Mid-Autumn cakes often contain a lot of sugar, fat and energy. If eaten a lot or continuously for many days, the amount of sugar and energy absorbed into the body may increase, affecting blood sugar control, weight and metabolic diseases.
According to MSc. Dr. Pham Anh Ngan - University Medical Center Hospital HCMC, facility 3, people with underlying conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can still enjoy mooncakes, but need to pay attention to the amount of food and balance with the diet during the day.
Mid-Autumn cakes are usually sweet and fatty, while tea has a bitter and astringent taste, helping to balance the feeling of greasiness and create comfort when enjoying. However, drinking tea after eating cakes does not mean that it can reduce or neutralize the amount of sugar and fat that has been absorbed into the body.
Some people have a habit of drinking bitter tea, bitter melon juice or guava leaf juice after eating cakes with the desire to "drink bitterness to eliminate sweetness". According to doctors, this is not an alternative to controlling portion sizes.
Com compounds in tea such as tannins and polyphenols have many biological properties, but their effects are not enough to neutralize the amount of sugar in mooncakes or bring blood sugar back to normal levels after eating. Therefore, people with blood sugar disorders should not rely on tea or herbal drinks to compensate for the amount of cakes they have eaten.
For people with diabetes, it is necessary to pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates in the total diet and monitor blood sugar according to the doctor's instructions. Eating cakes needs to be calculated to suit other foods during meals and during the day.
People with high blood pressure should also limit cakes with fillings containing a lot of sugar, fat and components with high sodium content. In particular, mixed fillings and salted eggs can contain significant amounts of salt, so they need to be used in appropriate amounts.
Doctors recommend that people with underlying diseases should not eat mooncakes instead of main meals or eat continuously for many days. You can divide portion sizes, eat after meals instead of eating on an empty stomach, and balance the amount of starch and sugar in the remaining meals.
