COLLARD GREEN -MONEY DOLLARS

FISH -ABUNDANCE & PLENTY 

NOODLE OR VEG LASAGNA - SYMBOLS OF LIFE

BEANS, BLACKEYED PEAS - MONEY COIN ONLY

PORK- MOVING FORWARD NOT BACK EVER SEE PIG WALK BACKWARDS

FRUIT - PROPENTY & PROGRESS SYMBOLIZE FOR EVERY MONTH

CAKE- SYMBOLIZE HEALTH & HEALTHY HELP STRESS, RING OR AROUND CAKES

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!

Try: Sesame Greens and Bean Sprouts

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.

Try: Warm Lentil and Roasted Pepper Salad

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.

Try: Salmon With Mango Salsa

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.

Try: Watermelon Boat Salad

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. You can also try our healthy dish below.

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.

Chocolate Cakes With Liquid Centers

from Reader’s Digest

Photographed by Erik RankNothing says ‘I love you’ like this rich chocolate delight.

HERE ARE MORE FOOD TO ADD TO YOUR LIST. THANK YOU KELLY CLINE

Kelly ClineNext

View Thumbnails

Noodles

In many Asian countries, long noodles are eaten on New Year’s Day in order to bring a long life. One catch: You can’t break the noodle before it is all in your mouth. Try these recipes: 

Fish

In China, a whole steamed fish symbolizes a long and healthy life and oysters and prawns are lucky, too. In Poland, one serves pickled herring at midnight; in Italy, dried salt cod stars in a variety of holiday dishes; and in Germany, you simply can’t celebrate the day without noshing on carp, which often appears in a stew. Germans take it one step further, though — many tuck a few carp scales into their wallets afterward to keep from running out of money in the following year.

Check out the 5 safest fish for your family to eat.

Dumplings

Because dumplings resemble the gold ingots that were once China’s currency, eating them represents the hope for an auspicious new year. If you’re making them yourself, however, look out: superstition warns against counting the dumplings for fear that it will lead to scarcity in the new year. Another ancient belief that doubles as a teaching moment: any bad feelings between family members must be resolved before the dumplings are cooked; if they’re not, evil spirits will steal them.

Don’t do meat? Try these vegetable dumplings.

FOOD YOU SHOULD NOT EAT NEW YEAR DAY

What Not to Eat

In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

Now that you know what to eat, there’s one more superstition—that is, guideline—to keep in mind. In Germany, it’s customary to leave a little bit of each food on your plate past midnight to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year. Likewise in the Philippines, it’s important to have food on the table at midnight. The conclusion? Eat as much lucky food as you can, just don’t get too greedy—or the first place you’ll be going in the new year is the gym.

 For many, January 1 offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds that next year will be a great one. Traditions vary from culture to culture, but maybe striking the same.