Modern people often eat out for three meals, making their diet increasingly heavy on flavor, with fatty, sweet, salty, and spicy foods frequently included. Dietary fiber intake is severely lacking, unknowingly leading to health issues such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and various chronic conditions.Bloodvesseldiseases

and more.

Nutritionist Tseng Hui-chun from Taichung Dajian Hospital states that the term "light food" originated in Japan. Initially referring to small portions of easily filling foods, it has since expanded to mean low-fat, low-sugar, and low-salt meals rich in fiber and nutrients, following the principle of 'three lows and two highs'. It emphasizes returning to the natural flavors of ingredients while reducing processed food consumption.Ingredientsare

requiredto be as natural and diverse as possible to achieve both deliciousness and healthiness.When cooking, one should reduce the use of processed foods to meet the 'three lows and two highs' principle.

To promote light food cuisine, Taichung Dajian Hospital organized a "Creative Light Food Cooking Competition". Participants need to skillfully pair two typesof green vegetables,one type of meat, one portion of main dish, and one piece of fruit using various cooking methods to enhance the deliciousness while reducing calories and improving health.After an intense light food chef competition, the top three winners and their recipes were finally announced. Here are some ideas for those who want to try making DIY light meals!

First Place:Chicken ThighRollBento Box]

Creator: Lai Shu-chun

Ingredients: half a boneless chicken thigh, cauliflower and red radish about half a cup, 3 garlic slices, olive oil 1 teaspoon, a little salt, yellow pepper,red bell pepper4-5 pieces, corn shoots and sugar snap peas 4-5 pieces, one bowl of ten grain rice, a little white sesame seeds, fresh fruit.Makes:Wrap the chicken thigh with some goji berries and roll it up. Cook in an electric cooker until fully cooked, then cool down, slice into portions.Use a small amount of olive oil to sauté garlic slices, add cauliflower and red radish, mix well, then add a little salt.Rinse the sweet peas, yellow and red peppers, corn shoots in boiling water, season with salt and sesame oil.Arrange the vegetables into the bento box. Sprinkle white sesame seeds on top of the ten grain rice to enhance its aroma.Second Place:

Seaweed

Bento BoxCreator: Lin Xi, Yang Zhen-ling Chen Yi-wenIngredients: several seaweed sheets, 1/4 bowl of cold cooked rice, vinegar, enoki mushrooms 2 pieces, half a red radish, half a cucumber, one bowl of pork mince, scallions in appropriate amounts, a persimmon.Makes:Mix the vinegar with the cold rice and spread it evenly on the seaweed sheet. Arrange slices of red radish and cucumber, roll up and cut into pieces.

Mix the pork mince with chives and salt, add some flour to increase its stickiness, shape them into small balls.Heat a pan with a little oil, cook until golden brown, then remove from heat.Blanch the red radish and enoki mushrooms in boiling water, season with salt.

Place sushi, pork meatballs, and vegetables in the bento box.

Third Place: Homemade Light Meal Bento

Creator: Wu Wan-rong, Chen Wei-jun

Ingredients: one bowl of five grain rice, 500 grams of braised pork, 500 grams of pumpkin, one egg, 1 teaspoon of green beans, a little corn, 4-5 slices of red radish, 4-5 slices of shiitake mushrooms, 200 grams of shrimp, some kiwifruit and mandarins.Makes:Braise the pork with appropriate amounts of soy sauce, water, and a spice bag in an electric cooker until tender.

Grate the pumpkin into threads, season with salt, flour, and egg liquid, fry on a flat pan until golden brown.

Cook green beans, corn, red radish, shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp together, season with salt.Third Place:MackerelBentoCreator: Guo Shan-jiaoIngredients: 50 grams of cauliflower, 50 grams of red and yellow peppers, one mackerel, one egg, half an onion, a bowl of adzuki beans and lotus root, a quarter of a papaya.Makes:Blanch the cauliflower, red and yellow peppers in boiling water until cooked, season with salt.

Season mackerel with salt, bake it in an oven until fully cooked.

Sauté onions in a little oil until soft, add egg liquid and season with salt.

Pre-soak adzuki beans and lotus root overnight, steam them in an electric cooker to cook through.

After heating the pan, add a little oil and fry the meatballs until golden brown before removing them from the pot.

Boil the carrot and chestnut mushrooms until cooked, then season with salt and sprinkle over the ingredients.

Placesushi,pork ballsand vegetables into the bento box.

Third Place: Homely Light Meal Bento

Creator: Wu Wanrong / Chen Weijun

Rice for 1 bowl,braised pork500g,pumpkin500g,egg1 piece, sugar peas 1 tablespoon, corn kernels a little, carrot 4 to 5 slices,mushroom4 to 5 slices,shrimp200g, and kiwi fruit and mandarin oranges as appropriate.

Method:

Marinate the pork with an appropriate amount ofsoy sauce, water, and a spice bag in the electric cooker until it is well cooked.

Slice the pumpkin into threads, season with salt, coriander, flour, and egg liquid, then fry until golden brown on a non-stick pan.Stir-fry the sugar peas with corn kernels, carrot slices, mushroom pieces, and shrimp in the same pot, adding an appropriate amount of salt.Third Place:SwordfishBento

Creator: Guo Shanjiao

Ingredients: cauliflower 50g, red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper 50g, swordfish 1 piece, egg 1 piece,onionhalf a bulb,

adzuki beans

rice for 1 bowl,pumpkin1/4 melon.Method:Boil the cauliflower with red and yellow bell peppers in water until cooked, then season with salt and toss well.Season the swordfish with an appropriate amount of salt, place it in theovenand bake to perfection.

In a pan, heat up a little oil and stir-fry the onion slices until they are soft. Then pour in the egg liquid and salt, stirring continuously.

Steam the pre-soaked adzuki beans and rice in an electric cooker.

Season the mackerel with an appropriate amount of salt and place it inthe ovento bake until cooked.

In a pan, add a small amount of oil, then stir-fry the onion slices. Once the onions are soft, add the egg liquid and salt and continue to stir-fry.

Soak the adzuki beans and job's tears overnight, then cook them in a rice cooker until they are steamed through.