As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the wide variety of zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings) in supermarkets is mouth-watering. Eating zongzi in moderation during the festival is indeed a delicious treat. However, consuming too much increases calorie intake, and because you eat fewer side dishes like vegetables, it can lead to insufficient intake of trace elements and dietary fiber.
Zongzi are sticky and not suitable for excessive consumption
Liu Zheng, a professor of nutrition and a council member of the Food Nutrition and Safety Committee of the China Health Care Association, explains that the main ingredient of zongzi is glutinous rice. Glutinous rice is rich in B vitamins and can warm the spleen and stomach, replenishing qi. It has a certain relieving effect on a weak and cold spleen and stomach, poor appetite, and abdominal bloating or diarrhea. At the same time, the zongzi leaves impart a special fragrance to the dumplings and contain various beneficial ingredients for the human body, with the effect of clearing heat and relieving summer heat. The fillings of zongzi vary, but regardless of the filling, the main nutritional component of zongzi is carbohydrates, which are high in calories. Because they are delicious, people tend to eat too many, thus consuming excessive calories. And at the same time, because they eat fewer side dishes like vegetables, it can lead to an insufficient intake of trace elements and dietary fiber, causing nutritional imbalance. Therefore, one should be cautious about eating too many zongzi. If used as a substitute for staple grains, the daily amount of zongzi for a healthy adult generally should not exceed one-third of the staple food. Another reason not to eat too many zongzi is that glutinous rice contains a lot of dextrin, is very sticky, stays in the digestive tract for a long time, and is slowly emptied from the stomach, which can easily lead to indigestion symptoms such as excessive stomach acid, bloating, or abdominal pain. The elderly, children, and people suffering from stomach diseases, gallstones, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and diabetes should be especially careful not to eat too much at once. Patients should only have a small taste.
Eat zongzi with vegetables and fruits
Professor of nutrition Liu Zheng explains that some varieties of zongzi add ingredients like millet, red beans, mung beans, Job's tears, Chinese yam, or taro to the main glutinous rice. This not only increases the fiber content of the zongzi, reducing the burden on the digestive system and aiding digestion and maintaining nutritional balance. Therefore, from a health perspective, choosing to eat this type of zongzi is better than eating those with meat, eggs, or other fillings.
To avoid nutritional imbalance, when eating zongzi, you should also eat some radishes, green leafy vegetables, and fruits. It is best to eat zongzi at breakfast or lunch. It is not advisable to eat them 2-3 hours before bedtime. In addition, cold glutinous rice becomes hard, which not only has a poor texture but is also harder to digest. Therefore, zongzi should be eaten hot, and you should chew slowly.