One rice dumpling contains over 600 calories! It takes 20 dragon boat trips to exhaust the

During the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone eats rice dumplings to celebrate the occasion, but traditional rice dumplings are high in calories. The National Health Administration estimates that one rice dumpling weighing 140 grams has 628 calories. If an adult of normal weight eats one more rice dumpling per day, he or she will need to row a dragon boat 20 times (500 meters each way) to burn off the excess calories. Therefore, before you happily eat rice dumplings, think about it first and carefully control the portion!

Traditional rice dumplings are high in calories. The calories of one dumpling equals that of a braised chicken drumstick bento.

The National Health Administration said that traditional rice dumplings are often filled with pork belly, and the glutinous rice is also stir-fried with oil, so they are high in calories and fat. One dumpling may have as much as 628 calories, which is about the calories in a braised chicken leg lunch box; the saturated fat content is 14.6 grams, which is about 3/4 of the daily saturated fat limit recommended by the World Health Organization. If you eat one extra traditional rice dumpling for lunch and dinner every day, a total of eight extra dumplings during the four-day holiday, it is estimated that your weight will increase by about 0.65 kg. Converted to a single 500-meter dragon boat rowing activity, you will need 162 trips to burn off the excess calories.

The above calculation is based on a static worker with a normal weight of 60 kg. The daily calorie requirement is about 1,800 kcal; saturated fat does not exceed 10% of the total calories, that is, 180 kcal, and saturated fat does not exceed 20 grams.

Eat zongzi wisely without getting fat! Quickly remember the five principles

What should you do if you want to eat rice dumplings but don’t want to go through the trouble of dragon boat racing? Then you have to learn to choose carefully! There are a wide variety of rice dumplings available in the market, and the calories and saturated fat content can vary greatly depending on the ingredients, cooking methods, and weight. National Health Administration Director Chiu Shu-ti recommends that people follow five principles when buying rice dumplings: "read the label," "choose the ingredients," "reduce the portion," "add vegetables and fruits," and "use less sauce."

Principle 1: Look at the signs:

Give priority to buying rice dumplings that are lower in calories or smaller in size. It is important to note that if the product catalog only lists the calories per 100 grams, remember to convert the calories per rice dumpling based on the weight of the rice dumpling to avoid consuming too many calories without realizing it.

Principle 2: Choose ingredients:

Try to choose rice dumplings with added whole grains and cereals, such as purple rice, oats, coix seeds and sweet potatoes. In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, they can also enhance the taste of the rice dumplings. Also, try to choose rice dumplings filled with low-fat meat such as lean meat, chicken or seafood instead of pork belly to reduce the intake of saturated fat. For fillings, it is recommended to choose more ingredients containing mushrooms, bamboo shoots, chestnuts, red dates, etc. to increase the intake of vegetables.

Principle 3: Reduce the amount

The glutinous rice in rice dumplings, like rice and noodles, is a whole grain root vegetable. Together with the meat and fat in the fillings, they are the main sources of calories. Therefore, when eating rice dumplings, you need to replace them with whole grain roots vegetables, meat and fat in your diet, and reduce the amount of other meals to avoid overeating and consuming excess calories.

Principle 4: Pairing Fruits and Vegetables:

When enjoying rice dumplings, pair them with fresh vegetables and fruits. Choose seasonal fruits such as pineapples, cherry tomatoes, plums and guavas, and pair them with cold cucumbers, bamboo shoots, blanched vegetables, winter melon soup, etc. Dietary fiber can promote intestinal motility and increase satiety.

Principle 5: Use less sauce:

Salty rice dumplings should avoid being dipped in sweet and spicy sauce or ketchup, and alkaline rice dumplings should avoid being dipped in sugar or syrup to avoid excessive intake of sodium and sugar. Excessive sugar intake will not only cause obesity, metabolic abnormalities and tooth decay, but also stimulate the rapid secretion of insulin, causing blood sugar and mood instability, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease; excessive sodium may increase the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, etc.