One picture shows you the calories and sugar content of mooncakes on the market! 7 tips to enjoy barbecue and mooncakes with less stress

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, families reunite, and barbecue, mooncakes and pomelo are indispensable. But how do you choose the ingredients for barbecue and how do you eat mooncakes in a healthy and safe way? Especially for people who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, etc., they should choose food carefully and take into account both health and deliciousness. Let the nutritionist share some tips with you below and tell you how to eat slim and healthy during the festive season!

Tips for healthy barbecue eating

● Avoid processed or high-fat meat

It is recommended that when preparing meat ingredients, try to choose chicken, low-fat meat or seafood, reduce processed products or high-fat meat such as sausages, hot dogs, bacon, pork belly, etc., avoid excessive intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, avoid excessive calorie intake, which may cause overweight or obesity.

● Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables

When grilling meat ingredients, you can add more seasonal vegetables and fruits to eat together. Vegetables include: lettuce, broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, large tomatoes, loofah, enoki mushrooms, and fruits include: pomelo, white grapefruit, apples, etc. You can wrap your favorite fruits and vegetables and meat in lettuce leaves and eat them together or make them into colorful vegetable and meat skewers, which is also a delicious and healthy combination. This can increase dietary fiber and satiety, and also make the barbecue more varied and have a richer taste. In addition, people with diabetes are reminded to pay special attention to the amount of fruit they consume. 2-3 slices of grapefruit are equal to 1 serving of fruit (equal to the sugar content of 1/4 bowl of rice), so fruit should be consumed in moderation. The principle is to not consume more than 2 servings of fruit a day.

● Homemade natural spice sauce

You can make your own low-calorie, low-salt barbecue sauce at home. You can dilute ordinary soy sauce with boiling water in a 1:1 ratio, and use sugar substitute or a little fresh juice instead of sugar, and then add minced garlic. If you want more variations, you can also add natural spices according to your preference, such as onions, peppers, scallions, ginger, coriander or basil to season it. In addition, it is also recommended that people reduce the amount of barbecue sauce applied to marinated barbecue ingredients, and for unmarinated ingredients, it is recommended to just apply a layer of barbecue sauce or drizzle a little lemon juice to enhance the flavor to avoid excessive salt intake.

● Drinks with sugar-free tea or boiled water

Most people like to drink cola, soda, alcohol or sugary drinks when grilling. In order to avoid weight gain, increased blood sugar and blood lipids after the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can drink sugar-free tea or boiled water to reduce excessive calorie and sugar intake.

Tips for eating mooncakes healthily

● Understand serving sizes

People should eat mooncakes as snacks rather than meals, and after eating mooncakes, they should reduce the intake of rice, pasta and fats on the same day to control the total calorie intake for the day. It is recommended that the total calorie intake from mooncakes per day be controlled between 200-300 calories, and the portion is about 1/4 to 1/2 of a Cantonese mooncake. There are various kinds of health-preserving mooncakes on the market. It is recommended to choose mooncakes with natural ingredients such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, grapefruit, persimmon, longan or wolfberry as fillings, which are both suitable for the occasion and healthy.

● Read more nutrition labels

People with high blood sugar or blood lipids are reminded to pay attention to the "nutrition label" of the product when choosing mooncakes, and understand the calorie, carbohydrate and fat (such as trans fat) content of the mooncakes they eat, so as to reduce the amount of other food intake during the day. Therefore, mooncakes should be tasted lightly or shared with friends and family to avoid eating too much at one time. (The calories and substitutions of moon cakes are shown in Table 1)

Increase activity

Moderately increasing physical activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival can help burn off the excess calories produced by eating mooncakes. You can make an appointment with family and friends to take a walk, admire the moon, or go for an outing in the suburbs, so that you can spend a light Mid-Autumn Festival and weight is no longer a burden.

In addition to the above tips, please note that food must be cooked thoroughly during the Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue to avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked food. People with abnormal blood sugar and blood lipids and those who need to control their weight are reminded to eat mooncakes according to the amount guided by nutritionists, and remember to consume fruits and vegetables rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals to make the Mid-Autumn Festival a slim and healthy one.