Last Updated on December 31, 2022 by Lauren Beck
It is never a complete meal without a dessert. And in Japan, the first dessert that may come to your mind is mochi or Japanese rice cake. It was present in religious offerings and considered food for the gods to provide good fortune.
Mochi ice cream is also popular in countries like US and UK. But is mochi ice cream healthy? Let’s find out.
Is Mochi Ice Cream Good For Your Health?
Yes, mochi ice cream can be good for your health. It can provide beneficial nutrients to your body, like calcium, potassium, and protein. It is made of sticky and sweet rice flour, short-grain japonica, and glutinous rice, making it a good protein source.
Traditional mochi production is something that’s been passed down through the centuries. [1]
Since the Japanese Heian period, it has been traditionally soaked and steamed, with a pounding process, making it a sticky texture formed into shapes and individually wrapped into a small matchbox-sized portion.
However, over the years, they made and added a variety of fun flavors like green tea, peanut, red bean paste, and ice cream.
5 Health Benefits Of Mochi Ice Cream
1. Strengthens Bone
Glutinous rice flour, corn flour, and other short grain rice, the same as sticky rice, are used in making mochi. All of those contain protein, which greatly affects bone health, especially in gaining bone mass.
2. Lowers Blood-Pressure
Low-fat dairy products like mochi ice cream appear beneficial for lowering blood pressure. According to studies, dairy contains bioactive peptides, which greatly affect blood pressure regulation.
3. Energizes Body
Additives in mochi, like sugar-containing glucose, help to boost our energy. As short grain rice farmers discovered, it was ideal for increasing stamina. So, it’s not only helping us energize physically but also mentally.
4. Helps Build Muscle
Japanese desserts like mochi ice cream contain rice flour, which is a good source of protein and carbohydrates, and those are both important in building and maintaining muscle mass.
As you age, muscle mass drops, limiting one’s capacity to move or function. But you can prevent it by eating food that helps build muscle mass, like mochi.
5. Prevents Weight Gain
Mochi ice cream is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, which is good for a diet, especially those with seaweed flavor. With this, it can prevent you from weight gain.
However, eating excessively more than the average intake will not help you prevent weight gain. So, you might want to treat mochi ice cream as a special treat instead of a regular daily snack.
How Many Calories Does It Have?
The standard serving size of mochi contains 100 calories per 43g and has lower calories than other sweet desserts.
That is why this Japanese dessert mochi is a good choice for people with a strict diet and maintain their calorie intake daily.
What Makes It The Perfect Low-Calorie Snack
Mochi ice cream is a perfect low-calorie snack because it is low in cholesterol and saturated fat. If you are on a diet, you will find a snack you shouldn’t feel deprived of, and a mochi can be an option.
There are variations of mochi, which are also healthier options. These include savory meal mochi served with soy sauce and dried seaweed.
An example is Sakura mochi or pink mochi balls wrapped in a salted cherry leaf from Sakura or cherry blossoms. The other is a rhomboid-shaped variant of Dango covered in bamboo leaves called Hishi mochi or chimaki.
Why It’s Not Always A Healthy Option
Mochi is not always a healthy option among all other Japanese desserts. One reason is the amount of sugar used depending on the variety of flavors added, like green tea or fruits like mango and strawberry.
These fruits contain additional sugar alone, which makes mochi unhealthy if consumed in large amounts.
Is Mochi Ice Cream Dangerous To Eat?
Yes, mochi can be dangerous if you will not follow proper strict eating procedures. Its traditional form has been said to be a silent killer. In Japan, almost 128 people were hospitalized after eating mochi due to glutinous makeup.
And according to research, the elderly and young children are at the biggest risk since they may not be able to chew properly. Hence, they should avoid consuming mochi altogether.
The danger doesn’t lie in the ingredients but in the texture of the mochi ice cream.
How Do You Eat Mochi Ice Cream?
Most mochi eaters follow a strict eating technique, including chewing and careful swallowing. This process produces enough water to soften the mochi parts, which will help you avoid choking.
If you want to know what mochi ice cream tastes like, you can imagine it as a combination of a chewy marshmallow and sticky gummy bear with a starchy aftertaste.
Japanese officials recommend cutting mochi into small pieces and chewing each bite thoroughly. [2] And if someone is choking on mochi, it’s said that you should turn the victim face down and pat hard on the back to try and remove the rice cakes from the throat.
FAQs
Does mochi ice cream make you fat?
Yes, mochi ice cream can make you fat if you take a large amount of it. Because if we eat and consume more calories than we expend or burn, the excess will be stored in our body, causing us to get fatter or heavier.
Is mochi ice cream healthier than regular ice cream?
Yes, mochi ice cream is healthier than regular ice cream. Japanese rice cakes or Japanese mochi provide your body with many significant nutrients, including bone-strengthening calcium, blood-pressure-lowering potassium, and energizing B vitamins.
What happens if you eat too much mochi ice cream?
Eating too much of mochi ice cream might choke you, especially if you don’t chew it carefully. Since the dough is very sticky, it can be hard to chew if it’s too much.
Key Takeaways
Yes, mochi can be healthy. It has surprising health benefits that you can enjoy as a healthy snack and may be eaten as a morning munch, afternoon bite, or even midnight dessert.
When eating mochi ice cream, you can consider factors such as the amount of mochi and what ingredients were added.
Mochi prices vary on the fun flavors and add-ons. On average, a by 6’s box of mochi costs more than $4, but some pretty expensive brands cost around $2 just for a pop. It can be purchased online or in your nearest Japanese mochi store.
In general, a Japanese rice dessert like mochi is known to be healthy, convenient to carry and is incredibly filling. Note that the healthiest mochi would always have the least sugar.
References:
- https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/mochi-the-deadly-japanese-snack/
- https://www.delish.com/food-news/news/a57437/mochi-choking-hazard/
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