When stalls selling mooncakes start popping up in shopping malls, it is an obvious sign that the Mid-Autumn Festival has finally arrived.
It is one of the most important observances in Chinese culture and a time of family and feasting. And as families come together to celebrate the night of the fullest moon, no feast would be complete without a selection of mouthwatering mooncakes.
Mooncakes are delicious treats that, like everything does, have changed with time.
The lotus mooncake with a single egg yolk is still considered the classic, but there are so many different choices now – from ice-cream mooncakes to jelly mooncakes and many things in between.
It just seems that at this time of year, Malaysians can’t get enough of them.
But to nutritionists, mooncakes are their worst nightmare. They may be modest in size, but these delights are sugar-laden calorie bombs that pack a 700-calorie punch, equivalent to almost two bowls of rice.
They’re also fat-laden and sometimes contain food colouring, which no diet-conscious person would say are good for the health.
Eating just one mooncake is more or less equivalent to eating an entire meal, and some people eat more than one in a single sitting.
But skipping mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is akin to skipping the roast turkey at Christmas, or ang pow at Chinese New Year.
So, how can you still enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival and stay healthy?
1. Sharing is caring
Instead of hogging a mooncake, get a knife out, slice it and share it with friends and family. This will divide the calories into smaller, more tolerable portions that will leave everyone satisfied and not too stuffed.
2. Try healthier mooncakes
Sugar-free mooncakes are available for diabetics, and they are a good alternative for those who want to limit their sugar intake for whatever reason.
Sugarless mooncakes are no less tasty than regular ones. They are usually sweetened with stevia or isomalt.
In addition, recipes for vegan mooncakes have been making the rounds online. What better way to be sure of what goes into one’s mooncakes than to make them at home?
3. Avoid excessive carb intake
If a mooncake is too hard to resist, try giving rice a miss at the reunion dinner. Since mooncakes are packed with carbohydrates, that food group will be taken care of soon enough.
However, those who have weight problems or dietary restrictions would be well-advised to skip the mooncakes altogether.
4. Enjoy mooncakes as dessert, not the main course
It is common to eat pastry for breakfast; after all sandwiches and buns are regular breakfast foods. But mooncakes are the exception due to their high sugar content.
Eating mooncakes for breakfast will cause an unhealthy surge of blood sugar early in the day. By the afternoon, this sugar rush will be depleted and will leave you craving more sweet treats to fill the gap.
Instead of eating a mooncake as a meal on its own, have it for dessert with a full meal or as a snack.
5. Feast on some pomelo
After eating a hearty meal, it would not hurt to fill the remaining space with some healthy pomelo.
Almost always seen on the table during the Mid-Autumn Festival feast, this member of the citrus family has a lot of nutritional value.
Rich in vitamin C, like the rest of its family, the fruit is also full of fibre and some studies suggest it aids weight loss.
In addition to being antioxidant rich, pomelo has also been said to reduce cholesterol levels, thus boosting heart health.
6. Brew some tea
Tea is almost always served during Chinese family gatherings, and drinking this hot beverage actually has numerous health benefits.
Chinese tea is rich with acetic acids, which improve digestion and prevent body fat from accumulating. Hence, tea is the perfect drink to be paired with the reunion dinner.
On that same note, avoid sugary soft drinks, since having them after already eating sugar-rich mooncakes will send glucose levels flying through the roof.