How to eat this bowl of Yuanxiao (Chinese Yuanxiao) on the 15th day of the first lunar month in a nutritious and healthy way?

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, people enjoy the moon, light lanterns, set off fireworks, guess lantern riddles, eat Lantern Festival dumplings... People's unique memories of the Lantern Festival have continued from ancient times to the present. At this moment, whether you are reuniting with your family in your hometown or working hard outside, are you ready to celebrate the Lantern Festival?

Why do we eat Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?

On the night of the 15th day of the first lunar month, the whole family sits around a table and tastes the freshly cooked glutinous rice dumplings. This is the most ceremonial moment. In fact, the earliest record of the custom of eating glutinous rice dumplings on the 15th day of the first lunar month can be found in the Song Dynasty. At that time, glutinous rice dumplings were called "floating dumplings" and later called "Yuanxiao". Yuanxiao symbolizes family reunion, and eating glutinous rice dumplings means family happiness and good luck in the new year.

What is the difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan?

In the north, people roll Yuanxiao, while in the south, people wrap tangyuan. The wrapped ones are called tangyuan, which are mostly found in the southern region centered on Jiangsu and Zhejiang; the shaken ones are called Yuanxiao, which are mostly found in the northern region centered on Beijing.

What are the flavors of Yuanxiao?

Traditionally, Yuanxiao is stuffed with sugar, rose, sesame, red bean paste, osmanthus, walnut kernels, five kernels, and jujube paste. Nowadays, with the diversification of diets and the emergence of new consumer demands, the fillings, flavors, and ways of eating of Yuanxiao on the market are richer and more distinctive. In addition to chocolate and hawthorn flavors, there are also innovative flavors such as rose, fresh durian, and peanut calcium milk. There is even a new way to eat Yuanxiao wrapped in fried bean flour.

How to choose food for Yuanxiao?

Faced with the dazzling array of Yuanxiao products on the market, how should consumers choose and how should they eat them scientifically? The Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology has made the following consumer tips.

1. The label information must be complete and the "9+" elements are indispensable

Consumers should buy Yuanxiao at regular food sales places or channels such as supermarkets, and carefully check whether the food label on the package is complete. According to relevant national standards, the labels of pre-packaged foods provided directly to consumers should include 9 major items: food name, ingredient list, net content and specifications, name, address and contact information of the producer and (or) distributor, production date and shelf life, storage conditions, food production license number, product standard code, and other content that needs to be labeled. Do not buy or eat Yuanxiao without labels or with incomplete or unclear label information, or with covered, reprinted or tampered labels.

2. The order of ingredients is important. Do not miss the allergy information.

According to the requirements of relevant national food safety standards, any substance (including food additives) used in the manufacture or processing of food and present in the product must be indicated in the food ingredient list. Ingredients added in an amount exceeding 2% should be listed in descending order according to the amount added in the manufacture or processing of food. Therefore, when consumers buy Yuanxiao, they can first check the ingredient list to understand the ingredients used in the product before deciding which product to buy.

If the ingredients contain foods and their products that may cause allergies, such as gluten-containing grains and their products, peanuts and their products, etc., the manufacturer will generally use easily recognizable names in the ingredient list, or indicate them near the ingredient list; if the above foods or their products may be introduced during the processing, it is also appropriate to indicate them near the ingredient list. Therefore, people who are prone to allergies should pay attention to carefully check the ingredient list when choosing or eating Yuanxiao, and whether there is any prompt information near the ingredient list.

3. Pay close attention to the two dates and follow the storage and cooking instructions.

Pay special attention to the production date and expiration date on the product label. When buying Yuanxiao, it is recommended to buy products with stable quality within the expiration date and avoid products that have expired.

According to regulatory requirements, the storage conditions are indicated on the labels of pre-packaged foods. For example, quick-frozen Yuanxiao is generally required to be stored at -18°C. Whether you are purchasing the product or after purchase, you should ensure that the product is stored under the storage conditions indicated on the label.

In addition, manufacturers usually give reasonable cooking suggestions on the Yuanxiao packaging label, which consumers can refer to for the best taste.

4. Read the nutrition label carefully and make the purchase accordingly.

According to relevant national standards, the Yuanxiao label will also provide a nutrition label. The nutrition label mainly includes: a "nutrition ingredient table" in tabular form, a "nutrition claim" that explains the level of nutrients, and a "nutrient function claim" that explains the health effects. Among them, the nutrition ingredient table should at least indicate the content of five elements (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium) and their percentage of the nutrient reference value (NRV). Consumers can choose to eat according to the nutrient reference value and their own conditions.

How to eat delicious Yuanxiao in a healthy way?

Doctor of Medicine, Mu Ying, a nutritionist at the 302nd PLA Hospital, reminds everyone that Yuanxiao is a high-calorie, high-sugar food that also contains oil, so when eating Yuanxiao, you must reduce the amount of staple food accordingly. If you eat too much, it is easy to increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, causing discomfort such as bloating and heartburn. At the same time, avoid deep-frying, which will make Yuanxiao more caloric. When eating Yuanxiao, you can pair it with some foods that help digestion, such as celery, hawthorn, barley malt juice, tangerine peel, raw radish, etc. Raw radish contains crude fiber, which can promote gastrointestinal motility and reduce the absorption of oil.

There are many things to pay attention to when eating Yuanxiao. In summary, there are several principles to follow when eating Yuanxiao in a healthy way: it is not suitable to be eaten for breakfast; one or two taels of Yuanxiao are enough for each meal; drink some original soup to promote digestion; do not eat it while hot; do not eat it in large mouthfuls; do not eat it in oil; it can be eaten with hawthorn, tangerine peel, and raw radish; try to eat it all at once, and keep the remaining in the freezer, and do not store it for too long.

Which groups of people should not eat Yuanxiao?

Elderly people and children should be supervised when eating Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice. If glutinous rice is made into porridge, it is very suitable for the elderly. However, it is not easy to digest if it is made into Yuanxiao, glutinous rice balls, and rice cakes. Elderly people generally do not eat more than 1 liang (4-5 grains) per meal. Children should try to choose small Yuanxiao and do not swallow it in one bite to avoid scalding the esophagus or choking. The hot glutinous rice balls are very hot when they are just out of the pot, especially if they have high-fat fillings. Swallowing them in one bite can easily cause esophageal burns. Do not talk or distract the child when eating Yuanxiao to avoid swallowing Yuanxiao into the airway by mistake.

People with gastrointestinal and digestive system diseases should eat them in moderation. Generally speaking, a normal adult should eat 2 liang (8-10 pieces) of Yuanxiao per meal. However, for people with gastrointestinal diseases or weak digestive function, Yuanxiao should be eaten less appropriately. Glutinous rice contains more branched starch, which is sticky and difficult to digest, and will increase gastric motility. Therefore, patients with digestive system diseases should eat it with caution. If you want to eat it, you need to cook the Yuanxiao for a while longer to make it as soft as possible.

Diabetic people should avoid eating it. Patients with diabetes should avoid eating items containing sugar as much as possible in their diet. Sweet Yuanxiao is needless to say, and salty Yuanxiao should also be avoided as much as possible. Yuanxiao skin is made of glutinous rice flour, which contains a lot of starch, which is a polysaccharide; although the filling is salty, it contains oil. Therefore, for the sake of safety, it is recommended that diabetics should not eat Yuanxiao. If you want to feel the festive atmosphere, you should try to eat it with meals. Eating Yuanxiao on an empty stomach will stimulate insulin secretion and cause blood sugar instability in the body; eating after a meal will cause the total calories to exceed the standard. Eating Yuanxiao with meals can avoid these two situations. When eating Yuanxiao, you can appropriately reduce the intake of rice. Generally speaking, the glutinous rice flour used in 3 Yuanxiao is about equivalent to 1 liang (half a bowl) of rice, so eating 3 Yuanxiao can reduce half a bowl of rice.

People with asthma should not eat five-nut fillings. Peanuts are one of the main ingredients in Yuanxiao with five-nut fillings, and some patients with allergic asthma may be allergic to peanuts, which can easily induce asthma. Therefore, special attention must be paid before purchasing and eating.

People with liver cirrhosis should be careful when eating it. Because most people with liver cirrhosis have varying degrees of varicose veins, Yuanxiao is not easy to digest, especially fried Yuanxiao, which is more likely to induce varicose blood vessels to rupture and cause massive gastrointestinal bleeding, leading to life-threatening conditions. Therefore, patients with liver cirrhosis should not eat Yuanxiao.

Playing with lanterns and guessing lantern riddles are fun

The Lantern Festival is also known as Shangyuan Festival, Spring Lantern Festival, and Yuanxiao Festival. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the first full moon night of the year. In addition to eating Yuanxiao, there are also customs such as hanging lanterns, lighting lanterns, and watching lanterns.

Guessing lantern riddles is a kind of word game derived from the Lantern Festival, also known as lantern tiger. The riddles are posted on lanterns for people to guess, forming a unique folk culture. This year, People's Daily Online has specially prepared health science lantern riddles for everyone, which will bring joy to everyone and also send health blessings.