3 tips for eating glutinous rice balls on winter solstice: eat cleverly but not fat

The winter solstice is here again~ What kind of dumplings are you going to eat today? How about the red and white glutinous rice balls, sesame glutinous rice balls, matcha glutinous rice balls, or the creatively shaped mahjong glutinous rice balls? The National Health Administration reminds that no matter which kind of dumplings you eat, you must remember these three key points to avoid obesity!

No matter what shape or flavor of the glutinous rice balls, the outer skin is made of glutinous rice as the main ingredient and requires a longer time to digest. (Photo/File Photo)

Tip 1: Pay attention to calories and sugar content

Excessive intake of saturated fat in the daily diet will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, while excessive intake of sugar will not only cause obesity, metabolic abnormalities and tooth decay, but will also stimulate rapid insulin secretion and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sugar is also addictive and has a huge impact on health.

The saturated fat and sugar content of commercially available glutinous rice balls varies depending on the brand. In addition to considering the brand and taste preferences when purchasing, it is recommended to check the nutritional labeling on the packaging and give priority to products with relatively low calorie, saturated fat and sugar content. When eating, just taste a little and do not eat large quantities without restraint.

Tip 2: There are techniques for reducing the amount of substitution

There are a wide variety of glutinous rice balls available on the market. In addition to the "classic" unfilled red and white glutinous rice balls, glutinous rice balls with sesame or peanut fillings, and salty glutinous rice balls with meat fillings, there are also glutinous rice balls with ingredients such as red yeast rice and purple rice, and fillings with flavors such as red bean paste, matcha, and chocolate. However, no matter how it changes, the outer skin of glutinous rice is mainly made of glutinous rice, which takes a longer time to digest. It is best to avoid eating glutinous rice as a midnight snack.

When cooking unfilled glutinous rice balls, you can use natural longan, wolfberry, ginger juice or osmanthus sauce to enhance the flavor to avoid excessive sugar intake. (Photo/File Photo)

If you eat glutinous rice balls as a dessert or snack between meals, you should learn the secret of replacing the staple food and reduce the amount of whole grains, root vegetables, meat and fats in other meals to avoid consuming excess calories. In addition, it is best to boil the glutinous rice balls in water to ensure a smooth and non-greasy taste, and avoid frying them to avoid increasing fat and calorie intake.

Tip 3: Natural flavors are best paired with

Since the stuffed sweet rice dumplings contain high sugar content such as sesame and peanut fillings, it is recommended to cook them directly in boiling water before eating, without adding additional sugar or ingredients. The stuffing of stuffed salty rice dumplings contains minced meat and fat. It is recommended that the ingredients in the soup, such as shallots, dried shrimps, coriander stems, shredded pork, mushrooms, leeks, celery, etc., do not need to be stir-fried with hot oil. Try to use oil-free vegetable soup as the soup base, and match it with seasonal fresh vegetables such as Chinese spinach and bok choy, or add various mushrooms to enhance the flavor.

When cooking unfilled glutinous rice balls, you can use natural longan, wolfberry, ginger juice or osmanthus sauce to enhance the flavor, and avoid using thick sugar water or red bean soup, peanut soup, etc. as the soup base; you can also add tofu, a little shredded pork and seasonal vegetables to boil and eat, which can be both delicious and nutritionally balanced.