Chinese cuisine emphasizes flavor as its core and nutrition as its goal, combining delicious food with nutritional value. With a vast variety of styles, the eight major cuisines of China—Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui—are world-renowned, each with its own beloved and popular dishes. Chinese people can be considered the world's greatest gourmands, a tradition that can be traced back to the ancient saying, "Food is the paramount necessity of the people," and to the extraordinary descriptions of food in Dream of the Red Chamber by the great Qing dynasty writer Cao Xueqin. More recently, the "great swordsman" Jin Yong has portrayed food lovers in his novels; for instance, in a world of swordplay, the old and young leaders of the Beggars' Guild, Hong Qigong and the clever Huang Rong, use delicacies like "beggar's chicken" to make readers' mouths water.
Today, people's pursuit of food goes beyond just delicious taste; they also emphasize nutrition and health. But what you don't know might surprise you. People think their diet is already nutritious, but after numerous surveys, nutritionists point out that although food contains many nutrients, some daily habits unknowingly cause them to be completely lost. So, how exactly are nutrients lost from food? Let's hear what Dr. Xun Xiaolin, a senior nutritionist at the General Hospital of the Beijing Military Command, has to say: 1. Rinsing rice too many times leads to significant nutrient loss
Chinese people's attitude towards rice has always been one of "washing," both in ancient times and today. "Washing" means rinsing it again and again, two to three times, or even four or five, depending on how clean the housewife wants it. However, as Dr. Xun told reporters, B vitamins start to be lost after rinsing rice twice. After more than two rinses, various nutrients begin to be lost.
Dr. Xun recommends not rinsing rice too many times; generally, rinsing it twice with clear water is sufficient, and avoid rubbing it vigorously. For rice that has been stored for a long time, it is better to rinse it a few more times. The water absorption rate of rice is greatest after soaking for two hours, so it is better to soak the rice for two hours before cooking. Soaking the rice before cooking not only saves 40% of the cooking time but also results in less loss of vitamin B5 in the rice.
Some people like to make "lao fan" (scooped rice), where the rice is boiled until half-cooked, then scooped out and steamed, and the rice water is discarded. This practice is unscientific. When making lao fan, the rice water should also be consumed because many nutrients are in it. 2. Don't add alkali when cooking congee, except for cornmeal
When cooking rice, congee, beans, or stir-frying dishes, it is not advisable to add alkali, as it easily accelerates the destruction of vitamin C and B vitamins. Vitamin B1 and B2 are already sensitive to heat, and adding alkali makes them even more so, making them more easily destroyed at slightly higher temperatures.
The niacin bound in corn is not easily absorbed by the human body. If a small amount of baking soda is added to cornmeal when making corn congee, steamed cornbread, or corn cakes, the resulting food will not only be excellent in color, aroma, and taste but will also allow the bound niacin to be easily absorbed and utilized by the body. 3. Cut vegetables less, tear them by hand when possible
Vegetables should be washed before cutting to avoid the loss of water-soluble vitamins and minerals. When cutting vegetables, it is generally not advisable to cut them too finely. Tear them by hand whenever possible to minimize the use of a knife, as iron can accelerate the oxidation of vitamin C. When stir-frying, use high heat and cook quickly to avoid long simmering. Keep the pot covered to prevent water-soluble vitamins from escaping with steam. Use as little water as possible when stir-frying. When stewing, add a little vinegar to season and to protect vitamin C from loss. When cooking meat dishes, adding a little starch can reduce the loss of nutrients and improve the texture. 4. Juice has less nutrition, fresh fruit is better
When fruit is pressed into juice, the pulp and membranes are removed. In this process, vitamin C is also greatly reduced. If the fruit itself does not contain much vitamin C, such as apples, then in this process, the vitamins are almost completely removed. It is recommended to use a blender to make juice, which can retain the pulp and membranes.
Once bottled juice is opened, it begins to lose nutrients, so don't store it in the refrigerator for too long. The nutrients in aseptic juice made from citrus, grapefruit, pineapple, etc., can be preserved for 7-10 days. Other low-acid juices, like apple and grape, can be kept for a week after opening. If you buy unpasteurized juice, you must drink it within a week, even if it hasn't been opened. 5. Eggs are nutritious, boiled is the best way to eat them
In terms of nutrient absorption and digestibility, boiled eggs are 100%, scrambled eggs are 97%, fried eggs are 81.1%, eggs beaten into boiling water or milk are 92.5%, and raw eggs are 30%-50%. Therefore, boiling eggs is the best way to eat them, but be sure to chew slowly, otherwise, it will affect absorption and digestion.
However, for children, steamed egg custard and egg drop soup are the most suitable, as these two methods break down the protein, making it extremely easy for children to digest and absorb. 6. The longer the soup simmers, the less "beautiful" its nutrition
Guangdong people pay the most attention to soup, which is evident from the fact that they use the same word, "liang" (beautiful), to praise both soup and beautiful women. Guangdong people call the process of making soup "simmering" (bao) and believe the longer it simmers, the better, often simmering for half a day. Dr. Xun told reporters that this is actually unscientific. Extremely nutritious components like vitamins C and B, and amino acids, have a common weakness: they are "afraid of heat" and are lost at temperatures above 80°C. Therefore, the long, slow simmering of soup destroys these nutrients, and what evaporates is precisely the essence. 7. Repeated freezing is actually a mistake
All food has a shelf life of up to 3 months. Taking fish as an example, studies have shown that after being stored at -18°C for 3 months, the nutritional loss in fish is very significant, especially vitamins A and E, which are lost by about 20%-30%. Vegetables and fruits should also be bought and eaten fresh, as their vitamin content decreases with each day they are stored. Therefore, eat food while it is fresh, don't wait until it has lost all its nutrients.
Many housewives thaw a large piece of frozen meat, refreeze the leftover cut pieces, thinking this will preserve them for a long time. This is actually a wrong practice. Dr. Xun says that studies have shown that repeatedly freezing fish and meat leads to nutrient loss and affects taste. In addition, general preservation should follow the principle of "quick freezing, slow thawing." Sometimes, to speed up thawing, people rinse frozen meat with hot water, which is also incorrect. 8. When taking long-term medication, supplement vitamins
Medication can also lead to significant loss of nutrients, including steroid drugs for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, drugs for epilepsy, and drugs for thyroid disease. When taking these medications, one should persist in taking calcium supplements and vitamin D. Anti-epileptic drugs can also interfere with folic acid absorption.
Also, long-term use of antibiotics can lead to the loss of B vitamins and vitamin K, affecting gastrointestinal function. Long-term use of aspirin can easily lead to the loss of vitamin C. Cold and pain relievers can reduce the level of vitamin A in the blood. The progesterone in birth control pills can hinder the function of vitamin B6 and interfere with folic acid absorption. Sulfonamides and cholesterol-lowering drugs can affect folic acid absorption. Diuretics taken by patients with high blood pressure and nephritis, as well as laxatives, can lead to significant loss of calcium, potassium, and vitamins in the body. Patients with stomach ulcers or hemorrhagic anemia, and those taking antacids or alkaline drugs, should pay attention to supplementing the trace element iron.
Therefore, the above patients should pay attention to supplementing the various lost nutrients while taking their medication. 9. When mixing filling, stir in one direction, not back and forth
When making dumplings, many people squeeze the water out of the dumpling filling, which leads to a large loss of nutrients.
When mixing dumpling filling, you can mix the juice from the chopped vegetable filling with the seasoned meat filling. This way, the nutrients in the vegetable filling will not be lost.
Dr. Xun reminds everyone to pay special attention to this: when mixing the meat filling, you should add a small amount of water while stirring the filling in one direction. Never stir back and forth. This is because the protein in meat has a spiral structure. Stirring back and forth will destroy the protein, and the hydrophilic groups in the protein will absorb water, making the texture better and preventing nutrient loss. 10. Blanch spinach before stir-frying for better calcium absorption
Before stir-frying spinach, few people know it should be blanched first. This is because spinach contains a lot of oxalic acid, which combines with calcium in the food to form calcium oxalate, which the human body cannot absorb. This leads to calcium loss. Blanching spinach in boiling water can dissolve over 80% of the oxalic acid, thereby increasing the bioavailability of calcium. 11. Smoking a few cigarettes causes significant vitamin loss
"A cigarette after a meal is like being a god," but few know the heavy price of being a "god": it makes the food you eat lose its nutritional value.
Dr. Xun says that smoking 10 cigarettes will cause a loss of 25-100 mg of vitamin C and a large amount of B vitamins in the body. Some men who smoke at least a pack a day can calculate how many nutrients they lose. It is for this reason that men who smoke often have poor resistance to infection and are prone to colds and headaches. Therefore, Dr. Xun suggests that smoking men should supplement B vitamins and vitamin C appropriately. 12. After a sweaty workout, replenish water in a timely manner
During exercise, due to energy consumption and sweating, a large amount of energy substances and nutrients, such as sodium, potassium, and carbohydrates, are lost. If not replenished in time, it can easily lead to overtraining and difficulty recovering, which directly affects the fitness results. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of exercise, one should not only drink sports drinks containing sugar, water, and electrolytes but also promptly supplement special sports nutrition products, especially for those who want to gain muscle or lose fat. 13. Don't boil fresh milk, it's better to heat it in a water bath
Milk should not be heated at too high a temperature. When heated to 100°C, its color, aroma, and taste are reduced, and its nutritional value is also greatly diminished.
So, how should milk be heated correctly? When boiling milk, it is best not to bring it to a full boil. When the surface of the milk is covered with small bubbles, which is about 70°C-80°C, cook it for a few more seconds. If using a microwave, don't heat it for too long, as high temperatures will destroy the nutrients in the milk. Generally, once the milk boils in a pot, it should be removed from the heat immediately.
In addition, young mothers should pay attention to the water temperature when mixing formula for their babies, as the nutritional components of formula are similar to fresh milk, so the water temperature should not exceed 60°C. 14. Eating too many eggs and meat leads to iron loss
Many children suffer from iron-deficiency anemia, and iron deficiency affects a child's intelligence. This is related to children eating meat but not vegetables.
It turns out that many mothers think that egg yolks and lean meat contain the most iron, so they let their children eat a lot of meat but don't pay attention to having them eat vegetables and fruits. Unexpectedly, the children's weight increases rapidly, but upon examination, they are found to have iron-deficiency anemia. Dr. Xun believes that the iron in egg yolks and lean meat is mostly trivalent iron, which is not easily absorbed by the human body and is mostly excreted. Trivalent iron can only be converted into divalent iron, which can be absorbed by the body, in the presence of vitamin C and acidic substances. Vegetables and fruits contain the most vitamin C and acidic substances. Therefore, Dr. Xun reminds parents to let their children eat more vegetables and fruits along with meat. 15. Eating too much fish and meat makes the body acidic
Since meat is an acidic food, people who often eat large amounts of fish and meat tend to have an acidic body constitution. When the acid-base balance in the body is seriously disrupted, the body will use two main alkaline substances—sodium and calcium—to neutralize it. Two experiments have confirmed this: eating a diet containing 80 grams of protein a day leads to a loss of 37 mg of calcium, while eating a diet containing 240 grams of protein a day, plus an additional 1400 mg of calcium, still results in a loss of 137 mg of calcium. Therefore, experts suggest that daily diet should pay attention to acid-base balance, and when eating a lot of fish and meat, one should pair it with more fresh vegetables and fruits. 16. Overly refined foods lead to mineral loss
As people's quality of life continues to improve, the food on the dining table is becoming increasingly refined. However, in the process of this fine processing, a large amount of vitamins and minerals are lost. For example, in polished rice and white flour, after multiple processing steps, folic acid is reduced by 90%, vitamin E is lost by more than 90%, vitamin B5 is lost by 60%, and the content of minerals such as chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, and magnesium is reduced by more than 70%. As a result, women who often eat refined foods may experience calcium loss, leading to osteoporosis, and a lack of vitamins can lead to beriberi and constipation. Dr. Xun suggests that the solution to this problem is simple: eat more whole grains. 17. Walking immediately after a meal makes it difficult to absorb nutrients
"Taking a hundred steps after a meal" is a habit for many people, but Dr. Xun believes this might cause nutrient loss in the body.
This is because after a meal, a large amount of blood is needed to help the digestive organs function. If you exercise or walk immediately, the blood flow to the limbs increases, relatively reducing the blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract, affecting digestion and making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. Some people also like to take a bath immediately after a meal. The skin's capillaries will dilate and become congested, which in turn reduces the blood flow of the digestive system, affecting the digestion and absorption of food.
So, when after a meal can one engage in these activities? According to research, the time food stays in the digestive tract is about 5 hours for fat, 2 hours for protein, and 1 hour for carbohydrates. Dr. Xun suggests resting for 30 minutes to 1 hour after a meal before engaging in light activities.