Traditional mooncakes have 800 calories, and Chang'e becomes fat if she eats too much

Astronaut Armstrong returned to the moon and was surprised to find that Chang'e had become fatter? The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. In order to prevent Chinese people from overeating and consuming too many calories, which leads to fat accumulation in the body, the National Health Service of the Department of Health reminds that a traditional Hong Kong-style mooncake has as much as 800 calories, equivalent to a bento. It is recommended to choose improved mooncakes that are low in sugar and oil and use natural ingredients such as persimmons, pomelo, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms as fillings.

National Health Administration Director Chiu Shu-ti (center) encourages the public to choose improved mooncakes with lower calories to avoid obesity. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

Chiu Shu-ti, director of the National Health Administration, said that a bowl of rice contains about 280 calories, but a 185-gram Hong Kong-style mooncake contains as much as 800 calories, which is equivalent to the calories in a lunch box, and it takes four hours of brisk walking to burn them off. People should exercise moderation when eating Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes to avoid overeating, and it is recommended to choose improved mooncakes, such as replacing the common shortbread crust with persimmons, and replacing the usual high-calorie braised meat fillings with natural ingredients such as sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and pomelo.

The National Health Bureau promotes the "Taiwan 101 Leap for Health" healthy weight management plan, and jointly recommends 16 improved mooncakes with the health bureaus of counties and cities on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The calories of each mooncake are less than 370 calories/100 grams. By reducing the use of oil and sugar and using natural ingredients such as persimmons, pomelo, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms, the calories of mooncakes have been greatly reduced and the nutritional value has been increased.

Traditional mooncakes are high in calories. Take Hong Kong-style traditional mooncakes as an example. The calories are as high as 800 calories, which is equivalent to a lunch box and requires 4 hours of brisk walking to burn them off. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

The 16 mooncakes include the Healthy Happiness Cake launched by a business in Miaoli County, which weighs 55 grams and has only 117 calories. It is filled with local sweet potatoes and kumquats, and red yeast rice powder, mugwort powder, and whole grain powder are added to the crust to increase fiber and reduce fat calories. The Golden Ruby Mooncake from Hualien County uses Hualien yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes and Taitung roselle as the filling, and its sweet and sour taste is quite unique.

Even more special is the persimmon cake with fresh milk ice cream from the Fanlu Township Farmers’ Association in Chiayi County. The persimmon cake is creatively used to replace the traditional mooncake crust, and fresh milk ice cream is used as the filling. This not only greatly improves the shortcomings of traditional mooncakes such as high oil and sugar content, but also increases the intake of fruits and dairy products, making it rich in nutritional value.

The Chiayi County Farmers’ Association has launched an innovative mooncake with dried persimmon as the crust and ice cream as the filling. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

In addition to emphasizing mooncakes with less oil, less sugar, and low calories, the National Construction Bureau also reminded 5 tips for eating mooncakes, including cutting mooncakes into small pieces and eating them moderately, reducing the amount of rice or noodles consumed during meals, pairing with fresh fruits before meals, and exercising to burn extra calories. In addition, patients with "hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease should also pay attention to the intake of salt, fat, sugar, etc.

The 16 improved mooncakes recommended by the National Health Bureau will be placed on the National Health Bureau's obesity prevention and treatment website http://obesity.bhp.gov.tw, and in the "Healthy Weight Management App" health tips. Interested people can check online.