Tangyuan Is Delicious, But Don’t Overeat
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people eat tangyuan. Reporters observed that besides traditional fillings, new varieties like jelly and bacon fillings are enriching the market. However, tangyuan isn’t suitable for everyone. Nutrition expert Mr. Wang Yun warns that the elderly, infants, and those recovering from illness should eat sparingly—or even avoid them altogether.
According to Mr. Wang, tangyuan is nutritionally rich. Main ingredient glutinous rice flour contains fat, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, riboflavin, and niacin. Traditional fillings are mainly dried fruits and nuts—such as sesame, walnuts, peanuts—plus vegetable oil—making their nutritional value even higher. Thus, TCM traditionally regards tangyuan as beneficial for strengthening weakness, regulating blood, invigorating the spleen, and stimulating appetite. Modern nutritionists also highly praise tangyuan’s health benefits.
However, eating too much tangyuan can cause illness. Mr. Wang explains that although glutinous rice can open the appetite and treat weakness, when made into pastries like tangyuan, its texture becomes fine and difficult to digest. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* notes that glutinous rice is sticky and hard to digest. *Bencao Fengyuan* also states that glutinous rice, when made into sticky pastries, is hard to metabolize—patients should avoid it. Therefore, TCM recommends that the elderly, children, and those recently recovered from illness eat tangyuan sparingly.