February 9th is the Lantern Festival, and many households must have already stocked up on plenty of sweet dumplings (Yuanxiao) and glutinous rice balls (Tangyuan). A serving of sweet dumplings that can't be finished in one meal often becomes a "regular guest" at the dining table for several days in a row, appearing at breakfast, as a snack, or even as a late-night meal.
As the saying goes, "too much of a good thing is bad," and this is also true when it comes to eating sweet dumplings and glutinous rice balls. Whether it's Yuanxiao or Tangyuan, from a nutritional perspective, the glutinous rice skin, combined with sweet fillings like bean paste, sesame paste, red bean paste, or peanuts, or savory fillings like fresh meat or vegetable and meat, are all high-sugar, high-calorie, and unhealthy foods. So, how can you eat them to ensure you get both deliciousness and health?
Not suitable for breakfast
Professor Yu Kang from the Department of Nutrition at Peking Union Medical College Hospital pointed out that although sweet dumplings and glutinous rice balls are tasty, they should not be eaten in excess. Both are high-calorie, high-sugar foods that also contain fat but lack essential nutrients, offering little more than calories and sugar. Such foods are first and foremost not suitable for breakfast. Besides being nutritionally deficient, it's because the digestive system is at its weakest upon waking. Both Yuanxiao and Tangyuan have glutinous rice skins, which are sticky and difficult to digest. Therefore, eating them for breakfast can easily lead to indigestion, causing issues like acid reflux and heartburn, which can affect your work and life for the day. One or two liang (about 50-100 grams) per meal is enough.
IN FACT, SWEET DUMPLINGS AND GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS ARE NOT "COMPLETELY USELESS." SOME TRACE ELEMENTS AND NUTRIENTS DISSOLVE INTO THE BROTH IN WHICH THEY ARE COOKED. THEREFORE, IT'S BEST TO DRINK THE BROTH AFTER EATING THEM, AS THIS CAN PROMOTE DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION, WHICH IS WHAT THE COMMON SAYING "THE ORIGINAL BROTH DIGESTS THE ORIGINAL FOOD" MEANS. HOWEVER, WHEN DRINKING THE BROTH, BE SURE NOT TO ADD MORE SUGAR. IF YOU ARE EATING SAVORY GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS, YOU CAN ADD SOME DRIED SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES TO THE BROTH TO SUPPLEMENT NUTRIENTS, BUT IT'S BEST NOT TO ADD MORE FAT OR SEASONINGS.
WHEN EATING THE DUMPLINGS OR DRINKING THE BROTH, BE CAREFUL NOT TO EAT OR DRINK THEM TOO HOT, AND DON'T EAT THEM IN LARGE MOUTHFULS, AS THIS CAN EASILY SCALD THE MUCOUS MEMBRANES OF THE MOUTH AND ESOPHAGUS. MEDICAL RESEARCH HAS CONFIRMED THAT BURNS FROM HOT FOOD CAN LEAD TO DISEASES SUCH AS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND STOMACH CANCER. SOME PEOPLE HAVE THE HABIT OF SWALLOWING THE DUMPLINGS QUICKLY WHEN THEY GET BURNED, WHICH IS EVEN MORE HARMFUL.
DO NOT FRY THEM
EVERY YEAR, THE HEALTH SUPERVISION DEPARTMENTS IN BEIJING CONDUCT STRICT INSPECTIONS OF THE LANTERN FESTIVAL MARKET. THEY REMIND CITIZENS TO CHECK THE MANUFACTURER, ADDRESS, PRODUCTION DATE, AND EXPIRATION DATE WHEN BUYING SWEET DUMPLINGS AND GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS. IT'S BEST TO CHOOSE BRAND PRODUCTS FROM FAMILIAR AND REPUTABLE MANUFACTURERS AND STORE THEM ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS.
REGARDING THE COLORFUL SWEET DUMPLINGS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET, EXPERTS WARN THAT FOR THE SAKE OF HEALTH, YOU SHOULD LEARN TO IDENTIFY WHETHER THEY CONTAIN ARTIFICIAL COLORINGS: FIRST, JUDGE BY COLOR; PRODUCTS WITH ARTIFICIAL COLORINGS TEND TO HAVE A DEEPER, MORE INTENSE COLOR, WHICH MAY BE UNEVEN AND GRAINY. IF THE COLOR OF THE DUMPLINGS LEACHES INTO THE WATER WHEN COOKED, IT'S BEST NOT TO EAT THEM.
Certain groups of people should not eat sweet dumplings
There are certain groups of people who should not eat sweet dumplings, such as the elderly, diabetic patients, patients with hyperlipidemia, patients with pancreatitis or cholecystitis, and people with weak gastrointestinal function. Although "sugar-free" varieties are now available, it's difficult to make sweet dumplings and glutinous rice balls truly sugar-free, as the sugar cannot be completely removed from the glutinous rice skin or the fillings. Therefore, diabetic patients should not even eat "sugar-free" sweet dumplings. If they must eat them, the aforementioned groups should not consume more than three at a time, and they must deduct the corresponding amount from their daily total staple food intake.