Eating Mooncakes, a Light "Taste" is Enough. As a child, I looked forward to the arrival of traditional festivals because only then could I enjoy foods that were not available on ordinary days. Indeed, besides filling the stomach and providing nutrition, food also has its non-nutritional functions. Occasions like New Year's, weddings, funerals, banquets, and farewells... all revolve around food and eating. Chinese people have made full use of the various functions of food. Different foods are eaten for different occasions, and specific foods are eaten for different festivals. Eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional custom. Mooncakes carry the meaning of reunion, happiness, and blessings. Besides giving them as gifts to friends and family, one should also taste them oneself. To meet consumer demand, the shape, quality, variety, and flavor of mooncakes are constantly changing and innovating. Just talking about flavors, there are sweet, salty, spicy, sweet and salty, and numbing spicy, among others. But the main ingredients are inseparable from flour, cooking oil, sugar, eggs, and various fillings. From a nutritional perspective, a 50-gram mooncake has about 200 kcal of energy (equivalent to the energy in a bowl of rice), 5-8 grams of protein, about 10 grams of fat, and also contains some minerals and vitamins. Of course, the nutritional content of mooncakes varies depending on the ingredients. Overall, the nutritional characteristics of mooncakes are high in energy and high in fat. "Sugar-Free" Mooncakes Are Not Truly "Sugar-Free". The so-called "sugar-free foods" often refer to foods that do not contain sucrose (cane sugar and beet sugar) and starch sugars (glucose, maltose, fructose), but often contain sugar substitutes such as xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol. "Sugar-free mooncakes," compared to regular sugary mooncakes, do not contain refined sugar but use other sweeteners instead; this does not mean they are free of sugars (i.e., carbohydrates). When people eat these "sugar-free mooncakes," whether it's maltose, glucose, other sugars, or starch, they are all converted into glucose in the body and absorbed. If diabetics consume them improperly or in excess, it can still cause post-meal blood sugar spikes and fluctuations. Mooncakes are mainly made from flour or rice flour. Even if no sucrose is added, their main components are carbohydrates such as starch, which are also sugars, making it difficult to meet the national standards for sugar-free foods.由此可见, "sugar-free mooncakes" are not truly "sugar-free" in the true sense. In addition, although sugar-free mooncakes do not contain added sucrose, they still contain fats and are considered high-energy foods. People with diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia should be cautious when choosing "sugar-free mooncakes" and must not eat them in large quantities. "Health-Care" Mooncakes Are Not Necessarily "Health-Care". Some mooncakes are sold at high prices by claiming that their fillings contain delicacies like bird's nests, shark fins, and abalone, and also claim to have health benefits. In fact, the nutritional value of abalone is about the same as that of an egg. Comparing the nutritional content of the same weight of abalone and an egg, it is found that an egg provides more energy, fat, cholesterol, vitamin A, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2 than abalone. Abalone contains slightly more protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, and selenium than an egg. Neither contains vitamin C. Besides, how much of these delicacies can be put into one mooncake? There are currently no national standards for the nutrient content in mooncakes, nor are there regulations on what nutritional standards must be met to be considered a "health food." Therefore, the efficacy of the nutrients in them cannot be defined, and of course, their health benefits cannot be claimed. The ingredients like abalone, shark fins, and bird's nests in "health-care mooncakes" or "wellness mooncakes" are added in small amounts, and there are no industry standards for how much is added. Even if they have "health" benefits, how many mooncakes would one have to eat to see an effect? How to Choose, Eat, and Store Mooncakes. Mooncakes are a high-energy food. When choosing and eating them, pay attention to the following points: 1. Pay attention to the ingredient list and nutrition label on the packaging, and choose based on your taste, preferences, and health status. If you are overweight, choose mooncakes with fruit and vegetable fillings that are lower in energy. 2. When eating, do so in small amounts and a variety of types, focusing on tasting. Cut one mooncake into several small pieces to share with family. This way, you can taste different flavors of mooncakes without overeating. The nutritional value of mooncakes is far from being as comprehensive and balanced as that of a regular meal, and mooncakes cannot replace a regular meal. 3. Storing mooncakes. Soft mooncakes contain more moisture and can only be stored for about 7-10 days, while hard mooncakes can be stored for about 1 month. Because mooncakes contain a lot of fat, they should be protected from light during storage to prevent the oil from oxidizing. When storing, do not place them with other foods or sundries to avoid absorbing odors and losing their proper flavor and character. Different varieties of mooncakes have different shelf lives. Fresh meat mooncakes have a shelf life of only 1 day, unpackaged mooncakes have a shelf life of no less than 10 days, and boxed mooncakes have a shelf life of no less than 25 days. Do not eat mooncakes that have exceeded their shelf life. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion, and mooncakes carry the meaning of reunion, happiness, and blessings.
This article is excerpted from "Ma Guansheng Talks About Nutrition" by Ma Guansheng, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.