Eight Tips for a Guilt-Free Mooncake Festival by Derrick Ong, APD

1.   Enjoy your mooncake in small portions. A slice of about 1/12^th of a standard mooncake should be sufficient at any one time, and a maximum of 3 slices at one sitting.

2.   Enjoy your mooncakes slowly and mindfully. Appreciate the texture of the skin, the color and mouth feel of the filling. Try different varieties of skin and filling to excite the taste buds.

3.   Drink plenty of Chinese tea with your mooncakes. Not only will this cleanse the palate, but it will also tend to make one feel fuller and stave off the urge to reach for another piece.

4.   Choose mooncakes with nut or seed fillings rather than plain ones as these would contain more protein, fiber and vitamins and minerals.

5.   If sugar is an issue e.g. for diabetics, choose sugar free mooncakes. Beware not to overindulge in these as doing so may result in diarrhea due to the artificial sweeteners used. Also remember the sugar free doesn’t mean calorie free!

6.   Limit consumption of egg yolks in mooncakes if there is an issue with high cholesterol

7.   Mooncakes made with vegetable oil are not necessarily healthier than those made traditionally with pork lard unless they are certified to be trans-fat free

8.   Appreciate other aspects of the Mid-Autumn Festival – poetry reading, admiring lanterns, chatting with friends and family. Think of the happy memories associated with tasting mooncake and savour the moment.