When it comes to longevity, there are almost annual "rankings" of longevity foods. If you were to score the most common and cheapest anti-aging foods, vegetables, fruits, grains, black tea, and more would surely be on the list. However, looking at it from another angle, "how you eat" can sometimes be more important than "what you eat." Recently, the American MSN website published an article pointing out that by steadfastly adhering to the following 5 dietary habits, you can find the key to longevity.
Take multivitamins after a meal
Yu Kang, Deputy Director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated that a refined diet in daily life can lead to a significant loss of B vitamins; soaking vegetables for too long can wash away a large amount of water-soluble vitamins; and prolonged storage or cooking methods like frying and baking can reduce vitamin content. At this point, supplementing with multivitamins acts as an "insurance policy," and it's best to take them after a meal. Water-soluble vitamins like folic acid, vitamins B and C, if taken on an empty stomach before a meal, quickly pass through the stomach into the small intestine to be absorbed and are then excreted through the urine before the body can fully utilize them. Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K must be dissolved in fatty foods to be absorbed; if taken on an empty stomach, most of them cannot be absorbed.
Eat raw onions to prevent heart disease
Many people carefully pick out onions when eating, which is a big mistake. Dr. Victor Dzau, a professor of cardiology at Harvard Medical School, pointed out that onions contain a large amount of heart-protecting flavonoids. Eating half a raw onion daily, or drinking an equivalent amount of onion juice, can increase "good cholesterol" in heart patients by about 30%. Especially when eating less healthy foods like grilled meat, the onion inside acts like your "lifeline." Sun Mengli, Director of the Second Department of Nutrition at Peking University First Hospital, noted that onions are indeed beneficial for patients with high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and cardiovascular diseases, and that eating them raw or in a cold salad yields the best results.
Use the dressing from a cold dish for dipping
Many people like to order a large mixed salad or fruit salad when dining out, thinking this helps them supplement vitamins. In fact, the dressings in these dishes can add a significant amount of calories to what would otherwise be a healthy meal. It's best to put the prepared dressing in a small bowl and dip the cut vegetables into it. This way, you'll only need one-sixth of the original amount of dressing.
Wash meat with cold water, wash vegetables with hot water
Many people like to soak meat in warm water before washing it. However, washing meat with warm or hot water not only makes it more prone to spoilage and spoilage but also affects the texture of the cooked meat. Most importantly, it accelerates the loss of protein, amino acids, and B vitamins in the meat. Conversely, it's better to wash fruits and vegetables with warm water. He Hongju, a researcher at the National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, pointed out that warm water is more effective than cold water at removing pesticide residues from the surface of fruits and vegetables.
Dark-colored fruits fight aging
When you can't decide which fruit to buy, choose the dark-colored one. Compared to light-colored fruits, dark-colored fruits contain more antioxidants, vitamins, selenium, iron, calcium, zinc, and other substances, and have anti-cancer, anti-aging, and other health benefits.