The food in the company canteen is monotonous and bland, while restaurants are either too salty, too rich, or overwhelmingly greasy. As a result, bringing a homemade lunch has become a healthy and economical choice for many. However, it's worth reminding that when preparing your own "love bento," you should prioritize gourd vegetables.
Vegetables are an indispensable part of a meal. Because they provide abundant B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals like potassium and magnesium, as well as carotenoids, chlorophyll, dietary fiber, and various bioactive substances. Eating more vegetables helps the body eliminate toxins, control weight, improve complexion, and also promotes calcium supplementation and bone health. These benefits cannot be replaced by staple foods, meat, eggs, or seafood.
However, it should be noted that the bento will sit for several hours from when it's prepared until it's eaten. During this time, the vegetables not only lose their texture and nutritional value but may also undergo changes harmful to human health. This is because vegetables generally contain high levels of nitrates, especially those grown with large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. Under the action of nitrate reductase, nitrates are converted into nitrites, which then react with amino acids and primary amines in the food to form carcinogenic nitrosamines and nitrosamides, potentially increasing the risk of stomach cancer.
Among all vegetables, leafy greens have the highest nitrate content, while gourd vegetables are the safest. Therefore, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, and winter melon are all good choices. Gourd vegetables not only have fewer harmful substances, but their texture and color are easier to maintain, and they also lose fewer vitamins compared to leafy greens. Finally, adding a little vinegar during cooking can also inhibit the production of harmful substances and preserve more nutrients.
Braised Winter Melon