A bowl of fragrant rice and a coarse cornbread muffin are placed before you, which would you choose? Between a piece of watermelon and a segment of pomelo, which would you pick for dessert? When you see onions and garlic on the dining table, would you ignore them? In life, we often love foods that are sweet, refined, and rich, and dislike foods that are bitter, coarse, and bland. Yet, it is precisely among these foods with less appealing textures that unexpected nutritional and health benefits can be found.
Coarse Foods
Some people prefer fine fragrant rice and white flour products and dislike brown rice and cornbread muffins because they feel "rough on the throat." In reality, what feels "rough on the throat" is precisely precious dietary fiber. It stimulates intestinal peristalsis, aids bowel movements, and alters the types and numbers of gut microbes, reducing the production of carcinogens. Dietary fiber is widely found in foods with a coarse texture, including whole grains like rice, wheat, and miscellaneous beans, such as brown rice, oats, and red beans. To prevent constipation and colon cancer, one should ensure an intake of 20-30 grams of dietary fiber daily. It is recommended to give up the traditional white rice congee for breakfast and switch to a multigrain porridge, and to replace refined white rice with whole wheat steamed buns.
Astringent Foods
The presence of tannins, phytic acid, and oxalic acid can make food astringent. This is because they combine with and precipitate salivary proteins in the mouth, causing saliva to lose its lubricating properties and the epithelial tissue on the tongue to contract, producing an astringent taste. However, these substances are highly antioxidant and beneficial for preventing diabetes and hyperlipidemia. For instance, olives, purple grape skins, apple skins, and walnut skins all have stronger antioxidant effects than their flesh. It is recommended to eat apples and grapes with their skins on, and not to remove the brown skin when eating walnuts.
Sour Foods
Compared to sweet oranges, watermelons, and bananas, fewer people enjoy sour fruits like sand pears and hawthorns. In fact, the sourness of these fruits mainly comes from natural organic acids like citric acid and malic acid. These natural acidic substances can promote the absorption of minerals such as iron. If you find the taste of sour foods unpleasant, you can make them into a fruit soup, add a small amount rock sugar, and chill it in the freezer; the texture will be greatly improved.
Bitter Foods
Natural bitter substances in food also have certain health benefits. For example, naringin in lemons and pomelos, polyphenols in tea, polyphenols in red wine, and polyphenols in chocolate are all components that help prevent cancer and heart disease. Quinine in bitter gourd can also enhance human immunity and help control blood sugar. Therefore, fruits must be eaten in variety; you cannot just eat sweet ones but should also appropriately consume some bitter and sour ones. Don't throw away the pomelo peels you've eaten; you can cut them into strips and make them into honey pomelo tea. For bitter gourd, blanch it in hot water, chill it, and then it can be eaten with honey.