It’s Mooncake Time! – Healthy ways to enjoy this delicacy

You’ve probably already seen several families out in parks or at void decks carrying lanterns recently. Yes, the Mid-Autumn Festival is upon us! This means that it’s also mooncake time; the mooncake is a traditional (and delicious!) pastry eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s probably difficult to disagree that this delicacy is a must-eat during this period – it doesn’t feel like the Mid-Autumn Festival without it! However, what’s horrifying is probably the contents in most mooncakes – most, if not all, can cause you to put on weight significantly, increase your sugar levels and raise your blood pressure. Firstly, as traditional mooncakes contain egg yolks which are high in fat, a mooncake with a single yolk may contain up to 420 calories (equivalent to approximate 1 bowl of white rice). That means that consuming a single mooncake would already break your calorie budget for a single meal. Secondly, the fat found in a standard mooncake mostly comprises that from refined vegetable oil, which is fat that causes blood clots and increments in bad cholesterol – which is why the over-consumption of mooncakes is detrimental to those with hypertension and heart diseases. Thirdly, as most mooncakes contain artificial flavouring and colouring, especially with the various funky types of mooncake flavours that are appearing in the market nowadays (e.g. rum and raisin – wow!), mooncakes are now notorious for being high in sugar. In other words, consuming too many of these delicacies puts you at higher risk for diabetes. On the other hand, though, it’s probably impractical to completely abstain from mooncakes; not eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is probably akin to not visiting relatives on Chinese New Year! Hence, instead of willing yourself to not consume mooncakes at all, it might perhaps be more practical to continue enjoying them, but in the following wiser ways: 1. Always slice a single mooncake up into smaller pieces before consumption Eating a few sliced pieces makes it easier for you to store the rest of the mooncake away for another day, as compared to taking bites out of the mooncake directly. This psychological trick helps prevent over-consumption. In addition, it’d be easier for you to share the mooncake with friends and family in this manner – further helping you to avoid excessive intakes of fat and sugar. 2. Don’t buy mooncakes in bulk We understand, we’re Singaporeans – we’re all kiasu. Hence, when we see good deals, we love going for them. This includes our preference to buy large boxes of mooncakes as compared to singly-packaged ones, because they’re probably cheaper per mooncake. However, while you save your money, you’re probably sacrificing your health – buying more mooncakes encourages you to eat them all. Perhaps you may think that you’d have the discipline to give away the extra, but instead of fighting this hazard (of consuming too many mooncakes), why not save yourself from it by avoiding it altogether – by not buying in bulk and only purchasing what you need? 3. Never allow yourself to replace meals with meals with mooncakes As convenient as it may be, mooncakes should never be eaten for breakfast. As they are high in sugar, consuming them will cause you to experience sugar crashes midday. More importantly, they do not provide your body with a wide range of nutrients. They should only be treated as snacks. And, as we all know – Superfriends, never replace your nutritious quinoa or chia seed-peppered meals with snacks! Let’s always yourselves of how you’re striving for a healthier you. 4. Complement mooncakes with a cup of tea As tea has properties which aid in digestion and the prevention of body fat accumulation, it is useful to drink tea while consuming mooncakes. It helps to cleanse the throat as well, making swallowing more ‘smooth’. We recommend our chia seeds citrus white tea – have something amazing and healthy while consuming your Mid-Autumn delicacies and enjoying the company of your loved ones!