13 ways to eat Yuanxiao, the most healthy way. The meaning of Yuanxiao

Yuanxiao means reunion. Some people like to eat it, while others eat it because of custom. So how to eat Yuanxiao in a healthy way?

1. Choose the filling carefully

The fillings include sesame seeds, peanuts, various nuts, and red bean paste. Nuts are high in nutritional value, and bean paste also contains a lot of protein and minerals. In comparison, chocolate filling has the lowest nutritional value . Therefore, people can choose Yuanxiao according to the fillings.

2. Don’t eat Yuanxiao for breakfast

Yuanxiao is a high-calorie, high-sugar food that contains oil, but lacks nutrients. Apart from calories and sugar, it does not have much other nutrition. Such food is not suitable for breakfast . In addition to the lack of nutrition, the gastrointestinal function is weakest when people get up early, and the outer skin of Yuanxiao is mostly glutinous rice, which is very sticky and difficult to digest. Therefore, eating Yuanxiao for breakfast can easily cause indigestion , acid reflux, heartburn, etc., which will affect the work and life of the day.

3. Don’t eat too much Yuanxiao

In addition to the fact that Yuanxiao is not suitable for breakfast, it is also best not to eat it as a main meal. It is okay to eat some Yuanxiao at nine or ten o'clock in the morning after breakfast, or as a snack in the afternoon, but eating one or two taels each time is enough. While eating Yuanxiao, you should not eat other high-sugar foods; you should also reduce the intake of other staple foods. Generally speaking, if you eat three Yuanxiao, you should reduce half a tael of staple food . If the midnight snack is close to bedtime, it is best not to eat Yuanxiao. Otherwise, as mentioned earlier, this type of food is difficult to digest and empties slowly, which will also increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. It is best to exercise for more than two hours before going to bed after eating Yuanxiao.

4. There are some rules for food pairing when eating Yuanxiao

When eating Yuanxiao, you should reduce the amount of stir-fried dishes and choose more cooking methods such as cold salad, stew, stir-fry and steaming, and try to control the total amount of fat in a day.

5. Reduce oil intake

The fillings of glutinous rice balls and Yuanxiao contain not only sugar, but also a considerable amount of solid fat. Eating three dumplings is equivalent to using one plate of cooking oil. Therefore, if you eat glutinous rice balls, you must eat less oil during the meal or on the same day. Otherwise, excess fat and calories are inevitable.

6. Do not eat spoiled Yuanxiao

If you find that the color of the Yuanxiao has changed, you cannot eat it . Since glutinous rice contains a lot of water, Yuanxiao will easily deteriorate if not eaten for a long time after being brought home. In addition, glutinous rice flour contains a large amount of yeast, including pink red yeast colonies. After it contaminates the glutinous rice flour, it will multiply in large numbers when it encounters appropriate humidity and temperature. The color of the Yuanxiao changes, the nutritional value is greatly reduced, and the original flavor and taste are lost. The Yuanxiao skin becomes hard and less sticky, and has a slightly sour taste, which can easily cause food poisoning and is no longer suitable for consumption. It is recommended to buy Yuanxiao as you eat it and not store it for too long.

7. Yuanxiao is not easy to fry.

Fried Yuanxiao is crispy and more suitable for children's appetite, so some mothers like to fry it for their children. However, experts point out that frying will make the fat content of Yuanxiao, which already contains a lot of fat, even higher, so it is not recommended to eat it in this way . Fried Yuanxiao is hard and can also damage the stomach and esophageal mucosa.

8. It’s best to eat it while it’s hot

Yuanxiao is made by rolling dry powder. It has a smaller filling and contains more powder. It is very solid after cooking but easy to become hard inside. Tangyuan is made of wet flour that has been kneaded after scalding glutinous rice. It usually has a larger filling and is soft and delicate when cooked. Glutinous rice flour is sticky and difficult to digest. From the perspective of starch digestion, Yuanxiao is more difficult to make than Tangyuan ; but for people who have difficulty digesting fat, Tangyuan is more troublesome. Therefore, if you eat glutinous rice balls, it is best to eat them hot. It is more difficult to digest when cold. People with indigestion and gastric ulcers can eat less. Glutinous rice balls are soft, so they should be eaten slowly to avoid burns and excessive fat that is difficult to digest. When eating Yuanxiao, you should chew it carefully to avoid stomach discomfort.

9. Eat Yuanxiao carefully to avoid burns

When eating Yuanxiao, you should be careful not to make it too hot or eat it in big mouthfuls, otherwise you may burn the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus. When eating Yuanxiao, you can divide it into small pieces and chew it carefully to facilitate digestion. Because hot Yuanxiao is soft, smooth and delicious, many people like to eat it hot, freshly-out-of-the-pot, which makes it more likely to cause burns. Because the filling of Yuanxiao is hotter than the outer skin, once you bite the Yuanxiao whole, the filling may burn the oral mucosa or even the esophagus. Some people swallow the Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings) quickly once they are scalded. This habit is more harmful.

10. Don’t forget to drink the soup when eating Yuanxiao

After boiling in water, many nutrients in the Yuanxiao, such as trace elements and nutrients, are dissolved in the soup. Therefore, don’t forget to drink the soup when eating Yuanxiao. Drinking soup can promote digestion and absorption, which is often referred to as "original soup dissolves original food."

11. Reduce the amount of staple food when pairing

Simply put, glutinous rice balls and Yuanxiao are foods mainly made of glutinous rice and sugar. In addition to the large amount of starch contained in the pure white glutinous rice flour, the fillings also contain a lot of sugar. So, from a classification point of view, it should be considered a staple food . The so-called staple food is food rich in carbohydrates, especially starch. This type of food is made from glutinous rice, and very fine glutinous rice flour, which has very little fiber. It is a refined staple food, not a coarse grain. If you eat glutinous rice balls and Yuanxiao, you must reduce the amount of staple food accordingly. Generally speaking, the glutinous rice flour used in 3 Yuanxiao is equivalent to the rice used in 1 liang of rice.

12. Eat frozen Yuanxiao after it warms up

Many people who pursue fresh tastes like to eat "Ice Yuanxiao". "Ice Yuanxiao" is warm on the outside and cool on the inside, soft on the outside and hard on the inside, and naturally tastes good. However, experts warn that overly cold food is always easy to irritate the stomach and intestines, and excessive intake will affect the normal functioning of the digestive system. Therefore, it is better to eat hot food as much as possible in late winter and early spring. If you don’t finish it in one go, put it in the refrigerator immediately and don’t store it for too long. When eating "Ice Yuanxiao", do not eat it immediately after taking it out of the refrigerator. You can put it in a relatively warm room for a few minutes. It will be healthier to eat it after it is slightly "warmed up".

13. Eat Yuanxiao in moderation, and patients with chronic diseases should eat less

There are more and more varieties and flavors of Yuanxiao . Although it is delicious, it must be eaten in moderation and try to eat less. Patients with chronic diseases, the elderly and children should not eat too much.