Peanut glutinous rice balls vs. sesame glutinous rice balls, which one has the highest calories? Nutritionist: 4 tips to avoid getting fat

The Lantern Festival is coming soon. According to traditional customs, most people will cook glutinous rice balls on the day of the Lantern Festival to worship gods and ancestors and then enjoy them with their families. It also means that "eating a glutinous rice ball will make you one year older." Nutritionists remind us that we should not underestimate the small amount of Yuanxiao, as it actually contains a lot of calories! Guess, peanut glutinous rice balls vs. sesame glutinous rice balls, which one has the highest calories? And provide 4 tips on how to eat Yuanxiao smartly, healthily and without burden!

What exactly is Lantern Festival? It refers to the white dumplings made by kneading glutinous rice flour with water and then wrapping the fillings. Due to the variety of fillings, many flavors of Yuanxiao can be developed, which can be sweet or salty. The salty flavor is mostly wrapped with seasoned pork filling, while the sweet flavor is commonly sesame or peanut.

Pan Fuzi, a nutritionist at Beitou Health Management Hospital, reminds people that when enjoying the soft, chewy Yuanxiao, they should not neglect their health. They should not neglect the fact that a small Yuanxiao actually contains a lot of calories. People who have health concerns should consider the amount or way of eating Yuanxiao!

4 tips for eating Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings) wisely

If you want to add a sense of ritual to the festival but don’t want to sacrifice delicious food for the sake of health, how can you eat Yuanxiao smartly? Nutritionist Pan Fuzi said that there are 4 tips below, which are provided for reference:

A frozen peanut-flavored glutinous rice ball has about 73.2 calories, a sesame-flavored glutinous rice ball has 77.8 calories, and a fresh meat-flavored glutinous rice ball has about 60.4 calories.

1. Read the label and pay attention to calorie intake

Nutritionist Pan Fuzi pointed out that taking the commonly seen frozen stuffed glutinous rice balls on the market as an example, in order to increase the taste and preserve the quality, more lard, high sugar, high salt, etc. are added in the production process, which will increase the calories in the rice dumplings. For example: a frozen peanut-flavored glutinous rice ball has about 73.2 calories, a sesame-flavored glutinous rice ball has 77.8 calories, and a fresh meat-flavored glutinous rice ball has about 60.4 calories.

By conversion, eating only 4 sweet stuffed dumplings will exceed the calories of a bowl of rice (280 calories). Although the calories of salty meat dumplings are lower, eating only 4 of them will also be close to the calories of a bowl of rice. It is recommended that people carefully read the packaging and check the nutritional information for detailed comparison when purchasing, and choose low-calorie dumplings.

2. Reduce sugar in seasoning to avoid excessive calorie intake

When people eat sweet-flavored Yuanxiao, they usually cook sugar water separately to eat with the boiled Yuanxiao. However, the calories in a sweet Yuanxiao are already high, and if you drink it with sugar water, you will invisibly consume too much sugar, which is more likely to cause obesity or affect blood sugar fluctuations.

Nutritionist Pan Fuzi suggested that people could try replacing sugar water with sugar-free green tea when eating sweet Yuanxiao. Green tea is rich in catechins and has lower caffeine. It not only has a good antioxidant effect, but catechins can also lower blood lipids and reduce annoying fat accumulation.

3. Add seasonal vegetables and cook as a main meal

Nutritionist Pan Fuzi also has tips to share with the public on how to eat salty Yuanxiao in a smart and healthy way. The soup base of common salty Yuanxiao is made with stir-fried shredded pork and mushrooms and then fried with shallots to enhance the flavor, but this seasoning method can also lead to excessive fat intake.

Pan Fuzi suggested using bonito broth as the soup base, adding seasonal vegetables and salty rice dumplings, and cooking them together, and eating them as a main meal of the day. The bonito soup base is low in fat and can enhance the flavor. The high-fiber seasonal vegetables can not only supplement the daily dietary fiber needed, but also help the Yuanxiao made from glutinous rice, which is more difficult to digest, to strengthen gastrointestinal motility and digestion, and increase satiety.

4. People with chronic diseases should consider eating this product

Finally, nutritionist Pan Fuzi reminded that whether it is sweet or salty flavor, the Yuanxiao contains high calories and saturated fat. If people have problems with obesity, cholesterol, and high triglycerides, they must control the amount they consume and reduce the amount they consume. In particular, diabetic patients are reminded to be extra careful when eating sweet-flavored Yuanxiao and only taste a small amount to avoid excessive fluctuations in blood sugar.

In addition, nutritionist Pan Fuzi reminds all citizens that the probability of Chinese people suffering from the three high health problems may be higher than you think. Since these three diseases do not have any obvious symptoms in the early stages of development and do not cause obvious discomfort, it is difficult for people to detect them and ignore the potential hazards. Without regular health checks, it is difficult to detect the disease in its early stages and control and improve it on your own. In addition to age and genetic factors, the risk factors of the three highs are closely related to daily lifestyle and diet. Only through regular health checks can you accurately assess your own disease risk. Don’t let the joy of indulging in delicious food become a hidden killer of your health.