One of the things that enliven the celebration of Eid al-Fitr is a tempting special snack like pastries. Nastar, castle, snow white, and cat’s tongue are so crunchy and delicious. You can eat it crazy, even though the calories of Eid cake are quite large.
If you don’t pay attention to your intake during Eid, the weight you lose after fasting can actually increase. Find out the calories of the types of pastries and healthy tips on consuming them.
How many calories are Lebaran cakes?
Pastry calories vary, depending on the type. Each type of cake uses different ingredients and compositions.
However, one thing is for sure most Lebaran cakes are high in fat, carbohydrates, and salt. Fat and salt come from margarine and butter, while carbohydrates come from flour and sugar.
If you eat too much, your daily calorie intake can be excessive.
The following is a list of calories for various types of Eid pastries.
1. Pineapple nectar calories: 75 kcal per fruit, 224 kcal per serving of 3 pieces.
2. castle calories: 21 kcal per fruit, 64 kcal per serving of 3 pieces
3. Snow white calories: 30 kcal per fruit, 60 kcal per serving of 2 fruits.
4. Cat tongue calories: 18 kcal per fruit, 91 kcal per serving of 5 pieces.
5. Butter cookies Calories: 32 kcal per fruit, 160 kcal per serving of 5 pieces.
6. Semprong calories: 38 kcal per fruit, 113 kcal per serving of 3 fruits.
7. Peanut cake calories: 24 kcal per piece, 76 kcal per serving of 3 pieces.
Nastar is an Eid cake with the highest total calories. Nastar also includes moderate-calorie foods because the total calories are around 100 – 399 kcal.
Pastries also include empty-calorie foods, meaning that these foods are high in calories, but low in the nutrients the body needs.
The dangers of consuming excessive Eid cakes
It’s really hard to resist the temptation not to snack on lots of pastries before or during Eid al-Fitr.
However, consuming foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, such as pastries, poses the following health risks.
1. Excess body weight
It is undeniable that excessive consumption of snacks can make you gain weight. The reason is your daily calorie intake increases.
If not balanced with exercise, overeating can cause a calorie surplus. The calories that come in from food are greater than the calories that go out for physical activity.
Too many Eid cake calories and not used for physical activity will be stored by the body in the form of fat.
As a result, fat in the body accumulates and causes weight gain.
2. Blood sugar rises
The high calories of Eid cake come from the flour and sugar used.
Wheat is a type of wheat flour that has been milled and its outer layer removed. This makes the fiber content wasted and only starch remains.
As carbohydrates, sugar and starch are indeed the main sources of energy. However, the body will break down sugar and starch into glucose into the blood vessels.
Consuming too many pastries can make blood sugar soar. This condition can endanger the owner of diabetes.
3. Cholesterol increases
Besides being high in calories, Eid cakes are rich in trans fats and saturated fats. This content comes from margarine and butter.
According to the American Heart Association, these two types of fat can be converted by the body into bad cholesterol.
Not only that, high sugar intake also increases bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol.
In fact, good cholesterol is needed to absorb bad cholesterol in the blood and bring it to the liver, then the liver will remove it from the body.
As a result, cholesterol rises. You can feel complaints such as tingling in your feet and hands easily, aching muscles and chest, and getting tired easily.
4. Broken teeth
Excessive consumption of pastries can also cause cavities. Sugar intake will trigger bacteria in the mouth to produce acid.
Well, this acid can reduce mineral levels in teeth. As a result, the teeth are porous and hollow.
In addition, the bacteria that collect will form a layer of dirt called plaque. Plaque will harden and become tartar.
Cavities can cause bacteria to gather and cause infection. Over time, the infection causes the gums to fester and makes the teeth have to be extracted.
5. Acne
Eating a diet high in starch and sugar can raise blood sugar levels and cause inflammation throughout the body.
In addition, high blood sugar can cause excess oil on the skin. Oil and inflammation is what can trigger acne.
A large study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2009) also observed that 2,258 United States patients who consumed foods low on the glycemic index could reduce acne in 87 participants.
Another 91 participants said they cut back on their acne medication after consuming a low-sugar diet.
The safe way to eat Lebaran cakes
Pastry calories are indeed high and rich in sugar and fat. However, there are several ways you can outsmart it so as not to increase the risk of health problems.
Here are some tips that you can follow.
1. Only eat one serving of cake in a day.
2. Reduce or avoid consuming sugary drinks as a companion.
3. Choose a cake with as little sugar sprinkled as possible.
4. Only eat Eid cakes after a heavy meal so that the desire to consume sweet foods decreases.
5. Make low-sugar cookies at home.
Eid cake calories are quite high when consumed five pieces per day. Eating too many pastries risks gaining weight, high cholesterol, and acne.
For that, only limit the daily consumption of pastries to three per day. It also maintains sugar and fat intake which must be limited.