7 Lucky (and Healthy) New Year's Eve Foods

Reader s Digest Magazine

Greens
Supposedly greens are eaten on New Year's Eve because they resemble money. They are also teeming with vitamins and minerals so eat up!

Beans
Beans, like greens, resemble money. More specifically, they symbolize coins. Whether you choose black beans, lentils or black-eyes peas, try some healthy fiber-filled beans to soak up that champagne.

Fish
Fish is lucky for a couple of reasons. Its scales resemble money and fish swim in schools which invoke the idea of abundance. There are also plenty of nutritional benefits. Fatty fish (salmon and tuna) are filled with Omega-3s and leaner fish (tilapia and sole) are a great source of protein.

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Fruit
Fruit of many kinds is consumed on New Year's Eve. The Mexicans pop a grape for each stroke of midnight. Each one represents a month. If it's bitter, watch out for that month! The pomegranate's many seeds symbolize prosperity. Figs are a symbol of fertility. Chow down on fruit for a healthy sweet treat.

Noodles and Grains
Noodles and grains (rice, quinoa, barley) are symbols of long life and abundance respectively. Made of buckwheat, soba noodles are a great source of fiber. Slurp the noodles whole for even more luck. Try a risotto made creamy with stock--not actual cream---or the great soba noodle recipe below.

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Pork
Pigs are a lucky symbol because they root forward and are rotund. Even though some pork can be fatty, like bacon, it is often used in small amounts for flavoring. Other cuts can be very low in fat. Traditionally, in the south, pork, beans and greens are combined in a dish called Hoppin' John for New Year's Eve.

Cake
Although cake isn't customarily considered healthy, a little indulgence can be a healthy thing for stress relief. Ring shaped cakes-sometimes with trinkets baked inside-are a symbol of coming full circle. Indulge a little!

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