Sugarcane is in season now, and many people will buy it. Sugarcane has an excellent flavor and is highly nutritious. So, what are the benefits of eating sugarcane? How do you select it?
I. The Effects and Benefits of Sugarcane
1. Clearing Heat and Detoxifying
Because sugarcane is rich in vitamins, it can help the body detoxify and has the effect of clearing heat and removing toxins.
2. Cleaning Teeth and Preventing Bad Breath
Sugarcane has a lot of fiber. When chewed repeatedly, it acts like a toothbrush, sweeping away residue from the mouth and between teeth, thus improving the teeth's self-cleaning and anti-cavity ability. Therefore, sugarcane is also a cleaner for the mouth, with the benefits of cleaning teeth and eliminating bad breath.
3. Moistening the Bowels and Relieving Constipation
Because sugarcane is rich in fiber, it can stimulate the intestinal wall when it enters the intestine. Increased stimulation of the intestinal wall will cause the urge to defecate, relieving constipation. Moreover, these fibers also help in detoxifying the intestines.
4. Sobering Up
Drinking is indispensable in many social gatherings nowadays. Many people feel a headache after drinking, and they feel thirsty when drunk. Eating some sugarcane can effectively sober you up and also solve the problem of thirst well.
5. Promoting Metabolism
Sugarcane contains Vitamin B1, which can promote metabolism and eliminate fatigue.
6. Supplementing Calcium
Sugarcane contains calcium, which is the source of life for the human body and can promote bone growth and development. It is especially suitable for children and the elderly.
7. Eliminating Fatigue
Sugarcane has a high water content and contains various organic acids, which can cool down, relieve summer heat, and eliminate fatigue.
8. Benefiting the Spleen and Stomach
Drinking heated sugarcane juice can benefit the spleen and stomach. Sugarcane juice helps the spleen, and the ancients called it "the fruit of the spleen." Folk remedies often mix 50 grams of sugarcane juice and 50 grams of wine to be taken twice a day, morning and evening, which has a good therapeutic effect on chronic gastritis, nausea, and vomiting. Adding a small amount of ginger juice works even better.
II. Tips for Selecting Sugarcane
1. Generally, the sugarcane should be of uniform thickness. Avoid those that are too thin, and it is generally not recommended to choose those that are too thick. It is best to choose sugarcane of medium thickness.
2. When selecting purple-skinned sugarcane, the skin should be shiny and covered with a white frost. The darker the color, the better. A darker color indicates that the sugarcane is older, and the older it is, the sweeter it is. Therefore, old sugarcane with a dark skin is the sweetest.
3. Check if the sugarcane is straight. A curved sugarcane may have wormholes. Choose a relatively straight one.
4. Choose sugarcane with few and evenly spaced nodes, as it is more pleasant to eat.
5. Moldy sugarcane contains toxins, and eating it is risky and can lead to poisoning. The toxicity of moldy sugarcane is very high; it contains a neurotoxin called 3-nitropropanoic acid. Symptoms of poisoning mainly involve damage to the central nervous system. Generally, 2-8 hours after eating moldy sugarcane, symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, headaches, vision impairment, and subsequently, limb stiffness appear, which are clear signs of sugarcane poisoning. In severe cases, it can lead to coma and death.