Introduction: I'm sure many of you frown at the mere smell or taste of foods with strange flavors like stinky, bitter, sour, or astringent tastes, finding their texture and flavor to be extremely unpleasant. Yes, but the editor from the Beauty Health Channel wants to tell you that these strangely-flavored foods are actually nutritious, so don't be biased against them.
A bowl of fragrant rice and a coarse cornbread are placed in front of you, which one would you choose? Between a piece of watermelon and a segment of pomelo, which would you pick for a dessert? When you see onions and garlic on the dining table, would you ignore them? In our daily lives, we often love foods that are sweet, refined, and rich in flavor, while disliking those that are bitter, coarse, or bland. And yet, it is precisely among these foods with poor textures that we can find unexpected nutritional and health benefits.
Coarse Foods
Some people dislike brown rice and cornbread because they feel "scratchy" on the throat, preferring refined fragrant rice and white flour products. In fact, what feels scratchy is precious dietary fiber. It stimulates intestinal peristalsis, aids bowel movements, alters the types and numbers of gut microbes, and reduces the formation of carcinogens. Dietary fiber is widely found in coarse-textured foods, including whole grains like rice, wheat, and miscellaneous beans such as brown rice, oats, and red beans. To prevent constipation and colon cancer, one should ensure a daily intake of 20-30 grams of dietary fiber. It is recommended to give up traditional white rice congee for breakfast and switch to multigrain porridge, and to replace refined white rice with whole wheat steamed buns.
Astringent Foods
The presence of tannins, phytic acid, and oxalic acid can make food astringent. This is because they combine with salivary proteins in the mouth to form precipitates, causing saliva to lose its lubricating properties and the epithelial tissue on the tongue to contract, resulting in an astringent taste. However, these substances have strong antioxidant properties and are beneficial for preventing diabetes and high blood lipids. For example, olives, purple grape skins, apple skins, and walnut skins all have stronger antioxidant effects than their flesh. It is recommended to eat apples and grapes with their skins on, and when eating walnuts, do not remove the brown skin.
Sour Foods
Compared to sweet oranges, watermelons, and bananas, fewer people love sour fruits like sand pears and hawthorns. In fact, the sourness of these fruits mainly comes from organic acids like citric acid and malic acid. These natural acidic substances can promote the absorption of minerals such as iron. If you find sour foods unpalatable, you can make them into a fruit pudding, add a small amount of rock sugar, and freeze it in the refrigerator to greatly improve the texture.
Pungent Foods
Onions and garlic are foods that many people try to avoid because their flavor is too strong, leaving a bad taste in the mouth afterward. In fact, this pungent flavor comes from substances like glucosinolates and allyl disulfides, which can effectively prevent cancer and are widely found in foods like radishes, garlic, and onions. Therefore, do not ignore them in your daily diet. Radishes can be made into pickles or stewed with pork ribs, onions can be used in cold salads, and the best way to eat garlic is raw. If you find your breath unpleasant after eating foods like garlic and onions, you can chew a small amount of tea leaves.
Spicy Foods
The spiciness in food is generally provided by capsaicin or volatile sulfur compounds. Capsaicin has analgesic effects and can boost metabolism, aiding in fat burning and weight loss. Wasabi has a strong spicy flavor and a significant stimulating effect; it can regulate the endocrine system in women, enhance sexual function, stimulate blood vessel dilation, and improve facial blood circulation, giving women a healthier complexion.
Stinky Foods
The durian has a strong smell, and saying it "stinks to high heaven" is no exaggeration. However, in Thailand, due to its high nutritional value, it is often used as a tonic for patients and postpartum women to nourish their bodies. Durian is considered "hot" in nature, promoting blood circulation and dispelling cold, which can alleviate menstrual cramps and is especially suitable for women troubled by them; it can also improve symptoms of a cold abdomen and help raise body temperature, making it an ideal tonic for people with a "cold" constitution. Although durian has many benefits, you should not eat too much at once, as it can easily lead to internal "heatiness" and cause "fire" symptoms due to the digestive system's inability to fully absorb it.