Visiting a congee shop isn't necessarily healthy.
Congee shops are all the rage these days, as their signature selling point is that congee is healthy. The names of the various congees are very appealing, and they come with all sorts of health claims, so it's no wonder consumers are tempted. The question is, how healthy is the congee from these shops? How is it different from congee made at home? Is it truly suitable for everyone to eat?
Extended warm storage leads to a loss of B vitamins.
Issue: Most congee in shops is made from a base of plain white congee.
A large batch of plain white congee is cooked and then kept warm in a pot, ready for customers at any time. The plain congee is then mixed with corresponding ingredients. Congee that has been kept warm for several hours will inevitably suffer a significant loss of vitamins. To speed up the cooking process, some shops even add alkali to the porridge, which promotes the breakdown of starch granules but leads to an even more severe loss of B vitamins.
Tip: Opt for mixed grain congee whenever possible, as mixed grains are rich in B vitamins. Even if some are lost during the warm-keeping process, a significant amount will remain due to their high initial concentration. Furthermore, B vitamins are also widely found in foods like beans, meat, dairy, and eggs. When drinking congee, you can pair it with some bean-based side dishes or a fried egg.
A bowl of savory congee contains 3 grams of salt.
Issue: Congee is roughly divided into two styles: northern and southern. Northern congee is made with mixed grains or beans and is unsalted, with the option to add sugar. Southern congee, on the other hand, is almost always savory, with various ingredients like fish, meat, and eggs added. Northern congee is healthier as it contains neither oil nor salt. Even if vitamins are lost, it still provides a good amount of dietary fiber and minerals, such as in red bean congee, mung bean congee, eight-treasure congee, Job's tears congee, and five-nut congee. Southern congee includes salt, and even monosodium glutamate. A 300-gram bowl of savory congee can contain about 3 grams of salt, which is not suitable for people with hypertension.
Tip: If you are not diabetic, you can choose regular grain congee or sweet congee. Or, after ordering, you can specifically ask the shop not to add salt or sugar. If you must have savory congee, be sure to pair it with plain staple foods and side dishes.
Ingredients are not fresh.
Issue: The most crucial part of making congee is good quality ingredients, especially mixed grains, which give the congee its natural aroma. However, when eating at a congee shop, you often feel that the ingredients lack freshness. This is because various mixed grains contain germ, which contains unsaturated fatty acids and lipoxygenase, posing a risk of fat oxidation. They are not very durable and can easily develop a stale, old smell.
Tip: Lotus seed congee, Job's tears congee, and nut congee are most prone to this problem, so be cautious when ordering these. If you detect a stale taste, be sure to give feedback to the shop immediately.
Iced congee can harm the stomach.
Issue: Iced congee, like other cold foods, can cause the blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract to constrict, affecting digestion and absorption.
Tip: Don't drink large bowls of sweet iced congee just to cool down quickly. It's better to drink warm congee. Congee shops have their problems, but compared to other fast food, they have advantages, mainly because the fat intake is relatively low, as congee is basically made without oil. At the same time, congee shops offer a variety of coarse grain congee options.
If you drink congee at home, there's no need to learn the complex restaurant-style recipes like "century egg and lean pork congee." Traditional options like millet congee are classic and the best for health. Making congee with the freshest ingredients, the simplest foods, and the least amount of oil and salt is the true way to be healthy by drinking congee.