In the morning, Aunt Zhang sat in her small courtyard, holding a bowl of hot porridge in her hand, drinking slowly while enjoying the tranquility of the morning.
This seventy-year-old man, although his hair has turned gray, his spirit is very good, and his body is very strong. Everyone said that this was all due to her insistence on drinking porridge for many years.
However, Aunt Zhang has been a little worried recently. She found that her stomach was always uncomfortable and her appetite was getting worse and worse.
She began to mumble in her heart: "Didn't you say that drinking porridge can nourish your stomach? Why did I have a problem instead?" She thought about it and decided to consult a doctor.
When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor listened to Aunt Zhang's description and told her with a smile: "Drinking porridge is indeed good for the stomach, but it also depends on how to drink and what kind of porridge to drink." You like to drink porridge with pickles, which will irritate the stomach. ”
When Aunt Zhang heard this, she suddenly realized that the way she drank porridge was wrong, which caused her stomach to be upset.
Since then, Aunt Zhang has begun to pay attention to adjusting her diet, not only drinking porridge more exquisitely, but also pairing it with other healthy foods. It didn't take long for her stomach to return to normal and her spirits to become more strained.
As a traditional eating habit of the Chinese nation, drinking porridge has been passed down for thousands of years. This seemingly simple food actually contains a wealth of health wisdom.
In recent years, with the popularization of health and wellness knowledge, people have begun to re-examine the traditional habit of drinking porridge. Some seemingly healthy eating habits may actually have hidden health risks.
01
As a semi-liquid food, porridge is easy to digest and absorb, and is very friendly to the gastrointestinal tract of the elderly. It provides the necessary nutrients without overburdening the digestive system.
Porridge can be personalized according to the taste and nutritional needs of the elderly, such as adding red dates, wolfberries and other ingredients, which is both delicious and nutritious. Drinking porridge also helps the elderly to replenish water and maintain the body's water balance.
However, drinking porridge also has some drawbacks. The nutrient density of porridge is relatively low, and if the elderly only drink porridge for a long time, it may lead to nutritional imbalance.
Drinking porridge may cause blood sugar fluctuations, and for older adults with diabetes, special attention needs to be paid to controlling porridge intake and food choices. If older people are at risk of swallowing difficulties or aspiration, they also need to be extra careful when drinking porridge.
02
Too hot porridge hurts the stomach
The temperature of porridge is too high, which often causes people to inadvertently burn the mucous membrane of the mouth and esophagus while enjoying the food. When the temperature of the porridge exceeds 65°C, the oral mucosa and esophageal mucosa can be severely damaged.
Long-term consumption of hot food can not only cause inflammation and ulcers in the mucous membrane of the mouth and esophagus, but may also increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
The gastric mucosa is the protective layer of the stomach, and once damaged, gastric acid and digestive enzymes will erode the stomach wall, causing gastritis, gastric ulcers and other diseases. Therefore, we must pay attention to controlling the temperature when drinking porridge and avoid drinking over-hot porridge.
In addition, modern medical research has also shown that high-temperature foods can destroy the nutrients in the food and reduce its nutritional value.
Drinking porridge with pickled vegetables causes cancer
Many people like to accompany their meals with some pickles when drinking porridge. However, this seemingly delicious combination may have a potential risk of causing cancer. Pickles produce nitrite, a known carcinogen, during fermentation.
Long-term consumption of pickles with high nitrite content may not only increase the risk of high blood pressure, but also cause stomach damage and increase the likelihood of stomach cancer.
03
Pick fresh pumpkin, peel off the skin, remove the seeds, and cut into small pieces for later use. Next, wash the millet, put it in a casserole, and add an appropriate amount of water. After boiling over high heat, turn to low heat and slowly boil to let the aroma of millet slowly overflow.
When the millet is cooked until it is medium-rare, add the sliced pumpkin cubes and continue to simmer over low heat.
The sweetness of pumpkin and the mellowness of millet are intertwined in the pot, giving off an enticing aroma. Finally, add an appropriate amount of sugar or honey to taste according to personal taste, stir well and turn off the heat.
A bowl of hot millet pumpkin porridge is ready, the color is golden and attractive, the taste is delicate and smooth, which warms the stomach and nourishes the skin.
04
Pick fresh shrimp, remove the shells and cut into small cubes for later use. Next, prepare vegetables, you can choose broccoli, carrots, etc., wash and dice, which not only increases the taste of the porridge, but also enriches the color.
Put the washed rice into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and bring to a simmer. When the rice is soft, add the prepared diced shrimp and vegetables and continue to cook.
At this time, salt, pepper and other seasonings can be added in an appropriate amount to enhance the umami of the porridge. Finally, sprinkle with some chopped green onions to add a hint of fragrance. In this way, a pot of shrimp and vegetable porridge is cooked.
It has both the freshness of shrimp and the freshness of vegetables, rich in nutrients and delicate in taste, which is a touch of warmth in winter and a touch of coolness in summer.
05
Drinking porridge is not only a simple eating habit, but also an art of health preservation. By choosing the right ingredients and mastering the right cooking methods, we can maximize the nutritional value of our porridge while avoiding potential health risks.
Whether it is the elderly or the young, whether it is a cold winter or a hot summer, a bowl of hot or refreshing porridge can bring us physical and mental nourishment and comfort.