Nowadays, more and more people are starting to eat raw vegetables, believing that raw vegetables are the most nutritious. But did you know? Some vegetables should not be eaten raw.
Which vegetables should not be eaten raw?
1. Vegetables rich in nitrates, such as spinach and mustard greens
Vegetables like spinach and mustard greens can easily accumulate nitrates. Nitrates themselves are low in toxicity to the human body, but under the action of microorganisms in the body, they are converted into nitrites. These nitrites then combine with nitrogen-containing compounds in the gastrointestinal tract (such as secondary amines, tertiary amines, amides, etc.) to form strong carcinogenic nitrosamines, posing a risk of inducing digestive system cancer.
Such vegetables should not only be eaten raw, but must be thoroughly cooked before consumption. Therefore, the method of just dipping them in hot broth before eating, like in a hot pot, is not advisable.
2. Vegetables high in oxalic acid
Vegetables high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, bamboo shoots, and water bamboo, should be blanched in boiling water first, even if they are to be served in a salad, to remove most of the oxalic acid. Oxalic acid combines with calcium in the intestines to form calcium oxalate, which is difficult to absorb, interfering with the body's absorption of calcium and leading to calcium deficiency.
Scallop and Spinach Tower
3. Wild vegetables
Wild vegetables like purslane need to be blanched to thoroughly remove dust and small insects to prevent allergies. Additionally, for vegetables like lettuce and water chestnuts, it is best to peel, wash, and blanch them in boiling water before eating raw. This is more sanitary and does not affect the taste or nutritional content.
4. Starchy vegetables
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, and Chinese yams must be cooked. Otherwise, their starch grains will not break down, and the human body cannot digest them. Those with weak gastrointestinal function may also experience severe indigestion. (I used to encounter people eating raw sweet potatoes and Chinese yams at hot pot restaurants with friends.)
5. Leafy green vegetables that grow close to the ground
Under conventional cultivation conditions, these vegetables are often irrigated with human and animal manure and pesticides, leading to contamination that cannot be washed off with water alone. Of course, if the vegetables are grown in a soilless cultivation system, they can be eaten raw without worry.
The spinach tower