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On a sunny afternoon in April 2019, Mr. Yu from Chongqing sat down happily to savor a freshly served toon scrambled egg.
This home-cooked dish may seem unremarkable, but it's one of his favorite spring dishes. The first bite fell into his mouth, and the freshness of the toon and the mellow and tender of the egg complemented each other, which immediately made him feel extremely comfortable.
Who would have thought that shortly after the meal, Mr. Yu felt chills all over his body, his limbs twitched, and violent vomiting and diarrhea followed. Mrs. Yu was so anxious that she saw that her husband's condition was getting worse little by little, and she did not hesitate to send him to a nearby hospital in Chongqing for treatment.
After careful examination at the hospital, the doctors diagnosed a shocking result -- Mr. Yu was suffering from multi-organ failure! A number of vital organs, including kidney function and liver function, declared a "strike" at the same time, and the situation was life-threatening for a time.
The medical staff treated him quickly and diligently, and urgently transferred him to the intensive care unit for all-out rescue.
In this way, an accident that should not have been so much turned into an irreparable tragedy. The family members were so distressed that they could not figure out how an ordinary home-cooked dish could put this healthy man in such a dangerous situation? What was the cause of the incident? The delicacy and the crisis were absurdly coexisted in a small toon bud.
In retrospect, Mr. Yu's misfortune was by no means an isolated case. Earlier, in April 2017, a similar incident occurred in Jiangsu, when a citizen named Mr. Xiao began to experience some mild symptoms of poisoning, such as diarrhea and nausea, after tasting a toon scrambled egg at home.
Fortunately, with timely medical treatment, his condition quickly improved and further deterioration was avoided.
In April of the same year, Mr. Qi, located in Hebi City, Henan Province, suffered even more serious torture. That afternoon, his wife, Ms. He, pickled a tender and delicious salted toon for him as usual, and fried it into his favorite home-cooked dish with toon scrambled eggs.
Unexpectedly, not long after the meal, Mr. Qi felt a pang of numbness in his mouth and lost consciousness, and then he began to vomit frequently, which once made Ms. He extremely worried.
After examination, the doctor diagnosed Mr. Qi as a typical food poisoning reaction.
Later, in April 2021, a man named Mr. Zhang in Xi'an City actually made a toon scrambled egg at home, and then encountered an even more terrifying experience - violent vomiting, coma, and even a life-threatening serious illness of cardiac arrest! Fortunately, 120 emergency personnel bravely treated him, and finally turned him around.
What is even more puzzling is that after examination, the doctors determined that Mr. Zhang's poisoning symptoms were actually caused by excessive intake of nitrite.
Uncover the real thing
In the face of the successive incidents of "toon scrambled egg poisoning", many scientific researchers began to carry out in-depth investigation and research, and finally cleared the fog of this mystery.
According to the exact data released by the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the nitrite content of fresh toon buds per kilogram is as high as a staggering 83 milligrams!
What is it that causes such a high nitrite content in toon buds? It turns out that during the growth of the toon, it needs to absorb a certain amount of nitrate from the soil as a nutrient, and then these nitrates will gradually be converted into nitrite in the toon's body.
It is precisely because it is in the growing period and needs a large amount of nutrients to be stored that the nitrite content in toon buds is so high.
The harm of nitrite to human health is really unpreventable. If this kind of inorganic compounds is ingested at a time of 0.3~0.5 grams, it may be poisoned, and if the intake reaches 3 grams, it will seriously endanger life safety.
What's even more frightening is that when nitrite encounters compounds produced by the decomposition of proteins and other substances, it is very easy to react further in an acidic environment to form a nitrosamine that is considered carcinogenic.
Two sources
After uncovering the truth about the high nitrite content of toon buds, we finally found the root cause of this series of "toon scrambled eggs" incident.
First of all, it is precisely because of the physiological characteristics of the toon itself that it must absorb a large amount of nitrate during the growth period, and then these nitrates are gradually converted into nitrite in the toon.
The reason why the nitrite content in fresh shoots is so high is that they are in the vigorous growth stage and need to store a large amount of nutrients as "fuel".
But that doesn't mean we can't eat toon anymore. The key point is that we must correctly recognize that different processing methods can lead to worlds of variation in the nitrite content of toon buds.
Data from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the nitrite content of toons that have been quick-frozen or cooked at high temperatures can be significantly reduced to safe levels.
In addition to the influence of toon processing methods, another root cause of these "toon scrambled eggs" incidents lies in the differences in the physique and health status of different eaters.
For those with allergies, heat and yin deficiency, or chronic diseases, ingesting toon is a risky behavior. Due to the hot nature of toon, it is easy to aggravate their symptoms, and for allergies, toon may also cause skin allergies, itching and other uncomfortable reactions.
It is precisely because of the influence of these two sources that toon, a seemingly ordinary ingredient, occasionally suddenly bursts out of its inherent "killer" nature, bringing serious hidden dangers to people's life safety.
Toon efficacy
In the event that we accidentally eat an overdose of nitrite fresh toon, how can we properly save ourselves? First of all, we should not be at a loss at all times, but should be calm and take effective first aid measures immediately.
When you find that you have symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and other poisoning symptoms, you should induce yourself to vomit violently as soon as possible, and excrete those toons from the body as soon as possible.
Next, rinse the stomach and intestines thoroughly with lukewarm water to prevent further absorption of the poison. If the body still feels dizzy and unresponsive after vomiting, then the vomiting needs to be induced again until the symptoms improve.
In any case, once there is a serious poisoning reaction such as confusion, confusion, and difficulty breathing, you must immediately call the 120 emergency number to send you to the hospital, and do not delay the illness because of panic or luck.
Only by seeking medical attention as soon as possible can we avoid irreparable tragedies.
It is very paradoxical that toon, as a traditional and precious vegetable, is actually a good product that combines deliciousness and efficacy. From a nutritional point of view, toon is rich in carotene, calcium, dietary fiber and other nutrients that are beneficial to human health.
According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, toon is peaceful, can moisturize the skin, strengthen the spleen and invigorate qi, and has the effect of dissolving phlegm and stopping bleeding.
Like many Chinese herbal medicines, although toon has remarkable efficacy, it also hides a "killer" feature. If you don't stick to the correct cooking methods and eating proportions, toon will quickly change from a nourishing product to a harmful "bane".
We must abandon the luck psychology of "people take food as the sky" and truly respect the ingredients themselves, so that we can taste the true meaning of the aroma and deliciousness of toon.
Broad new horizons
In fact, in addition to being extra cautious about fresh toon sprouts, there are many other fruits and vegetables in our daily life, which also need special attention and correct control during cooking and eating.
Black fungus, for example, is highly nutritious but contains a natural toxin called porphyrin. Once the body is exposed to light after ingestion, it is likely to trigger cell damage and inflammation in the skin area.
Therefore, when we eat black fungus, it is important to blanch it first to remove the harmful substances in it.
Another example is daylily, although it is delicious and inexpensive, it contains a mildly toxic colchicine component, which will be converted into the more harmful colchicine after entering the human body. Excessive intake can not only severely irritate the gastrointestinal tract, but can also lead to poisoning.
Rather than taking risks, it's safer to choose dried daylily.
In addition, starchy vegetables such as beans may also cause discomfort such as diarrhea if they are not thoroughly cooked. Broccoli, a seemingly harmless ingredient, actually hides a large number of insect eggs that are difficult to find with the naked eye, and must be thoroughly blanched and sterilized before it can be eaten with peace of mind.
Not only are the vegetables exquisite, but even the "three dishes of late spring" purslane and bracken that are common in spring also have their own physiological characteristics that need to be paid attention to. The sour taste in purslane is too strong, and the photophilicity is strong, so people who are prone to allergies should not eat it; Although bracken is rich in nutrients, it also contains starch, and excessive consumption may increase the burden on the body.
It can be seen that in order to safely taste Baiwei delicacies, we must pay enough attention and caution to different ingredients, master the correct cooking methods, and avoid potential food safety hazards, so as to balance deliciousness and health, and make every meal full of joy and joy.
The expansive horizon behind the delicacies is waiting to be explored.