"Food is the first necessity of the people, and safety is the first priority of food" is a common proverb, but in life, people often overlook safety and health. When what to eat is no longer a problem, how to eat becomes an increasingly important topic. Good eating habits can affect your entire life.
1. Drink the "right" milk
With the numerous brands of milk products on the current market and the promotional points hyped by various businesses, you might feel a bit overwhelmed standing in front of the dairy section in a supermarket. As long as you avoid the "two highs and one low" when selecting milk—that is, high-temperature pasteurization, high calcium, and low fat—the problem is easily solved.
First, milk sterilization is not better at higher temperatures. Because the nutritional components of milk are destroyed at high temperatures, and its lactose can caramelize, ultra-high-temperature pasteurized milk is not of the highest quality.
Second, the calcium content and concentration of milk are not the higher the better. The calcium content of milk from different manufacturers does not vary significantly. However, some manufacturers artificially increase the calcium content of their products by adding chemical calcium to natural milk. This chemical calcium cannot be absorbed by the human body and, over time, can accumulate in the body, even potentially causing stones.
Third, the fat in milk is not the lower the better, meaning milk is not necessarily better if it's skim. Many people worry that drinking milk will make them fat, so they always choose skim milk. In fact, the fat contained in milk cannot be directly converted into body fat, and the natural fat content in milk is not high. Therefore, the idea that drinking milk leads to weight gain is a misconception. Furthermore, skim milk has significantly reduced nutritional value, which is also not good for human health.
Is thicker milk better? Not necessarily. Milk can be thickened by adding water and a thickening agent, but its nutritional value is reduced. This means that diluted milk can be artificially thickened at will, and milk that is thicker or sticks to the glass longer is not necessarily better. The quality of milk depends on whether its indicator contents meet the standards; generally, pure milk has a protein content of about 3 grams per milliliter and a fat content of about 3.3 grams.
It's not right to give children pure milk because the protein content in pure milk is three times that of breast milk. A child is too young to digest and absorb excessive nutrients, and drinking pure milk can cause diarrhea, food refusal, and other issues. Therefore, when giving milk to children, you should dilute it with some water and an appropriate amount of sugar to aid digestion. However, the amount of water and sugar added must be controlled and not excessive.
Is thin milk a quality issue? No. Sterilized milk may appear thinner, but its nutritional value is no lower than that of milk that looks thicker. The milk that has butter clinging to the inside of the package has a high fat content; after a certain period, the fat will rise to the surface, forming an oil layer. Such milk is not easily fully absorbed by the body, leading to unnecessary waste. Some milk manufacturers even take advantage of this misunderstanding by adding thickeners to milk to deceive consumers.
2. Boiling water for rice is nutritious
Sometimes, doing things the easy way doesn't guarantee good results, and this is true for cooking rice with cold water. When rice is soaked in cold water, it absorbs a large amount of water and expands, causing most of the nutrients in the aleurone layer to dissolve in the water. As the water temperature rises and evaporates, some of the vitamin B1 dissolved in the water will escape and be destroyed in the alkaline water. Additionally, in some urban areas, water purification processes involve adding purifying agents and bleaching powder. Although these are harmless to humans and kill bacteria in the water, they can also directly break down and destroy vitamin B1, leading to a loss of nutrients in the rice.
The best way to cook rice is to boil the water first and then add the rice. This way, the rice absorbs moisture while being heated. The protein coagulates upon heating, keeping the grains intact. Some of the gelatinized starch layer escapes and dissolves in the broth, giving the congee its sticky texture. Moreover, during the boiling process, some of the coagulated protein can protect vitamin B1, preventing it from dissolving excessively in water. When the water comes back to a boil after adding the rice, the heat is reduced to a simmer, decreasing steam. This method preserves 30% more vitamin B1 than cooking with cold water, and the resulting rice has a better texture.
To get fragrant rice, you don't necessarily have to use new rice. You can achieve rice that is excellent in color, aroma, and flavor by cooking it with tea water. Cooking with tea water also has benefits such as cutting grease, freshening the breath, aiding digestion, and preventing disease. Middle-aged and elderly people who often eat tea-water rice can soften their blood vessels, lower blood lipids, and prevent cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, tea polyphenols can block the synthesis of nitrosamines in the human body. Amines and nitrites are substances widely found in food, which can easily form carcinogenic nitrosamines at 37°C and appropriate acidity. Cooking with tea water can effectively prevent the formation of nitrosamines, thereby preventing and treating digestive tract tumors.
3. Remember to give kelp a bath
Most of the kelp we buy in the market is dried kelp. Due to seawater pollution, it has a high arsenic content, so extra care must be taken when consuming it. Arsenic and its compounds are generally toxic and can cause acute and chronic arsenic poisoning. Therefore, countries have strict regulations on arsenic content in their food hygiene standards. The arsenic content in dried kelp has far exceeded these standards.
Experiments have shown that after being soaked in water for 5 to 10 hours, the arsenic content in dried kelp can still be as high as 5 mg/kg. Only after soaking for 24 hours does the arsenic content reach the safe standard for consumption.
After long-term soaking, kelp loses some of its nutrients. Among these, vitamin B1 and niacin are partially lost, and trace elements with therapeutic effects and mannitol are lost to a greater extent, with some iodine also being lost. However, this does not significantly affect the nutritional value of kelp. Because kelp is rich in iodine, even after some loss, it can still provide an adequate supplement for the human body. Mannitol is a drug for treating cerebral edema and encephalitis B, but it has little effect on healthy people. Moreover, the mannitol content in kelp is far from the medicinal dosage, so there's no need to feel sorry for its loss.
4. How to eat instant foods
Misconception one: Instant noodles are nutritionally incomplete, lacking protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Instant noodles belong to the category of convenience foods, which also includes bread, rice, pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, fried potato chips, pastries, cookies, puffed snacks, as well as youtiao (fried dough sticks), steamed buns, and baozi (steamed buns). Among these 12 common staple and snack convenience foods, none can be considered a complete and well-balanced source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber that fully complies with the ideal food recommended in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents." The positioning of instant noodle products determines that their main consumers are busy groups in modern life, such as office workers, students, laborers, and field workers. The 12 convenience foods mentioned above cannot fully meet their needs for being time-saving, inexpensive, versatile in preparation, and delicious. Only fried instant noodles can fulfill all these requirements, which is why instant noodles have been so popular since their inception.
To compensate for the lack of protein and trace elements in instant noodles, you can supplement the needed nutrients according to your work environment, physical condition, financial situation, and preferences. For example, some consumers in Singapore add a few meatballs or fish balls to the soup when preparing instant noodles. This is both convenient and allows for nutritional supplementation as needed, making it a truly delicious and nutritionally complete staple convenience food.
Misconception two: High oil and salt content is not good for health.
Currently, fried instant noodles account for over 90% of total production. The oil content of the noodle blocks from famous Chinese brands of fried instant noodles is 18% to 20%, and the salt content is 1.6% to 2%, which is basically the same as international standards. Other convenience foods with high oil content include:
1. Fried french fries, potato chips, and corn chips, with an oil content of 35% to 50%.
2. Youtiao and youbing (fried cakes), with an oil content of 30% to 45% and a salt content of 2%.
3. Biscuits: Butter cookies have an oil content of 25% to 35%, shortbread cookies 15% to 25%, soda crackers (with added shortening) 15% to 25%, and wafer cookies 35%.
4. Bread: The oil content can be as high as 28%, with a salt content of 1.6% to 2%. Baking temperature is 190°C to 210°C, and baking time is 22 minutes.
5. Pizza: Oil content is 16% to 24%, salt content is less than 2%. Baking temperature is 300°C, and baking time is 15 minutes.
As can be seen from the above, the oil content of fried instant noodles is much lower than that of youtiao and fried potato chips, and is basically the same as some biscuits, assorted breads, and pizza.
5. Eat tofu in moderation
Tofu is a traditional Chinese dish with many contributions to disease prevention and health care, but delicious things should not be overindulged in; good things should be enjoyed in moderation.
Problem 1: Promotes kidney function decline. Under normal circumstances, the plant protein a person consumes is metabolized, and most of it eventually becomes nitrogenous waste, which is excreted by the kidneys. As people age, the kidneys' ability to excrete waste decreases. At this time, if one does not pay attention to their diet and consumes a large amount of tofu, the excessive intake of plant protein will inevitably increase the amount of nitrogenous waste in the body,加重 the burden on the kidneys, which is not good for health.
Problem 2: Promotes atherosclerosis. Soy products are extremely rich in methionine, which can be converted into cysteine under the action of enzymes. Cysteine can damage the endothelial cells of the arterial wall, causing cholesterol and triglycerides to deposit on the arterial wall, leading to atherosclerosis.
Problem 3: Leads to iodine deficiency. The soybeans used to make tofu contain saponins, which not only prevent atherosclerosis but also accelerate the excretion of iodine in the body. Long-term excessive consumption of tofu can easily lead to iodine deficiency, causing iodine deficiency disorders.
Problem 4: Promotes gout attacks. Tofu contains a relatively high amount of purines. Gout patients with abnormal purine metabolism and patients with elevated blood uric acid levels are prone to gout attacks if they eat too much of it. Gout patients should especially eat less.
6. Three types of people should eat less soy
Soy products have become an indispensable staple food in our lives, but they are not suitable for everyone. Soybeans contain a chemical substance called phytoestrogen, which can stimulate the growth of estrogen receptor cells. Among women who use soy supplements, about 4% develop endometrial hyperplasia, while none of the women who took a placebo developed it. Moreover, pregnant or breastfeeding women who consume soy products may endanger the reproductive development of male infants. Therefore, pregnant women should be especially cautious when consuming soy products during pregnancy.
The chemical components in soybeans can "mimic" the function of estradiol, leading to a reduction in sperm count. This result is very concerning because it may lead to a decrease in male reproductive function and is the main culprit for many male developmental abnormalities.
7. Tannic acid in tea water prevents stroke
The fluoride in tea is an essential substance in dentin. If a small amount of fluoride continuously infiltrates the tooth tissue, it can enhance the toughness and acid resistance of teeth, preventing cavities.
The method for cooking rice with tea water is simple. First, soak 1 to 3 grams of tea in 500 to 1000 grams of boiling water for 4 to 9 minutes. Take a small piece of clean gauze, filter the tea water to remove the dregs, and set it aside (overnight tea water should not be used). Put the rice into a pot, wash it, then pour the tea water into the rice cooker, making it about 3 centimeters higher than the rice surface. Cook until done and it's ready to eat.