The fast-paced life of modern society leads people to dine out more often. However, consuming unhygienic food can easily lead to intestinal diseases. To prevent bacteria from making you sick, choosing one or two vegetables with antibacterial properties during each meal can provide excellent disease prevention and antibacterial effects while you enjoy your food.
(Excerpted from "Popular Health")
Guiding Expert / Fan Zhihong, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Ph.D. in Food Science
The Penicillin from the Soil—Garlic
Garlic is one of the top 10 healthy foods recommended by Time Magazine. Garlic can eliminate extremely harmful free radicals in the body, thereby protecting the structure and function of cell membranes. The allicin in garlic has a strong bactericidal effect and can inhibit and kill various cocci, bacilli, fungi, and viruses. Therefore, in recent years, many scholars believe that regular consumption of garlic can lead to a longer life.
Experts suggest that consuming 3-4 cloves of garlic daily is a scientific approach. However, due to its strong pungency, eating garlic on an empty stomach may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Since some active components in allicin are destroyed when garlic is heated, eating it raw is better than cooked.
The Medicine for Cardiovascular Patients—Onion
Onion is currently the only known plant that contains prostaglandins and also contains components that can activate fibrinolytic activity. These substances are potent vasodilators that can reduce peripheral vascular and coronary artery resistance, counteract the effects of blood pressure-raising substances like catecholamines in the body, and promote the excretion of sodium, thereby lowering blood pressure.
The allicin and various sulfur compounds in onions can kill many bacteria and fungi in a short time. Onion also has the effect of lowering blood lipids. Therefore, some American experts recommend that patients with high blood cholesterol eat half a raw onion (about 50 grams) daily to achieve a good lipid-lowering effect.
Onion also contains a natural anticancer substance—quercetin. People who eat onions regularly have a 25% lower incidence of stomach cancer than those who eat little or no onions.
The "Finest Green Vegetable"—Chives
Chives have antibacterial properties and can prevent dysentery. Regular consumption can reduce the toxicity of harmful substances in feces. The volatile essential oils, sulfur-containing compounds, and abundant fiber are very beneficial for lowering blood lipids and preventing coronary heart disease, anemia, and arteriosclerosis. Chives contain a lot of coarse fiber, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and effectively prevent habitual constipation and colon cancer. This fiber can also wrap some waste that accidentally enters the digestive tract and excrete it with stool, earning it the name "intestinal cleansing grass."
Early spring is the best time for chives in terms of quality, followed by late autumn, and summer is the worst. Therefore, chives are an excellent vegetable to eat in the spring. Additionally, readers are reminded that leftover cooked chives should not be eaten.
The Valuable Wild Vegetable—Dandelion
Also known as婆婆丁 (pópódīng), its main functions are to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling, and promote urination. It has broad-spectrum antibacterial effects and can also stimulate the body's immune function to achieve the effects of promoting bile secretion and protecting the liver. As a wild vegetable, it is richer in vitamins and minerals than ordinary vegetables and can improve indigestion and constipation. Furthermore, dandelion leaves can also improve eczema, soothe dermatitis, and alleviate joint discomfort with their blood-purifying effects, while its roots have anti-inflammatory properties.
It has a fresh and unique taste. It can be eaten raw, blanched and served as a cold dish, or sliced and cooked with rice or stir-fried. It is best harvested before or when the flowers first bloom in spring to prevent seasonal epidemic diseases.
The King of Vitamin U—Cabbage
Cabbage is quite nutritious, containing relatively rich vitamin C, cellulose, and various minerals. In addition, cabbage contains vitamin U, which is an anti-ulcer factor and has the effect of decomposing nitrosamines. Fresh cabbage also contains phytoncides, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and are somewhat effective for sore throats, stomachaches, and toothaches.
A Regular at the Dinner Table—Cucumber
The malic acid contained in cucumber can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat. The soluble fiber in cucumber helps promote the excretion of putrefactive substances in the human intestine and lowers cholesterol. In addition, cucumber's cosmetic effects are widely known; it can make the skin fair and delicate and delay the appearance of wrinkles. Applying cucumber juice or slices to the face are good methods for beauty and skin rejuvenation.
The King of All Vegetables—Chinese Cabbage
"All meats are delicious, but among all vegetables, only Chinese cabbage is fresh." Chinese cabbage contains comprehensive and rich nutrients. Scientists at the New York Hormone Research Institute found that the incidence of breast cancer in Chinese and Japanese women is much lower than in Western women because they often eat Chinese cabbage. Some trace elements in Chinese cabbage can help break down estrogen linked to breast cancer. In particular, Chinese cabbage contains comprehensive vitamins and a large amount of water. When eaten with meat, it not only enhances the deliciousness of the meat but also reduces the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines.
The First Choice for Green Food—Mushrooms
Fungi such as black fungus, white fungus, and mushrooms are rich in iron and selenium. Regular consumption can lower blood pressure, reduce low-density lipoprotein, and promote an increase in high-density lipoprotein. They can also improve the body's immune function, eliminate toxins in the body, increase the content of immunoglobulins, stimulate bone marrow hematopoietic function, and have laxative, blood-cleansing, and detoxifying effects.
When consuming antibacterial vegetables, it is best to eat them raw or stir-fry them over high heat for a short time. Scallions and garlic can be used as seasonings, added to cold dishes or just before turning off the heat when stir-frying, to better exert their antibacterial effects. It should be noted that vegetables are not medicine, and they may also be contaminated with bacteria during planting, harvesting, and transportation, so they must be thoroughly washed before consumption. One should not be careless just because they have antibacterial and bactericidal properties.