THE Mooncake Festival is just round the corner, so expect to buy these sweet delicacies for friends and loved ones while preparing to receive some as gifts yourself.

And for those who are clueless when it comes to these yummy cakes, here are some tips on what to look out for:

Round or rectangular in shape, mooncakes traditionally come with pastry fillings made from sweet lotus paste, red bean paste, pumpkin seeds, mixed nuts, ham and salted duck egg yolk.

As times change, so have the variety of mooncakes. These days, there are ice cream, coconut, chocolate, durian, coffee and even cream cheese fillings. And for the health conscious, one can choose reduced sugar, green tea, nut, fruit, ginseng or bird's nest fillings.

If you are a person who is unable to resist this sweet specialty, then watch out for those extra calories that you are bound to load yourself with during this festival.
Needless to say, mooncakes are packed with sugar. In addition, the pastry is made from lard (animal fat) or vegetable fat, which the snow-skin or flaky types may contain shortening (processed fat) to help make the texture of the pastry soft and fluffy. Such fats tend to be high in trans fattys. A mooncake that weighs about 200g may contain as much as 700 to 1,000 kilocalories.



Before taking that first bite, get to know some health facts and what needs to be done to control your calorie intake:

- Egg yolk is high in cholesterol, with one yolk containing cholesterol as high as 230mg. Therefore, people with high cholesterol and heart problems should avoid mooncakes with egg yolk. Some mooncakes contain double egg yolks or even four egg yolks. If you have high blood cholesterol, keep a watch of what you select.

- Share your mooncake or limit the number of slices.

- Make an attempt to read the nutritional value facts on the packaging before you make a purchase.

- Go for the modified recipes. For example, mooncakes with reduced sugar are likely to have up to 20- 30 per cent calories lesser than the usual mooncakes.

- Snow-skin mooncakes, which are made with glutinous rice, may not necessarily be healthier than the baked ones.

- Watch out for the flaky type of mooncakes which contain shortening, a type of fat, as the main ingredient for the crispy and fluffy skin texture.

- Know the amount you should allow yourself. Go for smaller pieces. You can also eat your mooncakes with fruits, making you less likely to consume more than what the body needs. Serve mooncakes with Chinese tea instead of sweetened drinks.



Sophia Wong, a dietician with Subang Jaya Medical Centre, is also a member of the Malaysian Dietitians' Association. This article is courtesy of the association.