Vinegar is one of the most common condiments in our kitchen, but it's not needed for every dish. What are the benefits and effects of vinegar, and which dishes can it make more delicious and nutritious? Today, let's take a look together. Meanwhile, also pay attention to the taboos of consuming vinegar.
5 dishes with vinegar are more nutritious
Vinegar Shredded Potatoes
Crisp and fresh vegetables. When stir-frying shredded potatoes, bean sprouts, or lotus root slices, adding a little vinegar can make the dish crisp and refreshing. This is because vinegar can protect the cell walls of vegetable plant cells, keeping them firm. However, do not add vinegar when stir-frying green vegetables like rape or bok choy.
Purple-red vegetables. When making salads with watermelon radish or stir-frying purple cabbage, adding a little vinegar can make the dish's color brighter and more vibrant. This is because these purple-red dishes are rich in anthocyanins, which turn a beautiful red under acidic conditions.
Meat dishes with high calcium content, such as pork ribs. Animal bones are rich in calcium, which mainly exists in the form of calcium carbonate and is not easily dissolved during stewing. Adding vinegar when stewing small fish or pork bone soup can promote the dissolution of calcium from the bones, making it easier for the human body to absorb.
Trotters or skin with high collagen content. Animal trotters, skin, and claws are rich in collagen, which are beauty-enhancing dishes favored by women. However, collagen requires a long time of stewing to be released. Adding vinegar during cooking can help break down the collagen.
When eating seafood and river crabs, dip them in vinegar. Aquatic products are easily infected by parasites and microorganisms. Vinegar has excellent bactericidal properties. Dipping aquatic products in vinegar not only removes the fishy smell and enhances the flavor but also has a sterilizing and disinfecting effect.
Next, let's take a look at the taboos of consuming vinegar.
Taboos of consuming vinegar
People taking certain Western medicines should not consume vinegar. Because acetic acid can change the pH of the human body's internal environment, rendering certain drugs ineffective. Sulfonamides can easily form crystals in the kidneys in an acidic environment, damaging the renal tubules. Therefore, it is not advisable to consume vinegar when taking such drugs. When taking alkaline drugs such as sodium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, or gastric soothing agents, vinegar should not be consumed as acetic acid can neutralize these alkaline drugs and render them ineffective. When taking antibiotic drugs such as gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, or erythromycin, vinegar should not be consumed because the effectiveness of these antibiotics is reduced in an acidic environment, affecting their efficacy.
It is not advisable to consume vinegar when taking traditional Chinese medicines for "expelling wind and inducing sweat". Because vinegar has an astringent nature, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, sourness is astringent. When combined with traditional Chinese medicines for expelling wind and inducing sweat, such as compound Yinqiao tablets, vinegar can promote the contraction of sweat pores and destroy active ingredients in the Chinese medicine, such as alkaloids, thereby interfering with the sweat-inducing and exterior-releasing effects of the medicine.
Patients with gastric ulcers and excessive stomach acid should not consume vinegar. Because vinegar can corrode the gastrointestinal mucosa, worsening the development of ulcers. Moreover, vinegar itself is rich in organic acids, which can cause digestive organs to secrete a large amount of digestive fluid, thereby increasing the digestive effect of stomach acid and leading to increased stomach acid and aggravated ulcers.
Those allergic to vinegar and people with low blood pressure should avoid it. Because consuming vinegar can cause allergic reactions in the body, leading to symptoms such as rashes, itching, edema, and asthma. Additionally, those who are not accustomed to vinegar should consume it with caution. Patients with low blood pressure may experience a drop in blood pressure after consuming vinegar, leading to adverse reactions such as headaches, dizziness, and general weakness.
Elderly people should avoid vinegar during the treatment and rehabilitation of fractures. Because vinegar can soften bones and decalcify, disrupting the dynamic balance of calcium in the body, it can trigger and aggravate osteoporosis, making the injured limb feel weak and sore, and delaying the healing of the fracture.
No matter how strong your digestive system is, it is not advisable to drink vinegar on an empty stomach to avoid stimulating excessive stomach acid and damaging the stomach wall. Drinking vinegar between meals or one hour after a meal is less irritating to the stomach and intestines and can help with digestion.
Correctly consuming vinegar is beneficial to your health.
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