Vinegar has multiple edible values
As a common food ingredient, besides seasoning, vinegar also has many edible values.
1. Enhance appetite
It's finally the moment for the editor to reveal my appetite. To be blunt, a large plate of stir-fried rice noodles, without vinegar and chili sauce, I can probably only eat 1/3 before feeling full and greasy. But with vinegar, it's a guaranteed "clean plate" policy.
Sometimes, even after finishing, I still feel unsatisfied, as if my stomach could still take more. This is because vinegar contains acetic acid and other nutrients such as organic acids and amino acids, which can promote gastric acid secretion. Therefore, eating food with vinegar greatly increases appetite.
2. Reduce salt intake
Among all condiments, besides salt itself being a major source of sodium, there are also soy sauce and salt. A healthy diet requires controlling sodium intake. If salt is reduced too much, for people who prefer a stronger taste, the food can become too bland, which in turn reduces appetite.
However, skillful use of condiments can improve the situation. Adding an appropriate amount of vinegar to dishes can actually reduce the amount of salt used. This does not bring extra energy and salt to the food; on the contrary, it makes the food more flavorful and avoids the phenomenon of "tasteless".
Limiting salt is actually beneficial for cardiovascular health, which means adding vinegar to dishes has a certain effect on preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and high blood pressure. However, not all dishes taste good with vinegar, so it's best to eat it occasionally.
3. Protect Vitamin C from being destroyed
Among various vegetables, green peppers, tomatoes, and cauliflower contain more Vitamin C. But Vitamin C is afraid of heat and can be easily destroyed at high temperatures. Vinegar can make the chemical structure of water-soluble vitamins in food more stable, making them less likely to be destroyed by cooking, and it can also reduce the production of nitrites. Therefore, adding an appropriate amount of vinegar when stir-frying vegetables can better protect Vitamin C from being destroyed.
4. Remove fishy odor, sterilize, and enhance freshness
Vinegar can sterilize food to a certain extent. Especially when eating seafood like shrimp and crab, dipping them in vinegar not only enhances the freshness but also has a certain sterilizing and disinfecting effect, which is the same when making cold dishes. In addition, it has the effect of removing fishy odor. When cooking fish, adding a small amount of vinegar can reduce the fishy smell. When stewing lamb, adding some vinegar can remove the lamby smell.
5. Add vinegar when stewing bone soup to promote calcium dissolution
I remember that every time my grandmother stewed bone soup, she would add a spoonful of white vinegar, saying that it could promote the dissolution of calcium from the bones. Adding vinegar when stewing bone soup helps to dissolve calcium, which is theoretically reasonable and feasible.
However, the actual execution is not easy. Because no one knows how much vinegar to add, nor how long it needs to be stewed for enough calcium to dissolve. But one thing is clear: vinegar will soften the bones, making them less tiring to gnaw on.
In addition, soaking feet in water with white vinegar has unexpected effects↓
2 major effects of soaking feet in water with vinegar
1. Improve athlete's foot and onychomycosis
Athlete's foot and onychomycosis are both caused by fungi. Fungi have difficulty surviving in an acidic environment, so soaking feet in warm water with some vinegar at night and persisting for a period of time can effectively improve athlete's foot and onychomycosis. However, this is more suitable for patients with mild athlete's foot, and the concentration needs to be controlled. Too high a concentration will irritate the skin and may worsen the condition.
2. Relieve fatigue and promote sleep
According to traditional Chinese medicine, vinegar has an astringent nature, can invigorate blood to resolve stasis, and promote the contraction of sweat pores. Therefore, soaking feet in vinegar can promote the body's blood circulation, regulate the nervous system, make the body feel more relaxed, warm the feet in the cold winter, and help with sleep. People with sleep disorders especially need this "good prescription".
However, you need to pay attention to 2 points when using white vinegar
1. Do not drink white vinegar directly
I remember loving fish as a child, but not being careful enough, so I often got fish bones stuck in my throat. To get the fish bone down, my family came up with many tricks, swallowing rice, chives, vinegar, you name it, we tried them all.
The reason for recommending swallowing vinegar was that it could soften the fish bone. However, it was useless. I drank a lot of vinegar, but the fish bone remained stubbornly in place, and it was only resolved by seeing a doctor.
In fact, white vinegar only passes through the throat for a moment, and it may not even have time to "greet" the fish bone before going down. Not only is it ineffective, but it may also damage the throat. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink white vinegar directly.
2. Three types of people should try to eat less white vinegar
· People with excessive gastric acid or stomach ulcers
The stomach is already riddled with holes, so don't let white vinegar irritate the poor stomach anymore.
· People allergic to vinegar
To be honest, I've never met anyone allergic to vinegar. But since they are allergic, they probably wouldn't be foolish enough to eat vinegar.
· People taking Western medicine
The production of many Western medicines requires pure soda ash as a raw material, which is alkaline after dissolving. If you immediately eat a large amount of sour vinegar, the acetic acid may react with certain ingredients in the medicine, reducing its effectiveness.