A healthy stomach means a better appearance; there's real truth to that. Only with a healthy stomach can we enjoy our food, ensuring our bodies get enough nutrients. To have a healthy stomach, you need to eat healthily and be selective with your diet. Are you familiar with these foods that look healthy but are actually harmful to your body? These foods should not be too "fresh."
Extremely white mushrooms and lotus roots.
Fresh mushrooms are easily bruised during transport, so they are usually not a uniform pure white, but rather milky white, with bruised areas turning light brown. Mushrooms that are too white and bright may have been soaked in fluorescent brighteners. When buying, it's best to choose those with a little dirt on them, a slightly scaly rather than smooth cap, and slightly browned roots. Lotus roots are similar; they can discolor and affect their "appearance," so some vendors use a dilute sulfurous acid solution to bleach them. Many customers only focus on whether the lotus root looks clean and smooth, thus being "deceived."
Black fungus on both sides.
The front of black fungus should be dark brown and the back grayish-white; earth fungus has a yellowish-brown front. If you find that the fungus is dark brown on both sides, it may have been soaked in Epsom salt. Real black fungus has a natural, light, fresh aroma, whereas the fake kind has a foul, ink-like smell. Furthermore, real black fungus is fragrant and delicious to chew, while fungus soaked in Epsom salt is bitter, astringent, and difficult to swallow.
Too green kelp.
Kelp, right after being harvested and dried, tends to have a yellowish-brown color. Kelp that is too green may have been soaked in a copper sulfate (or alkaline brilliant green) solution. Relatively speaking, dried kelp might be safer. When buying, try to pick a drier one with a white, crystalline powder on the surface, and avoid kelp that is too green.
Overly blanched pistachios and chicken feet.
Some snacks, like pistachios and chicken feet, can also fall victim to this "bleaching scandal," possibly being soaked in hydrogen peroxide or lye for whitening. It's advisable to check if the color is unusually white and smell for any pungent odors before buying. Long-term consumption of bleached foods can cause irritating damage to the digestive system from residual bleaching agents.
Overly red cooked meats.
A piece of fresh meat, when boiled and then cooked without excessive seasoning, will generally have a darker, grayish surface on the skin. Cooked meat products with a rosy, tender appearance may have had nitrites added. A small amount of nitrite is permitted as a preservative and color enhancer in pre-packaged foods like ham, but it is not allowed in cooked meat products. Cooked meats treated with nitrites are red from the inside out and have a taste similar to a ham sausage, so be extra careful when selecting them.
Do you always pick the freshest produce at the market, thinking that's the healthiest way? Don't buy these foods when they look overly fresh and vibrant: mushrooms, lotus roots, black fungus, kelp, chicken feet, pistachios, and brightly colored cooked meats. The reason these foods look so vibrant is that they have been specially treated, and eating them is harmful to your health.