Uncle Zhang farms in the countryside all year round, is accustomed to eating pickles, and cannot do without it every day.
Some time ago, Uncle Zhang was in a state of physical distress, and after going to the hospital for examination, the doctor told him that years of high salt intake had caused problems with his blood pressure and kidney function.
Uncle Zhang didn't understand very much, he felt that he had been eating pickles all the time, and suddenly there was a problem, how could he blame pickles!
He firmly believes that the older generation eats like this, there is no big problem, the doctor is really unprofessional!
Now many doctors and experts call for pickles to be pickled with high salt, eating too much is very harmful to the body, to eat less.
However, the people have always circulated the same view as Uncle Zhang, that is, "the older generation often eats pickles because they are poor, but they rarely have high blood pressure and cancer."
Is this statement true or false? Are pickles healthy or unhealthy?
The impact of pickles on us
Pickles are a food widely distributed throughout China, with a variety of varieties and flavors.
In the past years, due to economic constraints, it was difficult for people to buy fresh vegetables and meat.
Pickles have become a must-have food for every household because they have a longer shelf life by salting, can also be seasoned to help increase appetite, and increase vitamin and mineral intake.
However, in today's society, nutritionists advocate less oil and less salt, and high-salt pickles have slowly become "unhealthy food".
So what exactly is the harm of pickles to our body?
Pickles pose multiple threats to health
1. High blood pressure. Pickles usually contain a lot of salt, and eating too much will increase the intake of salt in the body, leading to an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
2. Stomach cancer. Pickles contain a certain amount of nitrite, and long-term consumption may cause malignant tumors such as liver cancer and stomach cancer.
3. Not easy to digest. After pickling and fermentation, pickles are preserved and fermented, so that the food fiber, vitamins and minerals and other nutrients in it are lost in large quantities, and certain toxins and bacteria are also produced, which are not good for health.
At the same time, pickles are eaten instead of fresh vegetables for a long time, which is easy to cause malnutrition.
4. Causes edema. Since the salt in pickles promotes water retention in the body, long-term consumption can lead to edema and increased burden on the kidneys.
Of course, pickles that have been eaten for so many years are harmful, but also beneficial.
What are the benefits of pickles for our body?
1. Appetizing. Pickles are sour and delicious, a plate of pickles on the table can help appetizers, especially for middle-aged and elderly people, because of the decline of physical functions, pickles can help promote diet.
2. Promotes digestion. Pickles are fermented foods, containing a large amount of dietary fiber and probiotics, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, accelerate the discharge of waste in the gastrointestinal tract, and achieve the effect of promoting digestion.
3. Supplement nutrition: pickles are rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, zinc and other minerals, which can supplement the nutrients needed by the body, especially for people with calcium deficiency.
4. Calm and calm the mind. Pickles contain substances such as glutamic acid and lactic acid, which can calm and calm the mind, relieve physical tension and mood fluctuations.
Why do older generations often eat pickles but rarely have high blood pressure and cancer?
1. The salt content in pickles is suitable. The salt content of pickles is relatively suitable, and the salt is evenly dispersed during the pickling process, and eating pickles will not over-intake sodium ions.
2. The content of nitrite in pickles is low. The pickling process of pickles takes relatively short time, unlike other processed foods that have been processed many times to add nitrite acid, so the content of nitrite is lower.
3. Eating habits are simpler. Because of economic difficulties, simple diet, lack of high fat, high calories, high sugar, etc., the consumption of pickles will not only not cause physical burden, but can supplement the necessary vitamins and minerals through pickles.
Therefore, in the hearts of the older generation, pickles are cheap and delicious "good things", not "unhealthy food".
4. Lifestyle is harder. The older generation requires a lot of work, and physical work can not only exercise the body, promote blood circulation and metabolism, but also help eliminate excess body fat.
Therefore, although pickles have more salt, they can be excreted better and faster, helping to improve physical strength rather than increasing the burden on the body.
summary
In general, pickles have both harms and benefits, it does not change.
As for why the older generation regards pickles as treasures, modern people think that "unhealthy" is mainly because the living standards and living habits have undergone earth-shaking changes in the past and present.
People of the older generation love to eat pickles because of the health benefits they bring to them.
Modern people themselves have excessive nutritional intake, and eating too much "heavy-taste" pickles has become a cause of high blood pressure and cancer.
From this, we can also know that a healthy diet should actually be implemented according to the individual's physical condition and nutrient intake, so as to ensure that nutrition will not cause physical burden.
As for whether pickles are still eaten or not, as long as you pay attention to the method, eat in moderation and eat methodically, you can also make pickles eat healthy.