How to eat pickled vegetables healthily

Many people have heard that vegetables stored for a long time will produce nitrite, pickled vegetables can cause cancer, should be eaten as little as possible. In fact, scientifically produced pickles do not bring the problem of excessive nitrite, and the problem of excessive salt can be solved by reducing the amount of salt added in cooking. With qualified pickles to replace part of the salt, without increasing the salinity, you can also get additional dietary fiber and potassium, and add a unique flavor.

Indeed, vegetables tend to enrich nitrate, and more than 80% of the nitrate consumed by people comes from vegetables. However, nitrate itself is not only non-toxic, but has also been shown to have cardiovascular benefits. In the process of vegetable storage, nitrate reductase will convert nitrate into nitrite; in the pickling process, microorganisms can also convert nitrate into nitrite, which will lead to poisoning when excessive nitrite intake. In fact, cabbage, radish, potatoes and other vegetables used to store vegetables in winter have good storage resistance. according to measurements, under suitable storage conditions of temperature and humidity, they will not be caused by excessive nitrite, such as Chinese cabbage. Only in the state of decay after freezing, it is possible that nitrite is too high, leading to the risk of food poisoning.

As for the concern that pickled vegetables cause cancer, it is not so absolute. A large number of measurements showed that the content of nitrite reached the peak within a few days to more than ten days after curing, but decreased slowly after 2 to 3 weeks, and generally reached a safe level after 20 days. What really needs to be vigilant is short-term pickled vegetables, that is, the so-called "pickled vegetables". Among them, the combination of high levels of nitrite and trace amino acid decomposition products will also produce carcinogen "nitrosamine", which is one of the inducements of gastric cancer. Therefore, do not think that home-made vegetables must be safe, only when the pickling time reaches more than 20 days, can you rest assured to take out and eat.

Sauerkraut, kimchi and other beneficial bacteria ferment food, if the use of pure culture bacteria, and strictly control the fermentation conditions, the nitrite content in the product is very low. This is because lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria themselves do not produce nitrite, only miscellaneous bacteria pollution, will bring this kind of trouble. When buying pickles in the supermarket, you must look at the QS logo, it is best to have universities, research institutes and other technical support, the safety of such products is guaranteed.

However, even if there is no nitrite problem, eating a lot of pickled vegetables can still increase the risk of stomach cancer. This is because excessive salt itself is a factor that promotes the occurrence of gastric cancer, because high salt will make the surface of the gastric mucosa lose the protection of the mucous layer, so that it is directly damaged by various factors in food. On the other hand, surveys in areas with a high incidence of cancer have shown that the lack of vitamin C, vitamin B2, carotene and a variety of antioxidants in fresh vegetables increases the risk of esophageal and gastric cancer. Therefore, when there are enough fresh vegetables, it is better not to let pickles and dried vegetables play a leading role on the table.

However, the love of the flavor of pickles and the pursuit of healthy nutrition are not incompatible. First of all, salt is always used in cooking. If pickles are used instead of salt, under strict control of salinity, it can also increase the intake of some minerals and dietary fiber than adding salt directly. At the same time, pickles can be used to increase flavor and save monosodium glutamate chicken essence. In this way, the negative effects of pickles become positive.

For example, the original fried beans with salt, now stir-fried with salty vegetables and beans, save the salt and monosodium glutamate, the taste is very good; originally mixed with cold fungus with salt, now directly use blanched fungus with chopped purple cabbage kimchi, add a little vinegar and sesame oil, the color is beautiful and the taste is fresh; prepare to stir-fry beef strips with salt and soy sauce, now change to kimchi radish strips, eat with a different flavor When stewing fish and meat, add refreshing and fragrant sauerkraut, or a variety of dried vegetables, not only add delicious flavor to the whole dish, but also increase the supply of dietary fiber and minerals, while avoiding the greasy monotony of pure fish and meat.

In short, for the traditional pickles and dried vegetables, instead of demonizing it, it is better to use it reasonably. First of all, we should make it reasonably to ensure safety; second, we should limit the quantity and eat it occasionally; third, we should ensure that eating pickles does not interfere with the intake of fresh vegetables; and finally, we should pay attention to that when eating pickles, we should reduce the amount of salt in cooking correspondingly, and do not increase the total amount of salt in a meal.