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Mooncake Equations

Mid-Autumn festival is coming. At this time when the sky is clear and the weather is pleasant, nothing could be more enjoyable than viewing the silvery moon and tasting festival foods in the cool breeze with friends and relatives. Mooncake is one of the most popular festive foods for the Mid-Autumn festival. However, mooncake is high in sugar, fat and energy. Thus you are recommended to take good control of the portion size based on the following equations.

Equation One

Energy content:

1 lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake = 3.5 bowls of white rice

Advice from dietitian
  • Each lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake (about 190 grams) has as high as about 890 kcal of energy.
  • Daily energy need of an average adult is about 2,000 kcal.
  • The energy provided by a mooncake has exceeded what we need for each meal.
  • Therefore, do not over-eat mooncake!
  • Recommended portion:
  • No more than1/8 lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake each time (occasional food).

Equation Two

Fat content:

1 lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake = 11 teaspoons of oil

Advice from dietitian
  • The majority of mooncakes are very high in fat, each lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake (about 190 grams) has about 55 grams of fat (about 29% of fat).
  • The fillings (e.g. lotus seed paste and red bean paste) and the flour pastry are often mixed with lots of oils.
  • Animal fat or shortening is used in flaky pastries for better taste and texture. Those fat sources are high in saturated and trans fat.
  • Snowy mooncakes in general contain less fat than the traditional ones. However, each snowy mooncake still contains about 16% of fat.
  • Therefore, over-consumption of any types of mooncake is not desirable!

Equation Three

Sugar content:

1 lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake = 11 teaspoons of sugar

Advice from dietitian
  • Each lotus seed paste with double yolk mooncake has as much as about 55 grams of sugar.
  • Therefore, portion of mooncakes should be watched very carefully!
  • Reduced-sugar mooncakes contain less sugar than the original ones, but they may still be high in sugar. They should not be overeaten as well.
  • To avoid excessive intake of sugar, you are advised to eat mooncakes with water or tea instead of sugary drinks such as soft drinks and juices.

For more food safety information, please visit the webpage of the Centre of Food Safety at https://www.cfs.gov.hk.  

(Revised May 2024)