Eat Yuanxiao Glutinous Rice Balls “This is How to Eat” to Be Healthy! Eat Tangyuan for lunch? Nutritionist teaches 6 tips on eating glutinous rice balls in a healthy way

The Lantern Festival is coming soon. Families gather together and eat dumplings to celebrate, which not only symbolizes reunion, but also symbolizes happiness. However, as a high-calorie and high-sugar food, glutinous rice balls will increase the health burden for people with gastrointestinal problems or suffering from three highs such as high blood sugar, high blood lipids, and high blood pressure. After eating a lot of meat and fish during the Chinese New Year, weight has quietly increased. With the Lantern Festival approaching, rice dumplings have become a must-eat food for the occasion, which makes people worry about how to maintain their figure.

6 tips for eating glutinous rice balls in a healthy way

How can we enjoy the deliciousness of glutinous rice balls while taking care of our health? Nutritionist Chen Shiyun provides the following 6 principles for eating glutinous rice balls in a healthy way:

1. Rice balls as a staple food instead of rice

The main ingredient of glutinous rice is glutinous rice, which is a whole grain and has similar ingredients to other foods such as white rice, noodles, and bread. In terms of portion size, two stuffed sweet dumplings or 20 red and white dumplings are equivalent to half a bowl of rice. When eating glutinous rice balls, it is recommended to use them as a staple food to replace rice or other staple foods in the regular meal. This can effectively control the intake of starch while reducing excessive calorie intake, so that you can enjoy the glutinous rice balls with peace of mind without increasing the burden on your body.

2. Eat vegetables first

Tangyuan is mainly made of glutinous rice, which is a high-glycemic food that can easily cause blood sugar to rise rapidly. In order to avoid rapid fluctuations in blood sugar, it is recommended to eat a bowl of vegetables before eating glutinous rice balls, because vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can slow down the rapid rise of blood sugar and help stabilize blood sugar. In addition, vegetables can increase satiety and avoid excessive intake of glutinous rice balls. In addition, you can also pair it with high-quality proteins such as beans, fish, eggs and meat to slow down the rise in blood sugar, and try to avoid eating glutinous rice balls alone as a meal.

3. Soy milk soup is healthier

Traditional glutinous rice balls are usually served with a sweet soup base, such as red bean soup, which adds extra sugar and is not conducive to fat loss. It is recommended to choose fresh milk or soy milk as the soup base, which can not only reduce sugar intake, but also increase protein intake, making the glutinous rice balls more nutritious and not too sweet. In addition, you can also choose sugar-free tea, white fungus, wolfberry, red dates, longan and other natural ingredients to enhance the flavor. This will not only reduce the use of refined sugar, but also preserve the flavor of the glutinous rice balls.

4. Understand calories and eat smartly

There are many kinds of glutinous rice balls fillings on the market today, among which sweet fillings such as sesame, peanuts, and red beans are the most common. These fillings are rich in fat. On average, eating 4-5 dumplings has the same calories as a bowl of rice, but they lack a sense of fullness and can easily cause blood sugar fluctuations. Therefore, it is recommended to choose glutinous rice balls without fillings to avoid extra calories and fat. If you have diabetes or need to control your sugar intake, you can replace glutinous rice balls with the main meal. For example, if you eat 10 small glutinous rice balls, you should reduce 1/4 bowl of rice to avoid excessive sugar intake.

There are many kinds of glutinous rice balls fillings on the market, among which sweet fillings such as sesame, peanuts, and red beans are the most common. These fillings are rich in fat. On average, eating 4-5 dumplings has the same calories as a bowl of rice, but they lack a sense of fullness and can easily cause blood sugar fluctuations.

5. Chew slowly to reduce the burden on the stomach

The glutinous rice in glutinous rice balls is relatively sticky, which can easily increase the burden of digestion. Therefore, you must chew it slowly when eating it. This not only helps digestion, but also prevents the glutinous rice balls from getting stuck in the throat, reducing the risk of choking. For people with sensitive stomachs, chewing food slowly can reduce the burden on the stomach and make digestion easier.

6. Patients with three highs choose to eat glutinous rice balls at noon

If patients with three highs consume too many dumplings at dinner, they may not have enough time to burn off the calories, which will increase the burden on the body and intestines. Therefore, it is recommended that patients with three highs can choose to eat dumplings at noon so that they have enough time to do exercises such as brisk walking and strolling, which helps to consume excess calories and maintain good health.

As the representative food of the Lantern Festival, glutinous rice balls symbolize reunion, but while enjoying the delicious food, how to eat healthily is also our top priority. By properly controlling the amount of glutinous rice balls we eat, choosing healthy ingredients, and pairing them with vegetables, protein and other foods, we can enjoy the festive atmosphere while satisfying our taste buds and protecting our health.