The "Olympic Health Handbook," written by experts organized by the National Health Education Institute of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was officially released in Beijing recently. The first batch of 250,000 Chinese-language copies and 60,000 English-language copies of the handbook were distributed free of charge to Beijing residents and Chinese and foreign tourists. The book is divided into five parts: Healthy Living, Disease Prevention, First Aid, Etiquette, and Important Information.
When you're craving meat, a bowl of braised pork belly is the most satisfying, rich and fragrant without being greasy. However, the "Olympic Health Handbook" reminds everyone that braising or stewing pork causes the most loss of Vitamin B1, reaching 60%-65%; steaming comes next, while stir-frying results in the least loss, at only 3%, with almost all of the Vitamin B2 retained. It seems that while braised pork belly is delicious, it lacks nutrition.
He Li, an associate researcher at the Institute of Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explained that lean meat is rich in B vitamins, but they are all water-soluble. Braised pork requires long stewing, so Vitamin B1 naturally leaches out of the meat and remains in the broth.
The reason the "Olympic Health Handbook" raises the nutritional issue of braised pork is that people's understanding of Vitamin B1 is insufficient. In people's minds, Vitamin B1 is far less famous than Vitamin C, but without it, you might become very anxious or have memory loss. Severe deficiency can lead to emotional instability and irritability, and even arguments with others. You might also frequently catch colds, suffer from gastritis, have stiff shoulders, or feel muscle fatigue. Even mosquitoes might bully you (a metabolite of Vitamin B1 is secreted onto the skin through sweat, which has a mosquito-repelling effect).
In the 18th and 19th centuries, beriberi, which was widespread in China, Japan, and especially in Southeast Asia, was caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is also involved in the metabolism of sugars, which are the energy source for muscles and nerves, so diabetics must supplement more Vitamin B1...
But due to changes in modern eating habits and cooking methods, too much Vitamin B1 is being lost from our diets: eating refined flour instead of coarse grains, a preference for fried foods, and not eating mixed grains. Pork liver and other organ meats are also rich in Vitamin B1, but many people prefer to eat them in a braised form, which results in a 55% loss of Vitamin B1 and a 37% loss of Vitamin B2.
It should be noted that excess Vitamin B1 is not stored in the body; it is completely excreted. This means it needs to be obtained regularly from the diet. People should eat more unrefined whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats, and beans.
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