Recently, a friend asked, can shrimp and vinegar be eaten together? Regarding this question, a nutrition expert says that the question of whether shrimp and vinegar can be eaten together contains many layers of meaning.
First, in terms of safety, there is no problem with eating shrimp and vinegar together. Secondly, in terms of nutrition and health, the nutritional and health levels vary depending on the cooking method of the shrimp and the type of vinegar. There are 10.5 healthy cooking methods, ranked from highest to lowest health level as follows: steaming, boiling, stewing, braising, simmering, casseroling, marinating in wine sauce, quick-frying, blanching, parboiling, and 1/2 roasting.
What does 1/2 roasting mean? Simply put, some foods are unhealthy when roasted. For example, during the roasting process of foods like bread and meat, the Maillard reaction occurs. The Maillard reaction is a common chemical reaction that, while imparting a special flavor to food, also produces harmful intermediates such as aldehydes and heterocyclic amines. These components can pose safety risks to food, so foods like meat and bread are not recommended to be roasted. However, some foods are healthy when roasted, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and Chinese yams. It should be noted that these foods must be roasted with their skins on, which is what we call 1/2 roasting. From the ranking of healthy cooking methods, it is known that steaming shrimp is the healthiest.
Next, let's talk about vinegar. Different types of vinegar have different nutritional values. Vinegar is generally divided into two types: brewed vinegar and blended vinegar. Brewed vinegar is mainly made from grains, bran, beans, etc., through a fermentation process. Blended vinegar is a condiment made by mixing brewed vinegar with diluted edible acetic acid. Brewed vinegar has higher nutritional value, rich in various B vitamins, soluble sugars, amino acids, calcium, iron, zinc, etc., while blended vinegar has almost no nutritional value or its nutritional value is diminished. Therefore, brewed vinegar is the more nutritious choice.
Eating brewed vinegar with steamed shrimp is both healthy and nutritious. When cooking food, adding an appropriate amount of brewed vinegar helps dissolve mineral nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc in the food that exist in an insoluble state, forming acetates, thereby making them easier for the body to absorb and utilize.
Shrimp skin is rich in calcium. Normally, after eating steamed shrimp, we throw away the shrimp skin, which is a waste. Collect the shrimp skins, wash and dry them, then place them in a glass container and soak them in brewed vinegar. After the shrimp skins have dissolved, use the liquid to season other dishes to maximize the absorption and utilization of calcium from the shrimp skins.
In summary, eating shrimp and vinegar together is safe; choosing steamed shrimp and brewed vinegar is more nutritious and healthy; and brewed vinegar can promote the body's absorption of calcium from shrimp skin.