Is Turnip Cake Healthy? (3 Tips for Weight Loss)

Turnip cake is a popular traditional Chinese dish that is often found in mandarin or Cantonese speaking regions.

Savory, soft, and full of flavor, these delectable cakes are often served during Chinese New Years, Dim Sum or Yum Cha restaurants, or as a breakfast street food that is commonly found in Taiwan. 

As opposed to its established name, Turnip cake is actually not made out of turnip but Daikon, which is a Chinese radish that is white and plump in appearance and is a commonly used root vegetable in Asian cuisine.

Now begs the question, is turnip cake healthy? 

Turnip Cake is a dish that is dense with carbs and fats while lacking in protein as it uses a lot of flour and is fried in vegetable or canola oil. It is dense with calories which makes it hard to fit into a healthy and sustainable diet ,so moderation is required in order to stay within a healthy range of calories.

Just because a certain type of dish is on the unhealthier end, does not mean it cannot be eaten in moderation.

Here are three tips to incorporate turnip cakes into a healthy diet while losing weight at the same time.

1. Look out for your total daily intake of calories and carbohydrates. 

2. Look for alternatives to lower the fat while increasing protein. 

3. Importance of eating in moderation 

By keeping these tips in mind when eating turnip cakes, it will be a breeze to stay on your weight loss journey. 

How To Lose Weight While Eating Turnip Cakes

Turnip cake is actually very simplistic when it comes to its ingredients, hence why it is pretty healthy.

Not only that but the ingredients all have decent nutrient profiles!

The base ingredients for a traditional turnip cake are: rice flour, oil, corn starch, salt, sugar, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, ham, and of course a lot of shredded radish. 

The two ingredients that make up the bulk of turnip cakes are rice flour and daikon radish. At first, you might be thinking rice flour?

Isn’t flour generally not good for you? But contrary to popular beliefs, rice flour is actually very healthy!

It is gluten free and it offers many health benefits such as being high in protein, fiber, and vitamins. 

Rice flour is able to offer more health benefits as opposed to wheat flours because rice flour is basically just finely grounded up rice and rice is a healthy carbohydrate source that can be frequently eaten on a healthy diet.

Not only is rice flour good for you but daikon radish is another very healthy food that is beneficial when consumed often.

Hence why it is widely used in Asian dishes.

Daikon radish is extremely rich in nutrients and minerals such as fiber, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron.

It is also rich in vitamins B and C. Along with being a nutritionally dense food, it is also very low in calories. 

100g of daikon radish will only cost you 15 calories! Therefore, the more shredded daikon there is in the turnip cake, the less calories it’s going to be which makes it very easy to incorporate into your diet. 

Not only is daikon great for weight loss in terms of calories but it also helps promote weight loss through its high fiber content.

Consuming a high fiber diet helps regulate your blood sugar levels which in turn help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

The fuller you feel, the less you eat, which means lower calories consumed overall. 

So as you can you see, turnip cake is actually very good for you but there are still a couple things you should look out for when eating turnip cake if you want to continue to make progress in your weight loss journey. 

Tip 1: Look Out For Your Total Daily Calorie & Carbohydrate Intake 

First off, don’t get me wrong, carbohydrates is not the enemy.

It is actually very important for our bodies to have carbohydrates in order to function properly without resorting to using our muscles for energy.

But at the same time, if you are trying to lose weight it is better to keep your carbohydrate intake contained. 

When we look at the macronutrient breakdown for a piece of turnip cake we get 4 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and 16 grams of carbs for a total of 130 calories.

Turnip cake in its entirety is mostly made up of carbohydrates.

If you’re looking to keep your carbohydrates low, try not to eat anymore than two pieces.

By just having two pieces you are looking to rack up at least 32 grams of carbohydrates, not including the sauces.

But if you do want to indulge in more than just one or two pieces of turnip cake then I suggest making sure that you keep your carb intake low throughout the day such as eating non starchy foods such as vegetables and fruits and avoiding carb heavy foods such as rice, potatoes, pastas, and bread. 

This way if your main craving is turnip cake, you can enjoy more of it without feeling guilty! 

This rule applies to calories too! One piece is already around 130 calories so you really do not want to have more than two to three servings unless turnip cakes are mostly what your daily intake is going to consist of. 

At the end of the day, as long as you are at a caloric deficit, you will continue to lose weight no matter where those calories came from. 

Tip 2: Look For Alternatives That Decrease The Fat & Increases Protein 

One of the best ways to make turnip cake extremely weight loss friendly is finding the healthiest alternative possible.

The only bad part about turnip cakes is when they are pan fried in oil. Pan frying turnip cakes in oil can increase its calorie content by 50%!

So your best bet is to leave the turnip cake as it is, steamed, if you are willing to give up the crispy exterior. 

Another way to help make turnip cake weight loss friendly is to increase the protein content.

You can do this by making your own turnip cake that is filled with more protein or by consuming a protein source along with it. 

This is an important tip because not only does the pairing of protein and fiber make you feel fuller for longer, eating a diet high in protein has been proven to be extremely beneficial for weight loss and lean muscle maintenance in the long run.

Protein is an essential building block and they help maintain and build your lean muscle mass. 

The more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism because lean muscles are denser than fat and require more calories to maintain.

Therefore, you will develop a faster metabolism and an overall better body composition due to the increased amount of lean muscle mass which is a huge plus.  

Tip 3: Understand The Importance Of Eating In Moderation

I am sure you understand that overeating anything is generally bad for you be it candy or oranges and you are right.

Developing a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight loss requires moderation, especially when it comes to foods that are not as diet friendly as some.

This is no different when it comes to turnip cakes. 

Although relatively healthy, it is better to only eat it one or twice a week if you are consuming turnip cakes from restaurants.

It is always hard to say what exactly they put into it and how much oil they use.

When it comes to weight loss it is better to be as accurate as possible so you don’t unintentionally consume over your deficit. 

Therefore, keep eating out at restaurants at a minimum and try to cook at home with whole foods as much as possible.

Not only is eating everything in moderation important but making sure you get a form of exercise every week is crucial for a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.

One of the best forms of exercise you can do that not only burns calories in the moment but also provides long term benefits is strength training. 

Strength training or resistance training helps your body build lean muscle mass.

Lean muscle mass is important to have because the more muscle mass you have on your body, the better your metabolism, the better your posture, and overall energy. 

Not only will you feel better but you will look better as opposed to just doing cardio.

Muscles give you more structure and it also gives you more strength while protecting important joints such as your knees and spine from taking more stress than it needs to.

It helps take stress off which is important for long term joint health. 

To practice strength training, don’t think that you have to go to the gym to achieve these results.

You can reap all the benefits of strength training right in your own home just by having a couple pieces of equipment.

If you’re looking for the best equipment for at-home strength training, click this link right here https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment 

There you have it! 

Three very simple tips to keep in mind when you are trying to lose weight but crave turnip cakes at the same time.

Good news is that turnip cakes are actually pretty healthy but at the end of the day you still need to make sure you are in a caloric deficit to continue your weight loss progress.

Also moderation is key and don’t forget about your proteins too! Now go out and enjoy a turnip cake. 

RECENT POSTS

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

RECENT POSTS