With the Spring Festival approaching, cured fish, cured meat, and some pickled vegetables are common foods people eat during the winter season. However, people are also very concerned about the carcinogenicity of these foods. Is there a way to address the carcinogenicity of these traditional foods? On this matter, a reporter recently interviewed Wang Yi, Director of the Diet and Nutrition Department at Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. She believes that some foods commonly consumed in daily life contain certain carcinogenic substances, but these substances can be reduced to a certain extent through proper processing and reasonable food pairing. Wang Yi also provided the following specific details.
Pickled vegetables, in the early stage of processing, have not been treated and contain a certain amount of N-nitroso compounds. However, methods such as boiling in water, sun exposure, or washing with hot water can eliminate the carcinogens. The best method is boiling in water, but it affects the taste of the pickled vegetables; if vitamin C is added in an appropriate amount before pickling, the content of N-nitroso compounds can be significantly reduced. However, it is worth noting that the brine used for pickling should not be reused.
Cured meat products like sausages were once an important means of preserving meat. In modern cities, they are more often considered a type of delicacy. They generally contain small amounts of N-nitroso compounds. Since the content is low, discarding the gravy during consumption is sufficient. However, never pan-fry them, as high temperatures can promote the synthesis of N-nitroso compounds in food, increasing the levels of carcinogens such as N-nitrosopyrrolidine and dimethylamine. Therefore, it is crucial for people in their daily lives to avoid eating pan-fried sausages and cured meat.
When eating the above foods, it is best to pair them with fresh raw fruits and vegetables. Salted fish contains a relatively high amount of N-nitroso compounds, so it is best to boil or steam it before consumption, and the gravy should also be discarded. Some people also use the method of sun exposure, believing it can remove N-nitroso compounds from the fish's surface, but this method has little effect on the carcinogens deep within the fish. When consuming these foods, pairing them with fresh raw fruits and vegetables can reduce the damage of carcinogens to the human body.
In addition, dried small shrimps and shrimp roe contain volatile N-nitroso compounds such as dimethylnitrosamine. Therefore, it is best to boil them before cooking or expose them directly to sunlight for 3-6 hours to achieve the goal of eliminating and reducing carcinogens.