Spicy strips, how many people's childhood memories!! Just recently, in the BBC documentary "Chinese New Year," the host stated that "spicy strips are the most popular snack for young people under 25 in China" (which seems about right), and this topic immediately sparked heated debate. But are these foods really healthy and safe??
When it comes to spicy strips, I'm sure it brings back memories for many people. To this day, I can still remember the scene from years ago when I used the little bit of pocket money I had to buy a bag of spicy strips, as if eating one bag was like possessing all the deliciousness in the world. However, with repeated exposés of the production process of low-quality spicy strips, the scenes are truly shocking. Dirty workshops, gutter oil, inferior additives... it almost made me want to vomit up all the spicy strips I ate over a decade ago.
Experts remind us that small snacks like spicy strips contain various food additives. If consumed in large quantities over a long period, the cumulative effect can be harmful to the body. Excessive intake of artificial colors, sweeteners, etc., can affect the human nervous system. When primary and middle school students see a wide variety of cheap snacks, trying one and then another, long-term consumption can lead to excessive intake, which may affect brain development and lead to irritability and aggression.
A list of unhealthy snacks you should eat less or not at all
1. Snacks high in lead: Popcorn, century eggs, canned foods, puffed foods, food wrapped in newspaper, etc.
Eating food with excessive lead can easily lead to symptoms like memory loss, inability to concentrate, slow reactions, insomnia, irritability, headaches, and damage to the optic nerve. For children, long-term excessive consumption will affect their intellectual development.
2. Snacks containing hormones: Fried chicken from Western fast food, chicken and duck necks, Snow Clam, Bird's Nest, silkworm pupae, bovine colostrum, royal jelly, pollen preparations, etc.
Eating too much food containing hormones can easily lead to precocious puberty. Precocious puberty not only causes a child's body to grow too fast, with bones fusing prematurely, resulting in a final height shorter than average, but the early appearance of secondary sexual characteristics can also cause psychological problems in children.
3. High-energy snacks: Coke, candy, potato chips, fried foods, chocolate, puffed foods, fried chicken, various sweet beverages, etc.
High sugar and high fat increase the risk of obesity, hypertension, and various chronic diseases, while high salt can affect kidney function. Long-term intake of large amounts of sugar can weaken the brain's ability to learn and remember information.
Many friends don't check the ingredient list when buying snacks. In fact, as long as a product is produced legally according to standards, the ingredient list cannot be faked:
1. The substances listed first in the ingredient list are present in higher amounts. If the first ingredient is not a natural one, it's best not to buy it.
2. If the ingredient list contains substances like "hydrogenated oil," "vegetable oil," "vegetable fat powder," "refined vegetable oil," "vegetable butter," or "vegetable cream," it indicates the presence of trans fatty acids. If these substances are listed near the front of the ingredient list, it means the content is high.
3. According to national regulations, food additives in ingredient lists are generally marked as "Food Additives ()". The substances inside the parentheses are all food additives. It is recommended to choose snacks with fewer food additives.