If you take some appropriate methods after being unable to resist the temptation of certain harmful foods, you can also reduce their harm to you.
Harmful Food 1: Youtiao (Fried Dough Stick)
Youtiao is a breakfast choice for many people, but most youtiao contains alum. This inorganic substance containing aluminum, once absorbed by the human body, can damage brain nerve cells and is difficult for the body to excrete, gradually accumulating. The long-term harm to the body includes memory loss, depression, and irritability. In severe cases, it can lead to terrifying diseases like "senile dementia". Antidote: Soymilk
If you eat youtiao with soymilk, you are inadvertently protecting yourself. This is because soymilk is rich in lecithin. Scientists have found that administering a certain dose of lecithin to patients with senile dementia can improve their memory to some extent. Harmful Food 2: Pickled Fish with Sauerkraut
Pickled Fish with Sauerkraut is a popular dish. However, after pickling, the sauerkraut has lost all its vitamin C; in addition, sauerkraut also contains a lot of oxalic acid and calcium. Due to its high acidity, it is easily absorbed by the intestines after consumption, and when excreted by the kidneys, it can easily form stones in the urinary system. Moreover, most pickled foods contain a high amount of nitrites, which combine with amines in the human body to form nitrosamines, a substance that is carcinogenic. Antidote: Kiwi
Scientific research has found that eating more foods rich in vitamin C can block the synthesis of the strong carcinogen nitrosamine, reducing the incidence of stomach and esophageal cancer. Kiwi is known as the "king of vitamin C," and one kiwi can basically meet the human body's daily vitamin C requirement.
Harmful Food 3: Cured meat, Bacon, Sausage, etc.
These things are not only delicious but also have a long shelf life, making them popular. However, these foods, which contain a large amount of salt, are pickled with pork for a long time, producing nitrosamine, which in the human body forms dimethylnitrosamine, a substance with strong carcinogenic properties. Antidote: Green Tea
Research has found that drinking green tea can break down the harm of these substances. Drinking a few cups of green tea daily can improve your health. If you really can't resist the temptation of cured fish or bacon, you might as well steam the meat thoroughly during cooking, add a little vinegar, which can decompose nitrosamine without losing the delicious flavor. Harmful Food 4: Hot Pot
For those who are prone to "internal heat" (getting "heaty" in TCM terms) or frequently have mouth ulcers, eating hot pot is undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Antidote: Pomelo
If you eat a pomelo after a greasy and spicy hot pot, it can help nourish yin, reduce "fire," strengthen the spleen, and aid digestion. Harmful Food 5: Grilled Lamb Skewers
Although the street-side lamb skewers have a tempting aroma, setting aside the issue of meat safety, the benzopyrene contained in the meat after being grilled over an open flame is enough to pose a threat of stomach cancer once it enters the human body. Antidote: Baked Sweet Potato
The large amount of fiber in sweet potatoes can wrap up the harmful substances in the grilled meat and excrete them from the body, and it can also prevent the large amount of oil in the grilled meat from being absorbed by the human body. Harmful Food 6: Century Eggs
Many people often like to cook congee with century eggs. What they don't know is that century eggs contain a certain amount of lead during their production. If too much lead is ingested, it will lead to a decrease in intelligence, damage to the development of the nervous system, cause hearing abnormalities, and reduce learning ability. The body's ability to excrete lead in children is far lower than in adults, so the harm is even greater. Antidote: Tofu
Century egg tofu is also a common home-cooked dish, and the way of eating is quite scientific. The fiber in tofu can inhibit the absorption of lead from food in the gastrointestinal tract; the calcium ions in it can also counteract lead, help excrete the lead ingested by the human body, and help reduce the concentration of lead in the human blood.