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During the Lantern Festival, it is an indispensable traditional custom to taste the rice balls that symbolize reunion and sweetness. However, Zhang Xiaoxu, chief physician at the Shenyang Health Service Center, cautioned that although the dumplings are delicious, their high sugar and fat content can pose a potential threat to our health.
The glutinous rice balls are mainly made of glutinous rice and sugar, with the starchy crust and the sugar in the filling. Take the classic black sesame-stuffed rice balls as an example, each rice ball contains about 263 grams of fat. Considering that the recommended daily fat intake per person is between 25 grams and 30 grams, this means that eating only 9 glutinous rice balls is enough to reach the upper limit of fat intake in a day. To complicate matters further, the ingredients of various creative fillings tend to have higher levels of fat and sugar in order to enhance the taste.
Although so-called "sugar-free glutinous rice balls" exist on the market, which often use xylitol instead of sucrose, the fat content has not been reduced, so they should also be consumed in moderation. For diabetics and hyperlipidemia patients, glutinous rice should be treated with caution because it is a high glycemic index food.
In order to maintain health, Zhang Xiaoxu suggested that the intake of staple foods should be reduced accordingly when eating glutinous rice balls. The glutinous rice flour used for three rice balls is equivalent to the amount of rice needed for 1 tael of rice, so each consumption should be moderate. In addition, before tasting tangyuan, you can eat green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, and soy products that are rich in dietary fiber, and avoid eating tangyuan on an empty stomach.
Experts also emphasize that the timing and cooking of tangyuan is also crucial. In the morning and evening, the body's gastrointestinal function and metabolic rate are relatively low, and the consumption of glutinous rice balls at this time may bring additional burden to the body. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid consuming it during these two periods. In addition, the cooked glutinous rice balls should be eaten as soon as possible so that they are easier to digest. At the same time, you should try to avoid frying the rice balls to reduce the intake of fat.
While enjoying the feast of tangyuan during the Lantern Festival, let's follow the advice of experts and taste the sweetness of this tradition in a healthy way.