How to eat Mid-Autumn Festival delicacies? Four principles to get rid of the burden

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and mooncakes and barbecue have become essential foods and activities, so nutritionist Zhang Xinyun is here to share how to eat so that you can enjoy the festive atmosphere without worrying about putting too much burden on your health!

1. Low-calorie mooncakes are preferred

A Cantonese mooncake has 550~600 calories, which is roughly equivalent to the calories in a chicken rice bento. It is one of the highest-calorie mooncakes. Mung bean cakes, egg yolk cakes, and curry cakes are in the middle, with about 340~370 calories each, while taro cakes and Bing Xin mooncakes have about 130~180 calories.

Therefore, if you want to eat mooncakes and enjoy the festive atmosphere, it is recommended to choose taro crisps and ice-cold mooncakes which are less burdensome.

2. Control your intake and don’t overdo it

If a mooncake is too large, you can cut it into small pieces and share it with others after your tableware and hands are clean. However, if you consider that it is not suitable to share food with others during the epidemic, it is recommended to eat no more than one mooncake a day, and the size should be about the size of an egg yolk pastry. You can also adjust the content of the main meal in time, for example, you can reduce the amount of rice by 1/2~1/3 bowl, steam meat instead of frying it, eat 2/3 bowl of vegetables in one meal...etc., so as to balance the calories and nutrients for the whole day.

In addition, grapefruit is also an indispensable role in the Mid-Autumn Festival. It can not only relieve greasiness, but also provide rich dietary fiber and vitamin C. However, grapefruit is a fruit after all, so the portion should still be controlled. Therefore, it is recommended to eat 2 to 3 slices of fruit per meal to avoid excessive sugar intake.

3. Use natural ingredients to season

Barbecue is a common gathering activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, it is worth noting that the calories and sodium content of commercially available barbecue sauces are usually high. One sip of barbecue sauce will consume about 10 calories and 200 mg of sodium. Therefore, it is recommended to use natural ingredients to make seasoning sauces, such as lemon juice, orange juice, mashed garlic, chili..., etc., to replace commercially available barbecue sauces. This will be a healthier method and can also bring a more layered flavor to the barbecue.

4. Exercise appropriately to relieve the burden

In order to avoid converting too much calories into a burden on the body, proper exercise is necessary. You can do weight training, play badminton, brisk walking, etc. 1 to 2 hours after a meal, at least 30 to 60 minutes each time, so as not to satisfy your appetite but sacrifice your health and body shape.