10 Common Mistakes When Eating Vegetables—Avoid Them ASAP

Vegetables are an indispensable part of our daily diet, but did you know? There are also traps when eating vegetables. Quickly avoid the top 10 traps when eating vegetables.

1. Stewing leafy green vegetables for a long time

How to avoid: Leafy green vegetables should not be stewed for too long during cooking. Otherwise, the nitrates in the vegetables will be converted into nitrites, which can easily cause food poisoning in babies.

2. Eating tomatoes often before meals

How to avoid: Tomatoes should be eaten after a meal. This way, the acidity can be greatly reduced when stomach acid mixes with food, avoiding an increase in intra-gastric pressure that can cause gastric distension, leading to symptoms like abdominal pain and stomach discomfort in babies.

3. Giving babies bitter gourd that has not been blanched in boiling water

How to avoid: Oxalic acid in bitter gourd can hinder the absorption of calcium from food. Therefore, it should be blanched in boiling water before cooking to remove the oxalic acid. Babies who need to supplement a large amount of calcium should not eat too much bitter gourd.

Chilled Bitter Gourd

4. Washing mushrooms too thoroughly or soaking them in water

How to avoid: Mushrooms contain ergosterol, which turns into vitamin D after exposure to sunlight. However, if they are not over-washed or soaked before eating, many nutrients will not be lost. Mushrooms should also not be cooked in iron or copper pots to avoid nutrient loss.

5. Mixing carrots and radishes to make a puree

How to avoid: Do not grind carrots and radishes together into a puree. This is because carrots contain an enzyme that destroys vitamin C, which will completely break down the vitamin C in the radishes.

6. Cooking frozen vegetables for too long

How to avoid: Most frozen vegetables have already been blanched, so they do not need to be cooked for too long, otherwise they will become mushy and lose many nutrients.

7. Excessive intake of carotene

How to avoid: Although carotene is very nutritious for babies, it should be consumed in moderation. If babies drink too much vegetable juice made from carrots or tomatoes, it can lead to carotenemia, causing the skin on the face and hands to turn orange-yellow. This can be accompanied by loss of appetite, unstable mental state, irritability, and even poor sleep, along with symptoms like night terrors, crying, and talking in one's sleep.

Shaanxi: Carrot and Golden Needle Mushroom Salad

8. Storing cooked chives for too long

How to avoid: Chives are best cooked and eaten immediately and should not be stored for long. If stored for too long, a large amount of nitrate will be converted into nitrite, causing a toxic reaction. Additionally, babies with indigestion should not eat chives.

9. Eating undercooked bean sprouts

How to avoid: Bean sprouts are tender, delicious, and nutritious, but they must be thoroughly cooked. Otherwise, eating them can lead to adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness.

10. Giving babies too much spinach

How to avoid: Spinach contains a large amount of oxalic acid and should not be given to babies in excess. Oxalic acid combines with calcium and zinc in the body to form calcium oxalate and zinc oxalate, which are not easily absorbed and excreted. This affects the absorption of calcium and zinc in the intestines, easily causing calcium and zinc deficiency in babies, leading to poor development of bones and teeth, and can also affect intellectual development.

Spinach with Aged Vinegar

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