Introduction: In modern life, people are increasingly pursuing exquisite and delicious food, but little do they know that some unpalatable foods are actually very nutritious.
1. Coarse Foods
The reason coarse foods are coarse is that they are rich in insoluble fiber, such as coarse grains, celery stalks, and cabbage stalks. It is these dietary fibers that help prevent constipation, prevent colon cancer, facilitate the excretion of metal ions, help the body detoxify, and reduce weight.
If you are worried about gaining weight when eating high-fat dishes, you can eat these foods, as this is the best time for coarse foods to be effective.
2. Sour Foods
Such as sand pears, hawthorns, and pickles. Their sourness comes from organic acids like citric acid and malic acid. These natural acidic substances can promote the absorption of minerals, such as iron.
Among the same variety of fruits, the sourer ones generally have a higher vitamin C content, which is also more stable and easier to preserve. Sourness stimulates gastric acid secretion and increases the activity of digestive enzymes.
3. Bitter Foods
Such as lemon peels, tea, and dark chocolate, which are rich in various glycosides, terpenes, and polyphenols. It is these substances that make food bitter. For example, naringin in lemon and grapefruit peels, polyphenols in tea, and polyphenols in red wine and chocolate can prevent cancer and heart disease, and also add a slightly bitter flavor to food.
Among the many bitter foods, bitter gourd is probably the most accepted. Bitter gourd has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, nourishing blood and replenishing qi, nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the spleen, and nourishing the liver and improving eyesight.
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.
Bitter Gourd with Pork
4. Astringent Foods
Unripe persimmons, purple grape skins, etc., 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 hyperlipidemia.
Moreover, among the same type of fruit, the astringent varieties are more nutritious. For example, a small, sour apple is better than a large, sweet Fuji apple.
Tannins (highly polymerized compounds in polyphenols) in astringent foods are widely used in beauty products, with main effects including astringent, sun protection, whitening, wrinkle prevention, and antioxidant.
5. Spicy Foods
The spiciness in food is generally provided by capsaicin or volatile sulfur compounds. Capsaicin has analgesic effects and can also increase metabolism, playing a role in fat burning and weight loss.
The main component of the pungent taste of mustard 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 also has the effects of preventing hyperlipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and reducing blood viscosity.
Cold Dressed Mustard Vegetables
6. "Pungent" Foods
For example, radishes, garlic, and onions. These foods have a very pungent taste, and they may even leave a bad smell after eating. The reason is that they contain substances like glucosinolates and allyl disulfides, which are very helpful in preventing cancer.
For example, garlic is a "health guard" for people. Numerous epidemiological surveys have shown that in garlic-producing areas and among populations who eat garlic for a long time, the incidence of cancer is significantly lower. After eating these "pungent" foods, there will be a bad smell in the mouth. You can eat tea, chew some peanuts, walnuts, or almonds, which are high in protein, to reduce the garlic taste.
7. "Unusual Fragrant" Foods
Some foods, although named with the word "fragrant," have a very strange taste, such as cilantro and toon. Cilantro contains a lot of boron, which helps the body absorb minerals and protects bones, making it most suitable for middle-aged and elderly people after the age of 40.
Cilantro is also rich in elements such as iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C, which helps maintain stable blood sugar and prevent cancer. Toon contains volatile aromatic organic compounds such as toonin, which can strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, and has the effects of clearing heat and dampness, promoting urination, and detoxifying. It is a good medicine for assisting in the treatment of enteritis, dysentery, and urinary tract infections.
Studies have shown that toon contains vitamin E and androgen-like substances, which have anti-aging and nourishing yang and nourishing yin effects.
8. "Smelly" Foods
The durian has a strong smell, and it is no exaggeration to say it is "stinking to high heaven." However, in Thailand, due to its high nutritional value, it is often used as a nourishing food for patients and postpartum women to supplement their bodies.
Durian is a "hot" nature food that can invigorate blood and dispel cold, relieve menstrual pain; it can also improve the symptoms of a cold abdomen, promote body temperature, and is an ideal supplement for people with a cold constitution.
Although it has many benefits, you cannot eat too much at once, otherwise it is easy to cause body heat, and it may also cause "internal heat" because the gastrointestinal tract cannot fully absorb it.