As the weather turns cool, the bubbling hot pot once again stirs the heart. Fresh ingredients, a wide variety, a traditional way of eating, and a lively atmosphere make hot pot the most popular food in winter.
When faced with such delicious food, people sitting by the hot pot may have some concerns. Fear of gaining fat, fear of raising blood lipids, and fear of losing the results of a strict diet in just one night. In fact, if such results were to occur, the mistake would not be with the hot pot, but with the people who did not make the right choices.
Meat in the Hot Pot
P>Animal ingredients are the eternal theme of hot pot. Sliced fatty beef and fatty lamb are high-fat varieties, with a fat content of over 30%. The marble-like white streaks in the meat are a constant reminder of this. The saturation of these fats is quite high, and they contain a large amount of cholesterol, making it easier to raise blood lipids than lard or chicken fat. Those with high blood lipids, blood sugar, or blood pressure should be especially careful with the trouble in these delicious meat slices.When eating lamb hot pot, female guests can easily consume 300-400 grams of meat slices, which contain over 1000 kilocalories, equivalent to 3 bowls of rice! In comparison, duck blood has much lower calories, with only over 50 kilocalories per 100 grams, about one-fifth of fatty beef.
P>Those with high blood lipids should taste beef and lamb in moderation and choose more low-fat varieties like sliced chicken, seafood, blood slices, and omasum. However, those who are weak and fear cold should choose more beef and lamb slices to achieve the effect of dispelling cold and nourishing the body. Those who are prone to allergies should try to avoid seafood, while those who want to lose weight should choose more seafood and blood slices, and try to replace meat with white tofu.Vegetables in the Hot Pot
P>Almost all varieties of vegetables can harmonize with hot pot, but the most beneficial for the body are green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables can supply vitamin C and carotene, and can also partially eliminate the various adverse effects of eating a lot of meat. The fiber in vegetables can help clean up the fat and protein waste attached to the intestinal walls and also reduce the absorption of fat and cholesterol. Following the principle of dietary balance, for every one serving of meat, at least two servings of vegetables are needed, and it's best to eat them together while eating meat.Those who need to control their weight might want to start actively adding vegetables after eating a few pieces of meat. Cabbage and lettuce are refreshing and delicious, with the effect of clearing heat and reducing greasiness; winter melon, squash, and cucumber have the effect of losing weight and reducing fat; rape, bok choy, wheat lettuce, crown daisy, pea sprouts, and bean tips are all green leafy vegetables with extremely high nutritional value, which can help the body maintain the acid-base balance of body fluids after eating meat, and also provide a large amount of vitamin C and vitamin B2. The carotene in green vegetables can be fully absorbed by the body with the help of fat in the meat broth, which is very beneficial for resisting aging.
Condiments Inside and Outside the Hot Pot
P>Hot pots often contain some nourishing ingredients, such as red dates, goji berries, ginseng, and gastrodia, and may also contain a large amount of ginger and chili. You can choose according to your own constitution. Those who are prone to "heatiness" should avoid hot pot bases that are too "nourishing" and should not choose the red pot floating with a layer of chili oil in a divided pot. Those with a cold and weak body are more suitable for this kind of base, as adding more ginger, scallions, and chili can warm the body. P>Those who want to lose weight must control the amount of dipping sauce, because whether it's sesame paste and chive sauce or sesame oil and garlic sauce, the fat content is considerable. If you choose to add less sesame oil and sesame paste and add fresh soy sauce and vinegar, the calorie content of the dipping sauce can be greatly reduced. Those who are worried about acne should also control the amount of scallions, cilantro, and chili oil in the dipping sauce. In addition, people with high blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar should also control the saltiness of the dipping sauce, because too much salt is very harmful to the heart and kidneys.Hot Pot and Staple Foods
P>When eating hot pot, people often forget about staple foods, or only add a little noodles, small dumplings, or rice cakes when the meat is gone and the soup is thick. The result of this approach is excessive meat intake, severe lack of starch, and a large amount of waste produced in the body. The correct way is to eat a small amount of starchy food when you start eating meat; this helps control your food intake, protects gastrointestinal health, and is beneficial for nutritional balance. P>The staple foods at banquets are almost all high-fat. Beijingers like crispy sesame seed cakes and sesame paste fire cakes, while southerners prefer delicate small snacks. However, after consuming a large amount of meat, these foods seem very excessive. In comparison, fat-free steamed buns and mixed noodles are healthier. If you have already added ingredients like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vermicelli while cooking the meat, you have already obtained enough starch, so it is not necessary to eat staple foods.Colors Inside and Outside the Hot Pot
P>Diners should also be careful about the color of the ingredients. If the meat slices are still red after being cooked, they have been dyed and may contain synthetic pigments or nitrites. Duck blood that is too tough may have been treated with formaldehyde to greatly increase its toughness; duck blood that remains red after cooking should also be highly alert. Vermicelli that is too white may have been bleached, tofu skin that is too golden may be dyed, and kelp that is too emerald green may not be its natural color.Choice of Fuel
P>There are several sources of heat for hot pots: some use charcoal blocks, some use solid alcohol, and some use electricity. Among them, alcohol is the least healthy, and electric heating is the healthiest. This is because waste solid alcohol contains various organic solvents, which can produce carcinogenic formaldehyde and a large amount of toxic volatile alcohols when heated. Charcoal blocks produce a small amount of carbon monoxide, while electric heating does not bring any harmful substances. P>Compared to smoky grilled meat and stir-fried dishes, the cooking temperature of hot pot is lower, so it is less likely to produce toxins and carcinogens in food. It is a safe, natural, and healthy cooking method. With the right pairing, you can be left with warmth, freshness, and health after a delicious feast.