Sweet potato leaves are very effective in protecting the liver and detoxifying. Which is healthier, boiled or fried?

People often suffer from insomnia due to stress, gain weight due to overeating during social activities, and have bad breath due to bad temper. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that these symptoms are mostly related to poor liver function and recommends eating more dark green vegetables to nourish the liver and detoxify. However, there are many types of dark green vegetables. Which one is better? Of course, it is the sweet potato leaves which are available all year round, cheap and have great value for money. However, guess what, viewers, which one is healthier, boiled sweet potato leaves or stir-fried sweet potato leaves?

The liver is the largest detoxification organ in the human body. Toxins, whether external or produced by the gastrointestinal tract, must be processed by the liver before they can be excreted from the body. The liver is also an important digestive and metabolic organ that can metabolize fat, convert it into nutrients needed by the human body, and distribute it to cells in various parts of the body to promote the functioning of body functions.

Be the backup for your liver! Sweet potato leaves are the best choice for liver protection

St. Martin's Hospital nutritionist You Weiming said that there are two major strategies for "liver protection". The first is to let the liver rest well and avoid overwork, and the second is to supplement more antioxidant nutrients. Compared to most vegetables, sweet potato leaves are not only high in fiber, but also contain more antioxidants, especially vitamin A, vitamin C and polyphenol phytochemicals. They are an indispensable national food for protecting the liver and detoxifying.

Sweet potato leaves are not only high in fiber, but also contain more antioxidants. They are an indispensable national food for protecting the liver and detoxifying.

Anti-inflammatory ingredients such as vitamin A, vitamin C and polyphenol phytochemicals can help the liver remove free radicals and toxins. In addition, the dietary fiber in sweet potato leaves can promote intestinal peristalsis, help defecation, shorten the time that feces stays in the intestine, thereby reducing the production of toxic substances and detoxification. What is special is that water-soluble fiber can also absorb oil, help the liver reduce the metabolic workload, lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides, and thus prevent visceral fat and hyperlipidemia.

According to the Food and Drug Administration's Food Nutrient Database, every 100 grams of sweet potato leaves contains an average of 3.18 grams of dietary fiber, about 4698 IU of vitamin A, about 26 milligrams of vitamin C, and 2766 micrograms of beta-carotene.

After boiling the sweet potato leaves, turn off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, stir-fry and then remove from the heat to retain more nutrients.

Which is the best way to eat sweet potato leaves: boiled or fried?

As for how to cook sweet potato leaves in a healthier way, nutritionist You Weiming believes that the key lies in the "heating time" and "heating temperature". Most nutrients are easily destroyed by heat. Experiments have found that if sweet potato leaves are heated for more than 3 minutes, nutrient loss is particularly obvious. Therefore, it is recommended that the cooking time be controlled within 3 minutes.

Regarding the heating temperature, the maximum temperature for boiling is 100℃, while the temperature for frying in oil can easily exceed 100℃, so boiling is recommended. However, do not use too much water when boiling to prevent nutrients from flowing into the water. Unless you drink the cooking water, otherwise the nutrients will be wasted.

It is particularly important to note that vitamin A and β-carotene are both fat-soluble vitamins. It is recommended to boil the sweet potato leaves in water, turn off the heat, add vegetable oil and stir-fry before removing from the heat. Low-temperature oils can promote the intestinal absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, prevent the sweet potato leaves from fading and give them a glossy feel, retaining more nutrients and polyphenols.

【Health Tips】:

Although eating sweet potato leaves has many health benefits, nutritionist You Weiming also reminds that people with digestive problems such as gastric ulcers and diarrhea should not eat too much, so as to avoid the "insoluble fiber" that is not easily digested and irritating the stomach and intestines.