Know your mooncakes
Now that ‘mooncake season’ is upon us, learn what goes into these goodies, what you should try to avoid, and how much you have to burn off to stay trim, courtesy of Great Eastern Life.
IT’S that time of the year for colourful lanterns and feasting on scrumptious mooncakes.
With the ever-expanding range of flavours, creative combinations and textures, it can be difficult resisting the lure of these yummy creations.
Besides the traditional baked varieties, there are mooncakes made with chocolate, ice cream, fruit, spices, tea, or even infused with alcohol.
Besides the sugar and fat loaded into mooncakes, some recipes call for deep-frying, which adds to the hidden calorie count.
What’s in a mooncake
Here’s what you need to know about the nutritional value of the most common mooncakes we eat. Baked mooncakes with salted egg yolks – These are higher in fat and cholesterol than those without egg yolks. In fact, according to Singapore’s Health Promotion Board, a quarter slice of mooncake with double yolks contains an average of 120mg of cholesterol, which makes up about 40% of a person’s daily limit.
Tip: When buying mooncakes, mix and match those with and without yolks. You get variety, as well as less fat and cholesterol this way. Calorie count: 700
Snowskin mooncakes – While they may look deceptively light, they are not necessarily healthier than their baked counterparts. In fact, they may contain more calories if icing sugar is used to make the skin.
Snowskin mooncakes with fruit may contain more fibre than those without, but they are still made of oil, sugar and flour, which all add up in calories.
Tip: Note that the softer and smoother the texture of the mooncake, the more sugar/fat it contains. Avoid those made with vegetable shortening, as while it may lengthen shelf life and improve texture, vegetable shortening contains trans fats, which raises the “bad” cholesterol in our blood and increases the risk of heart disease.
Calorie count: 900 Flaky crust mooncakes – These include the Teochew and Shanghai-style mooncakes where two types of dough, plain and oily, are used to make alternate layers.
Some recipes also call for deep frying, adding to their unhealthy nature.
Tip: Try to limit your intake of these types of mooncakes and only eat a small portion instead of a whole one.
Calorie count: 800-1,000 calories.
Tips for buying mooncakes
Check the ingredients list – These are listed from the highest percentage to the lowest. Choose low-sugar or no-sugar mooncakes to minimise your calorie intake. Skip those containing salted egg yolks to cut back on sodium.
Check the shelf life – Usually, the longer the shelf life, the higher the amount of trans fat, sugar and/or preservatives used.
How much to eat – To prevent excess calorie consumption, portion control is crucial. A typical full-sized mooncake contains more than 700 calories, while some may pack close to 1,000 calories.
The general advice is to limit your mooncake intake to 100 calories – roughly oneeighth of an average mooncake. The HPB recommends not having more than one regular-sized mooncake a week.
Exercise tips
Whether you have over-indulged on mooncakes or not, when it comes to desserts, it’s always a good idea to burn off more than you consume.
Here are some great exercises you can do to burn off those excess calories and have fun at the same time:
Zumba – A two-hour Zumba class can burn off 700 calories (your standard baked lotus seed mooncake with a single yolk).
High-energy and uplifting, Zumba is great aerobic exercise that works your abs and back for torso toning and your lower body to condition your core muscles for a leaner more toned body.
Swim – Burn the calories and beat the heat at the same time. Swimming the front crawl for 1.5 hours will help burn off the 800 calories in a flaky-skinned Teochew-style mooncake.
A brisk walk – Take your dog for a brisk one-and-a-half-hour walk to burn off that dark chocolate snow-skin mooncake (600 calories) you just consumed for dessert.
Bowling – Visit the bowling alley with your friends. Not only is it a good bonding opportunity, but you can also burn at least 100 calories every hour.
Fly a kite – Run up and down while doing this. This will help you lose 100 calories every hour.
For more information about staying fit and the Live Great Programme, please log on to www.livegreat.greateaternlife.com.
You can also visit the FitForLife Penang 2016 fair next month for some healthy living tips.
This year’s theme “Get Fit. Live Great!” aims to inspire Malaysians to lead a healthy lifestyle and adopt a holistic approach to health that includes physical and mental fitness, financial health and general well-being.
The event will feature a diverse range of health and lifestyle products and services under one roof, catering to people of all ages. Visitors can expect an array of products suitable for various health needs, such as supplements, diet and nutrition aids, health checks, alternative remedies and many others.
FitForLife Penang 2016 is organised by The Star with Great Eastern Life as the event partner, Nestle Omega Plus as Official Wellness Sponsor and Guardian as Healthcare Provider. It will be held in the SPICE Arena (PISA), Penang, from Oct 14 to 16. It is open from 10am to 7pm and admission is free. For enquiries, call 03-7967 1388 (ext 1243/1432/1529) or visit www.facebook. com/thestarhealthfair.