Bibimbap with lard, stir-fried vegetables in lard, yangchun noodles with lard... Add a little lard to the stir-fry, and the taste of the meal is instantly sublimated. Especially in the past era of material scarcity, a pot of lard residue is simply "the delicacy of the world".
However, with the improvement of living standards, healthy eating has attracted more and more attention. Now our families use less lard and replace it with vegetable oil. Many people have heard that prolonged intake of lard can trigger cardiovascular disease.
So, is it healthy to eat lard? Is there any nutrition? Next, let's give you a good science popularization.
Why does lard taste so delicious?
Is there any nutrition?
Lard, one of the most common animal fats in life, is one word to eat: incense.
Why does lard taste so delicious? In fact, the unique flavor of lard comes from the decomposition products of trace amounts of special proteins and glycerides. In addition, lard itself contains more than 40% saturated fatty acids, which will fuse oil, starch and cellulose, which will make the dish "crisp, crisp, moist and smooth".
So lard stir-fry is so delicious to eat, is lard nutritious?
Lard is a type of food with relatively rich composition, mainly fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and so on.
1. Fatty acids
A spoonful of lard (about 12 grams or so) contains 5 grams of saturated fat, 5.8 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 1.4 grams of polyunsaturated fat. In terms of fat composition alone, lard has an unsaturated fat content between butter and olive oil.
2. Vitamins
A spoonful of lard (about 12 grams) contains 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D, second only to cod liver oil. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium, helping the body grow and maintain bone health.
Lard also contains vitamin A, vitamin B and other essential vitamins, so lard is a relatively nutrient-rich food.
In addition, lard has high thermal stability compared with other vegetable oils, so it has a higher smoke point during the cooking process, and it is not easy to decompose to produce some harmful substances.
Lard, in the end, is to protect the cardiovascular,
Or is it cardiovascular harm?
Many people think that "in the past, lard was often eaten for lack of substances, and there were fewer people suffering from heart disease and cardiovascular disease, so eating lard was more conducive to health."
In fact, this idea is not entirely correct! The main component of lard is still fat, relatively speaking, saturated fat is more, which is also the reason why lard is criticized for being unhealthy. Because the saturated fat content is too much, it may lead to abnormal lipid metabolism, causing people's obesity and inducing cardiovascular problems.
However, lard contains both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in addition to saturated fats. For example, 100 grams of lard contains 39 grams of saturated fat, 45 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 11 grams of polyunsaturated fat. Saturated fat only accounts for 40% of lard, compared to butter's saturated fat, which far exceeds lard.
The margarine, margarine, etc. added to many desserts contain a lot of trans fatty acids, which is the greatest harm to the body.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases that we are all familiar with, it is not the result of a risk factor, but a combination of multiple risk factors, such as our common hypertension, hyperlipidemia, high blood sugar, high salt diet, smoking, excessive drinking and other bad habits and genetic factors in the comprehensive role.
If you are already a patient with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, then for lard products or try to reduce the intake, if your blood lipids have been abnormal, then it is also possible to appropriately reduce the intake of these saturated fat-rich ingredients, but if you are a relatively healthy person, in daily life, the appropriate consumption of lard will not be too much risk.
One spoonful of lard = five pairs of medicines?
Does lard have "magical" properties?
There are various sayings of lard on the Internet, "One spoonful of lard = five pairs of medicines?" "Lard can detoxify and remove toxins from marine fish such as puffer fish" "Eating lard can fight cancer"...
Tetrodotoxin is a non-protein neurotoxin that is structurally stable and very toxic. The conventional cooking methods of the family (steaming, frying, salting, etc.) are not destructive to tetrodotoxin. So far, there is no clear and specific antidote to tetrodotoxin.
"Lard", made from pig fat, has a more complex composition, which in addition to the vast majority of triglycerides, but also contains cholesterol and minerals zinc, selenium, etc., and in these nutrients, none of which has an antagonistic effect on tetrodotoxin in animal experiments. Therefore, eating lard can "detoxify" is not credible.
Many people think that "vegetable oil, heated by high temperature, is easy to produce carcinogens, while lard will not".
This statement is outrageously wrong! Lard itself contains more saturated fatty acids, and the more saturated fatty acids are consumed, the more it will increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease.
Finally, lard is really not a magical food. Lard mainly provides fatty substances and calories to the body, in the final analysis, it adds flavor to food and promotes appetite the effect is far greater than the role of supplementing nutrition to the body, and meals with lard, especially starchy foods, will unconsciously eat excess.
Eat lard and remember these points!
Although lard is rich in many nutrients, it cannot be consumed at every meal, and all foods are balanced, and the same is true for oil.
1. If you like to eat lard, strictly control each intake
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, the daily intake of saturated fat should not exceed 10% of the total calories, and the total amount of cooking oil is recommended not to exceed 25 grams. Given that it is necessary to consume the amount of fatty acids contained in other animal foods every day, excessive intake of lard can easily cause fatty acids to exceed physiological needs. Therefore, people who like to eat lard should strictly control the amount of lard each time they consume lard, and it is best not to exceed 10 grams per intake.
However, eating other foods such as meat, eggs, milk, and processed foods will consume saturated fat, so lard is still used as a concoction to eat occasionally.
2. When there are more meat dishes, try to use vegetable oil
There are dishes with more meat arranged in the main meal, such as pigs, cattle, sheep, chicken, fish, etc., and vegetable oil is used as much as possible when stir-frying. If you usually love to eat meat, try to choose vegetable oil as much as possible.
3. People who have been vegetarian for a long time can use it in moderation
Mainly vegetarian dishes, you can use a part of lard. People who have been vegetarian for a long time can choose vegetable oils or animal oils with a high saturated fat content.
4. Patients with cardiovascular disease should use as little as possible
For patients with atherosclerosis or people with high blood lipids and hypertension, the proportion of saturated fat intake can be reduced from 10% to 7%.
Source: Health Times, Science China
Editor: Yip Ka Shing