In summer, when faced with fresh and crisp vegetables and fruits, many people choose to eat them raw because it helps with the absorption of nutrients and is refreshing and appetizing. Professor Zhou reminds us that when eating raw vegetables, it's best to choose non-polluting green vegetables or organic ones. Vegetables grown in soilless conditions can also be eaten raw with confidence. Methods for eating raw include drinking fresh homemade vegetable juices or making cold salads with fresh vegetables, adding a little vinegar and less salt.
In addition, when eating vegetables raw, although you don't need to cook them, it's best to blanch them in boiling water to thoroughly remove dust and small insects. This is especially necessary for vegetables high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, bamboo shoots, and water bamboo. Because oxalic acid combines with calcium in the intestines to form calcium oxalate, which is difficult to absorb and interferes with the body's absorption of calcium. Furthermore, before eating lettuce, water chestnuts, and others raw, it's best to peel, wash, and blanch them in boiling water. This is more hygienic and won't affect the taste or nutritional content. Some fruits and vegetables are better after being stored
Many people know that fruits and vegetables should be eaten fresh. For example, fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene, such as carrots, bananas, sea buckthorn, pumpkins, persimmons, citrus, parsley, fennel, and garlic leaves, do not store well for long periods. But did you know that this "rule" doesn't apply to all fruits and vegetables?
Some studies have found that the nutritional content of most vegetables is almost the same after a week of storage as when they were first picked. For instance, olives, melons, green peppers, and spinach have almost no change in their vitamin C content after a week. Cabbage that has been refrigerated can even contain more vitamin C than fresh cabbage. If fresh vegetables are stored for an appropriate period, any residual harmful substances can gradually break down and weaken, making them potentially more beneficial to eat. How to eat raw fruits and vegetables more hygienically?
Everyone eats fruits and vegetables, and in the summer, some people want to eat them raw every day. So, what's the scientific way to wash them?
Professor Zhou points out that some people like to cut vegetables into pieces before washing, thinking it's easier to get them clean. This is actually a misconception. Because when vegetables are chopped, their direct contact area with water increases, causing a large loss of water-soluble vitamins. Additionally, chopping vegetables increases the chance of bacterial contamination. Below are a few recommended reasonable cleaning and handling methods that friends who like to eat raw fruits and vegetables can try—
Method one: Salt water or rice washing water soaking method. Generally, add 5-10 grams of salt to 500 ml of water, prepare enough salt water according to the amount of fruits and vegetables, soak for 5-15 minutes, then rinse with clean water, repeating the washing about 3 times. Or, save the leftover water from each meal's rice washing to soak fruits and vegetables, which can also remove some surface residues to a certain extent.
Method two: Peeling method. For fruits and vegetables with skins, such as cucumbers, carrots, winter melon, pumpkin, eggplant, radishes, and tomatoes, you can "peel and eat the flesh," removing their "outer coat" that may contain harmful substances, making them more delicious and safe to eat.
Method three: Storage method. When possible, store fruits and vegetables that are suitable for storage, such as olives, melons, green peppers, spinach, and cabbage, for a few days after purchase. This allows any residual harmful substances to gradually break down and weaken. Washing or peeling them before eating is more beneficial to your health.