The fast-paced life has led people to eat out more often. However, consuming unhygienic food can easily cause intestinal diseases. To prevent germs from causing trouble, choosing one or two antibacterial vegetables with each meal can provide excellent disease prevention and antibacterial effects while you enjoy your food.
The Penicillin from the Soil – Garlic
Garlic is one of the top 10 healthy foods recommended by Time magazine. It 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 more scientific. However, due to garlic's strong irritant, consuming it on an empty stomach may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Since some active components in allicin are destroyed by heat, eating raw garlic is better than cooked garlic. A Good Medicine for Cardiovascular Patients – Onion
Onion is currently the only known plant that contains prostaglandins and also contains components that can activate the activity of fibrinolytic enzymes. These substances are potent vasodilators that can reduce peripheral resistance and resistance in the coronary arteries of the heart, counteract the effects of blood pressure-raising substances like catecholamines in the body, and promote the excretion of sodium salts, thereby lowering blood pressure.
The allicin and various sulfur-containing compounds in onions can kill many bacteria and fungi in a short time. Onion also has the effect of lowering blood lipids. Therefore, 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 anti-cancer 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 harm of harmful substances in feces to the body. The volatile essential oils, mixtures of sulfur-containing compounds, and rich fiber are very beneficial for lowering blood lipids and preventing coronary heart disease, anemia, and arteriosclerosis. Chives contain more crude fiber, which can promote gastrointestinal motility and effectively prevent habitual constipation and colon cancer. These fibers 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 season for chives, followed by late autumn, and summer is the worst. Therefore, chives are an excellent vegetable for spring. Additionally, readers are reminded that leftover cooked chives should not be eaten. A Valuable Wild Vegetable – Dandelion
Also known as婆婆丁 (pópódīng), its main functions are to clear heat, detoxify, reduce swelling, and promote urination. It has broad-spectrum antibacterial effects and can stimulate the body's immune function, achieving the effects of promoting bile flow and protecting the liver. As a wild vegetable, it has richer vitamins and minerals than ordinary vegetables and can improve indigestion and constipation. Additionally, dandelion leaves can improve eczema, soothe dermatitis, and alleviate joint discomfort with their blood-purifying effects, while its roots have anti-inflammatory properties.
It has a fresh, refreshing, and unique flavor. Specific ways to eat it include raw consumption, blanching and then making a cold salad, or slicing it finely and cooking it with rice or stir-frying in oil. It can be harvested and eaten 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, fiber, and various minerals. In addition, cabbage contains vitamin U, which is an anti-ulcer factor and has the effect of decomposing nitrosamines. Fresh cabbage contains phytoncides, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and are certain to have a certain effect on sore throat, stomach pain, and toothache. A Regular Guest at the Dining Table – Cucumber
The malic acid contained in cucumber can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat. The soluble fiber in cucumber promotes the excretion of putrefactive substances in the human intestine and lowers cholesterol to a certain extent. In addition, cucumber's beauty effect is widely praised; it can make the skin fair and delicate and delay the appearance of wrinkles. Applying cucumber juice or cucumber slices to the face are good ways to beautify and soften the skin. The King of All Vegetables – Cabbage
"All meats are delicious, but only cabbage is fresh." 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 cabbage. Some trace elements in cabbage can help decompose estrogen linked to breast cancer. Especially rich in comprehensive vitamins and a large amount of water, when eaten with meat, it can not only enhance the deliciousness of the meat but also reduce the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines. The First Choice for Green Food – Mushrooms
Fungi such as black fungus, tremella, and mushrooms are rich in iron and selenium. Regular consumption can lower blood pressure, lower 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 immunoglobulin, excite the bone marrow's hematopoietic function, and have laxative, blood-cleansing, and detoxifying effects.
When consuming antibacterial vegetables, the main methods should be raw consumption or quick stir-frying over high heat for a short time. Green onions, garlic, etc. can be used as seasonings and added to cold dishes. Or, adding them just before the stir-fry is done can better exert their antibacterial effects. It should be noted that vegetables are not medicine, and they may also be contaminated with some bacteria during cultivation, picking, and transportation, so they must be thoroughly washed before consumption. One should not be careless just because they have antibacterial and sterilizing effects.