How to choose mooncakes and how to eat them healthily (Information Desk)
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, mooncakes are on the market. Traditional mooncakes such as Cantonese-style, Soviet-style, Beijing-style, and Yunnan-style mooncakes compete with new-style mooncakes such as Liuxin, ice-skin, Taoshan-skin, and grain-grain mooncakes. Many consumers are entangled in choice: Will traditional mooncakes, which are high in sugar and oil, affect chronic disease indicators? Are the new mooncakes really low-fat and healthy, and can you eat more of them with confidence? How to choose mooncakes and how to eat them healthily? The reporter interviewed Dou Pan, chief physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department of Peking University First Hospital.
"There are many types of mooncakes on the market, and consumers do not need to worry about the quality of mooncake brands. The ingredient list and nutritional label on the packaging are the objective and reliable criteria for purchasing." Dou Pan said.
The raw materials in the ingredient list are sorted from high to low in terms of added amount. If white sugar, maltose syrup, vegetable oil, butter, lard suet, etc. are among the top three in the ingredient list, it means that this mooncake is mainly based on sugar and oil and is a high-oil and high-sugar food. It is recommended to purchase with caution. From the perspective of fillings, egg yolk, ham, fresh meat, lotus paste, and date paste mooncakes are generally high in oil and sugar; low-sugar pure bean paste and five-nut mooncakes with standardized proportions have relatively low oil and sugar content.
The old version of the food nutrition label implemented "1+4" (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium) mandatory labeling. The new version of the national standard has been upgraded to "1+6", with two new indicators of saturated fat (acid) and sugar, which will be officially mandatory in March 2027. At present, new and old labels coexist in the market. Dou Pan reminded that when purchasing mooncakes, you should carefully check the nutritional content table, which is 100 grams (if the packaging label is not per 100 grams, you need to convert it yourself), give priority to products with lower energy, and then focus on the three indicators of fat, sodium, and sugar. Try to choose products with low fat and sodium content. If it is a new version of the label, you can also pay more attention to saturated fat under total fat. Fresh meat and ham mooncakes tend to have higher sodium content. Excessive intake can easily cause edema and is not conducive to blood pressure control. Only the new version of the label will forcefully display the sugar indicator. Cantonese-style sweet mooncakes generally have high sugar levels, so you need to pay more attention when selecting.
In recent years, categories such as sugar-free, miscellaneous grains, ice skin, and medicinal and food products have been regarded by many consumers as health-preserving options. In Dou Pan's view, most of the new mooncakes only have an upgraded taste, and do not truly achieve low-fat and low-sugar nutrition. Some health promotions are exaggerated.
Most of the best-selling "sugar-free mooncakes" on the market use sugar alcohol sweeteners instead of white sugar, which will reduce the sugar level and total calories. However, the starch in the crust and fillings can still be converted into glucose, which brings the risk of rising blood sugar. Diabetics and people who are losing weight need to strictly control their consumption. The proportion of miscellaneous grains in multigrain mooncakes is generally low, and the base is still mainly refined flour, which is basically not enough. The effect of meal replacement in reducing fat; snow-skin mooncakes are made of refined glutinous rice flour and white sugar, which raises blood sugar quickly; liquid heart and custard mooncakes add a lot of condensed milk and cream, and have a high saturated fat content; fruit mooncake fillings are mostly made of jam and essence, and contain a lot of sugar.
In response to the highly sought-after health concept, Dou Pan specifically reminded that mooncakes containing medicinal and edible raw materials such as ginseng and dendrobium should have extremely low amounts of functional ingredients. Mooncakes are foods that are eaten occasionally during the season and cannot be expected to produce health benefits.
"Mooncakes should not be used as ordinary snacks. They need to replace some staple foods when eating them, and avoid adding extra meals to the main meal." Dou Pan reminded that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is recommended that the daily intake of mooncakes should not exceed 50 grams. If you eat a small piece of mooncakes, you should appropriately reduce the amount of staple foods such as rice and steamed buns.
Patients with high blood sugar and diabetes should avoid high-sugar mooncakes, ice skin, and fruit mooncakes. If you need to eat them, be sure to strictly control the intake, and do not eat mooncakes alone. You can pair them with vegetables to delay sugar absorption; people who are trying to lose weight or have high blood lipids should try not to eat them. Pastry, egg yolk, and ham mooncakes; people with chronic gastroenteritis should be careful when eating sugar-free mooncakes with added sugar alcohols such as maltitol, which can easily cause bloating; people prone to allergies should pay attention to the allergen warnings on the packaging before eating mooncakes, clarify their taboos, and avoid consumption risks.
Eating mooncakes can be paired with drinks such as chrysanthemum tea and light oolong tea to relieve greasiness, as well as green leafy vegetables, low-sugar fruits, eggs, sugar-free yogurt and other foods to delay sugar absorption, reduce greasiness, and balance the meal structure. Do not eat it with sweet drinks, fried foods, or refined staple foods, as it will increase the digestive burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
On the day of eating mooncakes, it is recommended to eat less oil, less sugar, and less salt in the three meals. Give priority to steamed, boiled, and cold cooking methods, and try to avoid braised, fried, and stir-fried dishes. You can arrange about 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise according to your own situation, and just do it step by step. Use fast walking, jogging, etc. to burn off excess calories, so that traditional seasonal food can adapt to modern healthy life, so as to celebrate the festival and maintain health.
