It’s the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of reunion, and of course mooncakes are indispensable. The round mooncakes symbolize the harmony of the group members, so they are very popular among everyone. This article is my carefully edited guide on how to choose mooncakes. I hope it can help you! How to choose mooncakes Part 1

1. Observe the color and appearance

1. Normal mooncakes have a golden skin and uniform color.

2. Mooncakes all contain edible oil. The skin of high-quality mooncakes will have an oily effect, and the cake body will be translucent and shiny.

3. The mooncake skin is hard and does not reveal the filling or deformation.

4. The patterns and writing on the surface of the mooncake should be clear and legible.

2. Smell the smell and aroma

High-quality mooncakes will emit a faint sweet smell. If there is a strange smell or rancid smell of oil, it may be an old and expired mooncake.

3. Taste

1. The filling has a delicate texture, a smooth mouthfeel, and no impurities.

2. The mooncake dough is soft and thin.

3. The filling has a strong and outstanding flavor.

4. Feeling when pinched with your hands

Of course, most stores do not allow you to "eviscerate" the mooncakes, so more often than not, it is better to choose a more reliable one. brand. Generally speaking, old local brands and national brands are trustworthy. When purchasing, be sure to pay attention to the production date, and you can also check the quality of the mooncakes by pinching them. Generally speaking, high-quality mooncakes have a certain degree of hardness when pinched but without losing elasticity.

So who should not eat mooncakes?

According to reports, due to the high sugar content of mooncakes, people with diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease should not eat more. Mooncakes may cause blood sugar to rise sharply, aggravate the degree of heart ischemia, and even cause heart failure. induce myocardial infarction. In addition, the elderly and infants should not eat more due to poor digestion and absorption capabilities or insufficient development. Since mooncakes cause a large amount of gastric acid secretion, patients with duodenitis or gastritis should not eat too much. How to choose mooncakes Part 2

1. Investigation of mooncake types

1. Health-care mooncakes: low content and difficult to have health-preserving effects

In addition to traditional date paste and bean paste , Wuren, egg yolk, lotus seed paste and other fillings, spirulina, a frequent visitor in health foods, can also be eaten in mooncakes. I found that many spirulina mooncakes are sold in supermarkets and online stores. The mooncake gift box contains mooncakes with various fillings, one of which is spirulina mooncake. However, judging from the ingredient list, the content of spirulina in this box of mooncakes is only 3.

In addition to spirulina, expensive ingredients such as abalone and shark fin have also joined the mooncake camp. I also saw that there are imitation mooncakes containing abalone. In addition, I also saw Wuren abalone flavored mooncakes.

Regarding the mooncakes currently on the market that contain health foods such as spirulina and mooncakes with expensive ingredients added, experts point out that due to their limited content, the health effects are definitely limited. It is better to eat health products directly. Therefore, you cannot rely on this type of mooncakes for health care. Moreover, this kind of mooncake is not necessarily healthier than mooncakes with other fillings. Health-care ingredients such as spirulina are difficult to offset the adverse effects of mooncakes, a "three high" food, on the body.

In fact, if you want to eat mooncakes and eat healthily, the most important thing is to eat less and exercise more and consume more after eating mooncakes.

2. Fruit mooncakes: mostly winter melon puree and flavor blended

In this year’s mooncake market, fruit mooncakes have suddenly emerged. However, a reporter's investigation found that fruit mooncakes may not actually be made from fresh fruits. In the past few days, I have found in market surveys that the fillings of fruit mooncakes are becoming more and more abundant. In addition to the more traditional pineapple mooncakes, various fruit fillings such as strawberry mooncakes, blueberry mooncakes, and banana mooncakes are also becoming more and more common.

However, during my investigation, I found that not all fruit-filled mooncakes are genuine. In one of the supermarkets, you can see a festively decorated mooncake counter as soon as you enter the door.

In the individually packaged mooncakes, I saw strawberry and taro mooncakes, but I did not find strawberries or taro in the ingredient list on the package. Instead, I saw winter melon, spices, food coloring, etc. in the ingredient list.

Of course, not all mooncakes do not contain real fruit. At the counter selling fruit mooncakes, I saw that there were coconut and grapefruit pies in the boxed mooncakes. I looked carefully at the back of the packaging. The ingredient list, although winter melon is also added, clearly indicates the proportion of coconut chunks and grapefruit pieces. In addition, I saw that a certain brand of snowskin mooncakes comes in green tea and pineapple flavors, but the ingredient list only contains winter melon and its corresponding flavors. Among them, the ingredient list of pineapple-flavored mooncakes states that it contains pineapple essence. Among the pineapple-flavored mooncakes, the reporter saw pineapple essence and winter melon puree in the ingredient list.

According to the requirements of Chinese food fillings, mooncakes can be called fruit mooncakes only if the fresh fruit content reaches more than 25% of the ingredients. If the content is lower than this standard, they should be called vegetable mooncakes.

However, I found that except for a few fruit mooncakes sold in the market that clearly indicate the fruit content, most of the fruit ingredients in the fruit mooncakes do not clearly indicate their content. Many brands of fruit mooncakes contain winter melon plus food flavors, but their packaging clearly says fruit mooncakes, making it difficult for consumers to tell the authenticity.

3. Sugar-free mooncakes: No sucrose can still raise blood sugar

Due to the fact that mooncakes have always been labeled as "high sugar, high fat and high calories", many diabetic patients have stayed away from mooncakes. The launch of sugar-free mooncakes on the market seems to bring good news.

However, my investigation found that the price of sugar-free mooncakes is staggeringly high. At the supermarket, the staff recommended to me "sugar alcohol mooncakes". The ingredient list of this mooncake uses maltitol instead of the white sugar or soft white sugar in ordinary mooncakes. However, the price of this kind of mooncakes is also higher than ordinary mooncakes.

In addition, experts remind you not to eat too much sugar-free mooncakes. Because such mooncakes do not add sugar but add sweeteners and other substitutes when making dough and filling, but they are also high-calorie and high-fat foods.

The mooncake itself contains a lot of starch, and the flour in the mooncake crust also contains starch. The starch will also decompose into glucose after entering the body. Moreover, sugar alcohol sweeteners such as xylitol and maltitol in sugar-free mooncakes may cause increased intestinal peristalsis and cause diarrhea when consumed in excess. Therefore, sugar-free mooncakes are not suitable for healthy people or diabetics. You cannot eat more without restriction.

2. How to choose healthy mooncakes

Mooncakes are baked products. Good-quality mooncakes are uniform in thickness, with golden skin and fresh fillings. From the perspective of color, flavor, shape, and smooth production, More refined. From the perspective of sensory requirements, mooncakes with rongsha filling are delicate and smooth, not sticky to the hands, moderately soft and hard, have a shiny cross-section after being cut with a knife, do not stick to the teeth when eaten, and have a refreshing fragrance. There are no lotus seeds or beans with a diameter larger than two millimeters. Skin; mooncakes with fruit puree (flavor) filling, the fiber is filamentous or granular, moderate hardness and softness, natural and uniform color, tastes pure fruit flavor, no impurities visible; mooncakes with water paste and sand filling, the filling is sandy and uniform It retains the original color of the starch material, tastes refreshing, has a coarse sandy feel, and has a strong aroma of the stuffing raw materials; nut-filled mooncakes have evenly distributed nuts, are easy to form into balls, and have the aroma and taste of the corresponding variety.

Try to choose products from famous and time-honored brands. Look at the trademark and buy products with standardized production labels. Pay special attention to check whether there is the word "mooncake" in a prominent position on the packaging box. Look at the production date and shelf life, and check whether the packaging is complete. Check whether there is obvious greasiness on the surface of the mooncake, whether the shape of the mooncake is standardized, whether the color is uniform, whether the pattern is clear, and whether there is any scorch or mildew. The newly made mooncakes are bright in color, shiny in appearance and soft in taste. Especially this year, mooncake companies are generally working hard on appearance and color. Old and inferior mooncakes have incorrect color, are dull and dry. In addition, some mooncakes look dark because the oil used is not good or low-quality. Smell whether the mooncake smells like fat.

3. When paired with mooncakes, it can also turn into a healthy breakfast

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes become “occasion food” and appear in large quantities. As more and more mooncakes are given as gifts, many families have to "hoard" a large number of mooncakes before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some are even enough to last for a month. Mooncakes have become a daily diet at this time: mooncakes for breakfast, and mooncakes for afternoon snacks. Tea comes with two moon cakes, and some desserts are also moon cakes. So how can you eat mooncakes in a delicious and healthy way? Experts point out that you can actually turn mooncakes into delicious breakfast with your skillful hands.

1. Moon cake and light soy milk = healthy breakfast

Experts suggest that you can use a piece of moon cake as a breakfast staple, paired with a bowl of low-fat milk or light soy milk, and a portion of fruit. This combination can basically solve the problem of high fat in moon cakes, and can also supplement protein and dietary fiber. Not only is it convenient and fast to eat, but it is also more resistant to hunger than eating bread. This method is suitable for mooncakes filled with carbohydrates such as bean paste, lotus paste, and date paste.

Use mooncakes for breakfast or as a sandwich. You can cut the mooncakes into thin slices and sandwich them between two half slices of whole wheat staple bread to make a sandwich. Add low-fat milk and an extra serving. fruit. Generally, half a mooncake with 1-2 slices of bread is enough. The fragrant and delicious mooncakes will add flavor to the bland staple bread. This method is suitable for mooncakes filled with nuts, chocolate, egg yolk or bacon.

2. Beating mooncakes with soy milk is sweet and delicious

Experts suggest that you can also beat mooncakes into soy milk and drink it. Cut the mooncakes into small dices and put them into the soymilk machine when making soy milk. Be careful not to add nuts such as peanuts, walnuts, and pine nuts, because there is already enough oil in the mooncakes. The moon cake soy milk has a sweet smell and a good taste. This method is suitable for mooncakes with bean paste, lotus paste, date paste, Wuren, and fruit as the main fillings.

In addition, you can also make moon cakes and eight-treasure porridge: cut the mooncakes into small dices and put them on top of the cooked eight-treasure porridge or purple rice porridge, just like putting cooked sesame seeds. Eat it with the porridge for a delicious taste. Suitable for dinner with cold vegetables. This method is suitable for mooncakes filled with nuts, bean paste, jujube paste, lotus paste, fruits, etc.

It needs to be emphasized that mooncakes should not be stored at room temperature. They should be stored in the refrigerator with packaging. The fresh-keeping layer can be stored for about 2 weeks, and the frozen layer can be stored for longer.

However, experts also remind that mooncakes are rich in fat and sugar and have low nutritional content. After being stored for a period of time, the nutrients, especially minerals and other micronutrients, will be further lost. If the fillings of moon cakes are used for "secondary development", apart from calories, the nutritional value of moon cake fillings will be very low.

Therefore, unless you prefer the taste of mooncakes, "secondary development" of mooncakes is not recommended.

IV. How to eat healthy mooncakes

No matter what kind of mooncakes you eat, just taste them briefly. It is best to only eat a quarter of one at a time. At the same time, after eating moon cakes, the amount of food and meals on the day should also be reduced to avoid excessive intake of calories and fat. However, those who love to eat mooncakes should not think that mooncakes can replace normal meals, but rather choose to eat only mooncakes without meals. You must know that although mooncakes contain high amounts of fat, sugar, and cholesterol, they lack white rice, vegetables, and fish. , meat and other foods contain nutrients, fiber and vitamins, so mooncakes cannot replace meals.

It is worth mentioning that because mooncakes are high in sugar and fat, most people often feel full after eating mooncakes. Therefore, you can drink more tea after eating mooncakes to eliminate the greasiness of mooncakes. , helps digestion. At the same time, because Chinese tea has very low calories, it is certainly more suitable than soda, coffee and other beverages.

5. Diabetic patients should be particular about eating mooncakes

Diabetic patients can also enjoy the joy of eating mooncakes as long as they exercise appropriate measures. However, sugar-free mooncakes cannot be eaten casually. It is not that diabetics cannot eat any mooncakes. For patients whose blood sugar has always been well controlled, it is okay to eat some mooncakes appropriately, but the following principles must be followed.

1. Choose mooncakes appropriately

There are many types of mooncakes. Be sure to check the ingredients when purchasing. Do not choose those with high sugar and fat content.

2. Eat in moderation

Diabetic patients should focus on disease control, eat as little mooncakes as possible, and taste them appropriately. Eating more will inevitably lead to out-of-control blood sugar.

3. Pay attention to a balanced diet

While eating mooncakes, you must reduce the intake of rice and fat. Eat as much rice as you eat mooncakes. If you accidentally eat too much, you can take remedial measures: reduce the amount of food you eat that day or in the following days, increase the amount of anti-diabetic drugs or insulin, and increase the amount of exercise to burn off excess calories.

For diabetics, sugar-free mooncakes should not be eaten too much. Although no sucrose is added to this type of mooncake, the fat content in the mooncake is still very high. Fat contains many more calories than carbohydrates. One of the key points in controlling diabetes is to control calories. Mooncakes are made of flour, and the carbohydrates in them are Can be converted into glucose and cause blood sugar to rise.