesame seeds

Include mixed veg dumplings

Cooked vegetables like mushrooms, wombok, carrots and peas are a great addition to dumplings. See our video of how to make some simple rice paper money bags, or check out our recipes for ginger mushroom or chicken and corn dumplings.

cooked bok choy and choy sum on a plate with sesame seeds

Keep tradition, change the cooking method

Many symbolic dishes can be made healthier simply by choosing gentler cooking techniques.

Steam instead of fry

A steamed whole fish with ginger, chilli and shallots preserves the “abundance” symbolism and keeps the dish delicate and fresh.

A plate with a whole cooked fish topped with shredded ginger, chilli and herbs.

Stir-fry with less oil

Non-stick wok + a dash of oil = the same fragrance, lower kilojoules.

Healthy doesn’t have to mean less flavour — it just means letting the ingredients shine.

Pick leaner proteins that still hold cultural meaning

Protein dishes often carry strong symbolism — fish for abundance, tofu for fortune. Here’s how to enjoy them with a lighter touch.

Steamed fish with ginger and spring onion

Symbolism: 年年有余 — May you have abundance year after year.

Rinse and pat dry a whole cleaned fish. Barramundi, snapper, perch and bream are all good options. Make at least 3 slits on each side of the fish and stuff with thinly sliced spring onion, ginger and chilli.

To steam, place the fish on a heatproof plate. In a large wok or pot that has a lid, add 1-2 inches of hot water and something for the fish plate to stand on. This could be a steaming rack or anything heat-proof that will keep the fish plate above the boiling water e.g. a clean and empty tin can, an upside-down heat-proof bowl, or balls of aluminium foil. Place the plate in the steamer. Cover and steam till the fish flakes away easily with a fork (about 10-12 minutes for a 500 g fish). Top with a drizzle of sesame oil, reduced-salt soy sauce and fresh chilli and spring onion.

Fortune bags

Symbolism: 福气满满 — May your life be full of good fortune.

Fill rice paper sheets or dumpling skins with a mixture of cooked prawns, tofu, and vegetables. Form into a money bag and tie with spring onion greens for that “lucky money bag” shape. Video instructions are over here!

Tofu and mushroom stir fry

For a plant-forward option: tofu symbolises fortune, while mushrooms symbolise longevity.

In a hot wok stir fry tofu, mushrooms, snow peas, red capsicum and any other vegetables you like. Add ginger, garlic, oyster sauce and sesame oil to create a flavourful side dish or serve with noodles or rice as a main meal. You can see a full recipe here.

These dishes still honour tradition — just without the heaviness.

A person is holding plate with home made vegetable dumplings. They are wrapped in rice paper and tied with a strip of green spring onion

A colourful bowl of tofu, mushrooms, red capsicums and noodles

Lighten your drinks

It’s easy to drink more sugary beverages than we intend to, especially during festive gatherings.

Festive low-sugar drink ideas:

Jasmine or oolong tea
Sparkling water with mandarin slices
Watermelon + lime infused water

Hydrating well is also important — especially during long celebration days!

Flavour with herbs and spices

Sauces such as oyster, soy and hoisin are common but can be high in sodium (salt).

Try these flavour boosters:

Ginger, garlic, shallots, spring onions
Chilli, Szechuan pepper or lemongrass
Fresh herbs like coriander orThai basil
Citrus zest (mandarin, orange, lime)
Rice vinegar or black vinegar

A small change in seasoning can shift a dish from “salty” to “fragrant”.

cooked bok choy and choy sum on a plate with sesame seeds

Lighter desserts

In Australia we are lucky to have an abundance of beautiful fruit at this time of year. A colourful fruit plate looks gorgeous and is bright and refreshing. Or try something a little fancier like these mango cups that can be enjoyed as a drink or bowl.

Fortune blossom mango cups (鸿运甘露杯)

A refreshing twist on the traditional mango pomelo sago dessert.
How to make it lighter:

Use light/ reduced-fat coconut milk
Add lots of fresh or frozen mango and grapefruit
Use the natural sweetness of the fruit and milk
Keep the sago portion small
Chill before serving for a naturally sweet, creamy finish

Perfect for hot summer celebrations! You can see a video and recipe here.

Glass with sago and milk in the bottom, topped with creamy blended mango with a mango slice as a garnish

Celebrate the meaning, not the excess

Chinese New Year is full of beautiful symbolism — reunion, fortune, prosperity, and harmony.

Mindful celebration ideas:

Fill half your plate with vegetables first
Share rich dishes instead of personal portions
Pause between dishes and enjoy conversation
CNY is about connection; keep the focus on family stories

A healthy new year is a lucky new year

These swaps honour tradition while supporting better health, energy and wellbeing. Whether you're steaming fish, tying veg-filled fortune bags or enjoying a refreshing mango drink, small changes help you feel lighter and more energised throughout the celebrations.

Wishing you a year of good fortune, good health and delicious food shared with people you love.
新年快乐！

LiveLighter supports future health professionals through engagement with Australian Universities. This student blog was created for LiveLighter as part of the Community and Public Health Nutrition Placement (Master of Nutrition and Dietetics at Curtin University, Western Australia) in 2025.