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The Mid-Autumn is here and the immediate association to this festival will be the wonderful, sumptuous variety of moon cakes! However, do you know moon cakes are very high in calories and can be fattening? Let us look into the more popular sorts of moon cakes available for sale, unveil their caloric content, and make a match to the equivalent calories you might get from the usual hawker fare! Suggestion will be to consume these delicacies in moderation, slice them up and share the calories! Consider also to incorporate some other healthier mid-autumn treats into the mix, these will also be further elaborated in this article.
Moon cake calories explained
- 1 large baked lotus seed paste moon cake is 715 Kcal, that is approximately equivalent to one plate of char kway teow at 744 Kcal. This takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes of jogging to burn off!
- 1 large snow skin lotus seed paste moon cake is a whopping 983 Kcal, that is equals to the calories of a double beef patty with large fries! This takes a good 2 hours and 25 minutes of jogging to expend.
- 1 large double yolk lotus seed paste moon cake has 860 Kcals, and is approximately equals to a plate of chicken nasi briyani. It takes close to 2 hours of jogging to burn this calories off!
- Last but not least, the flaky skin yam moon cake contains about 800 Kcals and is almost the same as that of 4 pieces of prata kosong! And this takes 1 hour and 55 minutes of jogging to burn off!
Healthier Mid-Autumn Delights
There are other traditional foods that we commonly enjoy during this festival other than moon cakes, they are namely :
- Pomelo
They are highly nutritious, rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. It is rich in vitamin C, which acts as antioxidants to keep the body from being ravaged by free radicals. It has anti-aging components which can potentially keep the skin youthful and supple. (1)
- Taro Root
This starchy root vegetable tastes slightly sweet and has texture like potatoes when cooked. It is rich in fiber and it’s resistant starch content may help to regulate blood sugar and is good for gut health! (2) You can enjoy it boiled or roasted.
- Lotus Root
The high fiber and complex carbohydrate content helps to manage blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. Is said to contain anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant components that is beneficial to the body (3)
References :
- https://mothership.sg/2016/09/how-fat-is-a-mooncake-as-fat-as-yo-mama-ok-joking-about-1000-calories/
- https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/food-tips/best-worst-singapore-hawker-chinese-food-dim-sum-char-kway-teow
- https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/food-tips/best-worst-singapore-hawker-indian-breads-prata-mutton-murtabak
- https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/food-tips/best-worst-singapore-hawker-malay-foods-biryani-rendang-lemak-cili-padi
By : Alvin Ho
B (Eng), MBA, Certified Allied Healthcare/Fitness Professional (EIMS), Master Fitness Trainer / Fitness Nutrition, Resistance & Endurance Training Specialist (NFPT)