Chinese people have high standards for their diet, with the phrase "color, aroma, and flavor in perfection" being the best reflection of this. However, an excessive pursuit of these culinary details does not equate to a healthy eating style, as these habits can be significant factors affecting physical health. So, what are some common misconceptions about diet? Are the long-simmered soups that Cantonese people love really nutritious? Are increasingly refined foods better for your health? Let's explore and dispel these incorrect dietary concepts.
1. Pursuing tender meat can easily lead to illness
Insisting on meat being tender by shortening the cooking time for meat and offal, only cooking it to 70-80% done, may improve the texture but makes it easy to contract diseases. Undercooked meat is difficult to digest and absorb, easily leading to gastrointestinal issues like indigestion. Furthermore, undercooked protein can increase the likelihood of food allergies for people with allergic constitutions. Parasites and other pathogens that may be present in the meat may not be killed, posing a risk of illness after consumption.
2. The more refined the food, the lower its nutritional value
As people's living standards rise, their demands for food increase, and our grains have evolved to be processed more and more finely. While refined rice and refined flour do have a much better texture, their nutritional value and health benefits are significantly reduced. In brown rice with its husk removed, 95% of its nutrients are found in the bran and germ. After processing, refined rice is left with only 5% of its original nutrients. The most valuable plant proteins, fats, vitamins, and trace elements in the rice we eat are largely wasted.
3. Blanching vegetables before stir-frying results in significant vitamin loss
Some people like to blanch vegetables in hot water before stir-frying, a cooking method that causes a significant loss of vitamins. Because vitamins B and C are water-soluble, have unstable biological properties, and are easily dissolved in water, they are also not very heat-resistant. Blanching for a few minutes in 60°C water will cause most of them to dissolve into the water. Therefore, to preserve vitamin intake, vegetables should be stir-fried directly. Some vegetables that can be eaten raw, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, can be eaten raw in a salad to maximize vitamin preservation.
4. Long-simmered soups are not highly nutritious
Cantonese people love soup, but in reality, soup that has been simmered for a long time is not very nutritious. Especially "old fire soup" simmered for over ten hours, while having a superior taste, still has most of its protein in the solid ingredients. However, these ingredients, having been simmered for so long, become bland and are often not eaten, thus affecting the body's intake of protein. At the same time, vitamins are also destroyed by the high temperature over a long period.
5. Drinking morning tea
Drinking morning tea is a unique dietary custom in Cantonese culture. On weekends and holidays, family and friends gather with a pot of tea and a few dim sum dishes. It's a great way to socialize and dine leisurely. In recent years, the custom has also extended to afternoon tea and evening tea. Drinking tea is not just about tea; it also involves eating various dim sum.
However, tea is an essential part. Tea is alkaline and can neutralize stomach acid, affecting the stomach's ability to digest food. Additionally, drinking large amounts of tea during a meal dilutes stomach juices, which can impair digestion. Tannins and other substances in tea bind with minerals like calcium and iron in food to form indigestible compounds, hindering the body's absorption of these minerals and potentially causing iron-deficiency anemia or worsening the condition for those who already have it.
6. Pursuing "wok hei" can increase cancer risk
The pursuit of color, aroma, and flavor includes "wok hei" as a fundamental requirement. Many dishes require the wok and oil to be as hot as possible, making the stir-fried food tastier. However, ultra-high temperatures cause cooking oil to undergo a series of chemical reactions, producing carcinogenic substances like peroxides and heterocyclic amines. The smoke produced during ultra-high-temperature cooking is also a significant source of environmental pollution that cannot be ignored.