Everyone has different eating habits. Some people like to eat meat, while others prefer vegetarian food. Different eating habits also mean different cooking habits, which is why the same ingredients can produce different tasting foods. However, there are also some bad habits that can lead to the loss of nutrients in food and harm the body.
1. Storing large amounts of food
Many people buy a lot of food and stuff it into the refrigerator either because they are busy or lazy. The longer the food is stored, the longer it is exposed to air, resulting in more loss of nutrients. For example, green leafy vegetables lose 10% of their vitamins for every additional day they are stored; spinach loses 50% of its folic acid when stored at room temperature for 4 days; and fish stored in the freezer for 3 months can lose around 30% of its vitamins A and E.
2. Thinking that refined rice and flour taste better
The more refined the grain processing, the more loss of vitamins and minerals, as B vitamins, dietary fiber, and inorganic salts are all found in the husk and germ of grains. In fact, coarse grains are not only a type of grain, but also related to the processing method.
3. Eating various types of meat
Meat is acidic, and when a person consumes a lot of acidic food, their blood becomes more acidic. The body uses sodium and calcium to neutralize the excess acid, resulting in the loss of these two nutrients. Therefore, it is best to eat some fresh vegetables and fruits when consuming meat.
4. Freezing leftovers
Have you ever thawed a large piece of meat, cut off the portion you need, and then refreeze the rest? Let me tell you that repeatedly freezing fish and meat can lead to the loss of various nutrients such as protein and vitamins, and may also increase the risk of bacterial contamination. It is best to cut the meat into small pieces and package them separately when it is fresh, and only take out what you need to consume.
5. Thinking that longer cooking time makes food taste better
The longer and hotter the cooking process, the more loss of various nutrients. Therefore, I recommend controlling the cooking time to about 20 minutes for rice and stir-fried dishes, and not exceeding 2 hours for cooking meat.
6. Thinking that copper and aluminum pots are good
In fact, stainless steel pots, iron pots, and glass pots are all good choices. Heating aluminum pots can increase the loss of vitamin C, while copper pots are known as "enemies of vitamins". Cooking acidic foods such as tomatoes and lemons in an iron pot can increase the absorption of active iron by 10 times.
7. Discarding certain vegetable leaves
We often throw away the leaves of celery and bamboo shoots. In fact, these vegetable leaves contain rich nutrients. For example, the carotene and calcium content in bamboo shoot leaves are 5.4 times higher than that in the stem.
Editor's suggestion: Steaming is better than boiling when cooking because noodles and dumplings can cause the nutrients in the dough to leach into the soup. Therefore, it is best to drink the soup along with the dumplings and noodles. Deep-fried pastries generally do not contain vitamins.
