As the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month approaches, a wide variety of zongzi attract people, with fillings like meat, fruit, jam, red dates, and chestnuts being a dazzling array, making it hard to choose which to eat or how much is enough. In fact, there are many considerations to eating zongzi, closely related to daily health. While delicious, overconsumption is not beneficial.
Zongzi are mostly made of glutinous rice, which is sticky, hard to digest, and lacks fiber. They also contain excessive amounts of fat, salt, and sugar. For example, a typical savory meat zongzi contains about the same amount of rice as one to one and a half bowls of rice and has a calorie count of approximately 400-500. Therefore, experts suggest that women should not eat more than 3 zongzi a day, and men should not eat more than 5. Eating zongzi with vegetables and fruits can help intestinal and stomach motility and prevent indigestion in the gastrointestinal tract caused by eating zongzi. Additionally, it's best not to eat zongzi two hours before bedtime, and to avoid watery, "cold-natured" melons and fruits like watermelon to prevent diarrhea or abdominal pain. Furthermore, experts also suggest that some people, besides eating less, should ideally avoid zongzi altogether.
Patients with cardiovascular disease: There are many varieties of zongzi, and meat zongzi and lard red bean paste zongzi contain a lot of fat and are considered greasy foods. For people with high blood pressure, high blood lipids, or coronary heart disease, eating too much can increase blood viscosity, affect blood circulation,加重心脏负担和缺血程度, and induce angina and myocardial infarction. The elderly and children: Zongzi are mostly made of glutinous rice, which is very sticky. If the elderly and children consume them excessively, it can easily lead to indigestion, as well as symptoms such as excessive stomach acid, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Patients with stomach and intestinal diseases: After being steamed, zongzi release a gelatinous substance that increases the load on digestive enzymes.
Diabetic patients: Zongzi often contain high-sugar ingredients like red dates and red bean paste, and sugar is often added when eating them. If consumed without restraint, it can damage pancreatic function, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar and urine sugar in patients, worsening their condition, and even leading to coma or poisoning.