Vegetables are an integral part of the daily diet.
However, when many people cook seasonal fresh vegetables, in order to pursue freshness and tenderness, some eat them raw directly, and some fry them directly in the pot, ignoring that not all vegetables can be eaten directly.
For example, some time ago, an elderly man who suffered from chronic kidney disease suffered from a large plate of raw fried spinach after eating a large plate of raw fried spinach, resulting in oxalate nephropathy, and he needed to rely on dialysis for the rest of his life to maintain his life.
Therefore, everyone must pay attention to the cooking method when eating some vegetables, especially if there are elderly people and children at home.
The first category: spinach, amaranth, spring bamboo shoots, etc. containing oxalic acid
Vegetables such as spinach, amaranth, and spring bamboo shoots are often kept at home because they are rich in various vitamins.
The oxalic acid content in this kind of vegetables is much higher than that of other vegetables, and long-term or large intake of high oxalic acid foods will affect the absorption and utilization of calcium, inhibit the absorption of trace elements such as iron, magnesium, zinc, etc., increase the risk of various chronic diseases, induce kidney stones, and cause joint pain.
However, there is no need to panic, spinach, amaranth, spring shoots and other vegetables containing more oxalic acid are cooked at high temperatures, more than 90% of the oxalic acid will be dissolved in water, and the remaining content has little impact on the body, so you can eat it with confidence.
It should be noted that the blanching time of green leafy species such as spinach is about 30 seconds, and the blanching time of rhizomes such as spring bamboo shoots can be appropriately extended, and the blanched water can no longer be eaten.
Category II: Toon buds containing nitrites
In spring, toon sprouts are known as "the best vegetables on the tree" and "the crown of egg white", which not only tastes delicious, but also contains rich nutritional value, and occupies a prominent position in the market with its unique charm.
However, toon contains a certain amount of nitrite, which needs to be blanched to effectively remove most of the nitrite.
Generally speaking, the longer the blanching time, the more significant the removal effect. When the blanching time reaches 2 minutes, more than 90% of nitrite can be removed. Of course, blanching for a longer period of time is fine, but it may affect the taste and color of the toon.
Therefore, toon lovers can greatly improve the safety as long as they blanch the water, and the nitrite content in the young shoots is relatively low, so they should pay attention to the choice when purchasing.
The third category: legumes containing multiple natural biotoxins such as phytohemagglutinin and saponin
In recent years, bean poisoning has become common, as many legumes contain potentially harmful toxins such as phytohemagglutinin and saponin.
Phytohemagglutinin, because it causes red blood cells to agglutinate, hence the name phytohemagglutinin.
The presence of saponin, or saponin, in the pods is a water-soluble component of plants with foaming properties, which has a strong stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal tract, which may lead to local congestion, swelling of the gastrointestinal tract, and even cause hemorrhagic inflammation, and also has a lytic effect on red blood cells.
The risk of legume poisoning is influenced by a variety of factors, including the type, variety, season, ripeness, and consumption of legumes. However, most of the time it is because it is not cooked or cooked thoroughly.
Therefore, when cooking lentils and green beans, be sure to blanch for about 10 minutes before cooking to ensure that the pods lose their green color, become completely soft, and have no beany smell. In addition, the tips and shreds of the beans should be removed before cooking, as these areas contain higher levels of toxins to ensure a safe diet.
Category IV: Fresh daylily containing colchicine
Daylily is notable for its rich content of lecithin. This miraculous substance is an indispensable component of many cells and brain cells, so daylily is praised as a "brain-strengthening dish".
However, fresh daylily contains colchicine, a substance that is oxidized in the body and converted into the highly toxic dicocetine, which can cause nausea, dizziness, and other adverse reactions when consumed.
Therefore, if you need to remove the stamens of fresh daylily and soak it in salt water for more than 1 hour after blanching, it can greatly reduce the content of colchic.
Dried daylily is a safer option. Dried daylilies are usually treated, and the colchicine content is greatly reduced during the water soaking and softening process before cooking, thus ensuring that the dried daylily is safe to eat.
When eating daylily, you should avoid stir-frying it alone, mix it with other ingredients, and control your intake to avoid discomfort caused by excessive consumption.
In addition, it should also be noted that daylily should not be eaten in excess with foods rich in crude fiber, such as sweet potatoes, as this may lead to diarrhea. Only by combining ingredients reasonably and controlling your intake can you fully enjoy the health benefits of daylily.
The fifth category: cauliflower, fungus, kelp and other vegetables that are difficult to clean
Among the many vegetables, there is one group of vegetables that is known for their special structure and is relatively difficult to clean: ingredients such as cauliflower, fungus and kelp.
In the case of broccoli and cauliflower, these flower bulbs are covered with a layer of wax, which makes it difficult for moisture to effectively reach their surface. When they are rinsed, the water quickly slides off the surface of the broccoli, making it difficult to penetrate deep into its interior to clean.
In addition, ingredients such as cauliflower, fungus and kelp, due to their unique structure, also pose a challenge to cleaning. Fungus is also difficult to clean thoroughly due to its soft texture and many folds on the surface, which can easily hide impurities and eggs, while kelp has wide leaves and dense textures, which are also difficult to clean thoroughly.
However, there is a simple and effective way to deal with these cleaning challenges: blanching. Through a short period of boiling water soaking, it can not only remove impurities and insect eggs attached to the surface of vegetables, but also effectively reduce most of the pesticide residues.
Therefore, when cleaning hard-to-clean vegetables such as cauliflower, fungus, and kelp, you may wish to try blanching them. In this way, not only can the cleaning problem be easily solved, but also the family can bring healthier and more delicious meals.
Overall, blanching is essential for the healthy cooking of certain vegetables. This step can not only effectively remove pesticide residues and undesirable flavors from vegetables, but also make them more delicious and safer to eat.