Introduction: People have always loved sweet, delicate, and rich foods, disliking bitter and coarse ones. But now, our dietary structure has completely changed. We are more concerned with how to prevent obesity, lower fat in the blood, and reduce the risk of cancer.
I. Astringent Foods
Unripe persimmons, purple grape skins—these are foods with a strong astringent taste. Their astringency comes from tannins, phytic acid, and oxalic acid in the food. These substances are powerful antioxidants and are beneficial for preventing diabetes and high blood lipids. Moreover, for the same type of fruit, the astringent variety has higher nutritional value. For example, a small, tart apple is better than a large, sweet Fuji apple.
Health Tip:
Tannins from astringent foods are widely used in beauty products, mainly for their astringent, sun-protection, whitening, anti-wrinkle, and antioxidant effects. Therefore, astringent foods are truly rare and precious beauty foods for women.
II. Coarse Foods
The reason foods are coarse is that they are rich in insoluble fiber, such as coarse grains, celery stalks, and cabbage stalks. It is precisely these dietary fibers that help prevent constipation, prevent colon cancer, help excrete metal ions, aid the body in detoxification, and reduce weight. If you are worried about gaining weight after eating a high-fat meal, you can eat these foods, as this is when coarse foods are most effective.
Health Tip:
Dietary fiber is a carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the human body. It can be divided into two basic types based on solubility in water: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are three common types of insoluble fiber, found in plant cell walls. Insoluble fiber can reduce the risk of colon cancer, and by absorbing toxic substances in food, it can prevent constipation and diverticulitis, and reduce toxins excreted by bacteria in the digestive tract.
Types like pectin and gum are soluble fibers, found in non-fibrous substances in nature. Common foods rich in soluble fiber include barley, beans, carrots, citrus fruits, flax, oats, and oat bran. Soluble fiber can slow down digestion and rapidly excrete cholesterol, help regulate immune system function, and promote the excretion of toxic heavy metals from the body.
III. Bitter Foods
Things like lemon peel, tea, and dark chocolate are rich in various glycosides, terpenoids, and polyphenols, which are precisely what make food bitter. For example, naringin in lemon peel and grapefruit peel, polyphenols in tea, and polyphenols in red wine and chocolate can prevent cancer and heart disease, and also give food a slightly bitter flavor.
Health Tip:
The more accepted bitter food is probably bitter gourd. Bitter gourd has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, nourishing blood and replenishing qi, tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the spleen, and nourishing the liver and improving eyesight. It has certain effects on treating dysentery, sores and swellings, heatstroke and fever, excessive prickly heat, and conjunctivitis. In addition, bitter gourd is very high in vitamin C, which can prevent scurvy, protect cell membranes, prevent atherosclerosis, improve the body's stress response, and protect the heart.
IV. "Pungent" Foods
For example, radishes, garlic, and onions. These foods have a very strong taste, and even after eating them, there can be a bad smell. This is because they contain substances like glucosinolates and allyl disulfides, which are very helpful in preventing cancer. For instance, garlic is a "health guard" for people. Numerous epidemiological surveys have shown that in garlic-producing areas and among populations that consume garlic long-term, the incidence of cancer is significantly lower.
Health Tip:
After eating "pungent" foods, how to quickly get rid of bad breath?
① Tea: For bad breath after eating garlic and other foods, take a small pinch of tea, place it in your mouth in parts, and chew it slowly. After the saliva dissolves the tea, swallow it slowly. The effect is quite good.
② Peanuts: Chewing some peanuts, walnuts, or almonds—foods high in protein—can also reduce the smell of garlic.
V. Spicy Foods
The spiciness in food is generally provided by capsaicin or volatile sulfur compounds. Capsaicin has analgesic effects and can also boost metabolism, helping to burn fat and lose weight. Mustard has a strong spicy flavor and a strong stimulating effect. It can regulate female endocrine function, enhance sexual function, and stimulate blood vessel dilation to enhance facial blood circulation, making a woman's complexion rosier.
Health Tip:
The main ingredient that makes mustard pungent is isothiocyanate. This component not only prevents cavities but also has certain effects on preventing cancer, preventing vascular plaque deposition, and assisting in the treatment of asthma. In addition, mustard can also prevent high blood lipids, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease, and reduce blood viscosity.
VI. Sour Foods
Such as sand pears, hawthorns, and kimchi. Their sourness comes from organic acids like citric acid and malic acid. These natural acidic substances promote the absorption of minerals, such as iron. For the same variety of fruit, the sourer one generally has a higher vitamin C content, and the vitamins are more stable and easier to preserve.
Health Tip:
Many women especially crave sour foods after becoming pregnant. Sour taste can stimulate gastric juice secretion, increase the activity of digestive enzymes, promote gastric motility, and is beneficial for the digestion of food and the absorption of various nutrients. Therefore, craving sour foods during pregnancy is beneficial for the health of both the fetus and the mother.
From a nutritional perspective, eating sour foods during pregnancy is good for the pregnant woman herself and the development of the fetus. Sour taste can stimulate gastric acid secretion, increase the activity of digestive enzymes, increase the pregnant woman's appetite, and alleviate early pregnancy symptoms.
VII. "Smelly" Foods
The durian has a strong smell; saying it "stinks to high heaven" is no exaggeration. But in Thailand, due to its high nutritional value, it is often used as a nourishing food for patients and postpartum women. Durian is "hot" in nature and can invigorate blood and dispel cold, alleviating menstrual pain. It is especially suitable for women troubled by menstrual pain. It can also improve symptoms of a cold abdomen, promote body temperature, and is an ideal tonic for people with a "cold" constitution. Although durian has many benefits, you cannot eat too much at once, otherwise it is easy to cause internal heat, and it can also lead to "internal heat" because the digestive system cannot fully absorb it.
VIII. "Strange Aroma" Foods
Some foods, although named with the character for "fragrant" (香), have a very strange taste, such as cilantro and toon tree shoots. Cilantro contains a lot of boron, a substance that helps the body absorb minerals and protect bones, making it most suitable for middle-aged and elderly people over 40. Cilantro is also rich in iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, vitamins A and C, etc., which helps maintain stable blood sugar and has anti-cancer properties. Toon tree shoots contain volatile aromatic organic compounds such as toonin, which can strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite. It has the effects of clearing heat and dampness, promoting urination and detoxification, and is a good adjuvant medicine for treating enteritis, dysentery, and urinary tract infections. Some studies have shown that toon tree shoots contain vitamin E and substances related to sex hormones, which have anti-aging and nourishing yin and yang effects, and have a certain therapeutic effect on infertility, hence it is known as the "fertility-aiding substance".