Are you eating the right spices? Pairing with red meat

Spices such as green onions, ginger, garlic, and onions not only add color to dishes, but also have the effect of adding the finishing touch to enhance the flavor. Most importantly, moderate consumption has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and reduces the formation of free radicals in the body. If you want to fully absorb the nutrients of spices, should you stir-fry them over high heat? Or eat it raw?

Spices such as green onions, ginger, garlic, and onions not only add color to cooking, but also have the effect of adding the finishing touch to enhance the flavor.

Stir-fry with spices or eat raw? Nutritionist’s analysis will tell you!

Nutritionist Liu Yili from Taiwan Adventist Hospital said that all spices, including onions, ginger, garlic, etc., are most afraid of two things: "high temperature" and "long cooking time." Once spices are cooked at high temperature for a long time, the phytochemicals beneficial to human health, such as sulfide and allicin, will be largely lost, leaving only the dietary fiber component.

If spices cannot withstand high-temperature cooking, is it better to wash them and eat them raw? Nutritionist Liu Yili emphasized that although the raw food method can indeed avoid the loss and destruction of nutrients during the cooking process, it can also retain its nutritional value completely.

On the other hand, if you are not careful when cleaning and cooking, you may ingest dirt, insect eggs, bacteria, and viruses attached to the skin. In severe cases, it may even cause diarrhea, infection, poisoning, etc., so be careful!

If you really want to eat red meat but are worried that it may cause chronic inflammatory reactions in the human body, you may want to add some spices such as onions and garlic that are rich in antioxidants to the food before cooking.

Eat spices in a healthy way! Nutritionists reveal 4 dietary principles

Spices cannot be cooked at high temperatures, nor can they be eaten raw. If you want to successfully absorb the phytochemicals in spices, how should you prepare them to fully absorb the nutrients? Nutritionist Liu Yili and nurse Tan Dunci jointly reviewed the book "Safe Food: Learn from experts how to choose vegetables, boil water, and cook fish and meat correctly, so that you can eat healthily and happily without toxins!" 》It is mentioned in the book "Spicy Foods to Eat" that as long as you keep in mind the four main principles of consumption, you can fully absorb the nutrients of spices while taking into account the color, aroma and taste, and eat healthily without burden.

Principle 1: Do not cook at high temperatures

To prevent the loss of sulfide, allicin and various phytochemicals beneficial to human health in onions, ginger and garlic during the cooking process. Consumers are advised to cook the spices at a low temperature of around 80 to 120 degrees Celsius, or simply blanch them before eating, both of which will help preserve the rich nutrients in the spices and kill insect eggs and bacteria.

Principle 2: Eat with red meat

Although red meat has a higher saturated fatty acid content than white meat, it is not advisable to consume it in excess. However, if you really want to eat red meat but are worried that it may cause chronic inflammatory reactions in the human body, you may want to add some antioxidant-rich spices such as onions and garlic before cooking. This will help reduce the impact of saturated fatty acids on human health.

Principle 3: Replace seasonings

For those who like strong flavors, if you can add strong-flavored seasonings such as basil, onion, scallion, ginger, garlic, chili, etc. to the dishes in moderation to enhance the flavor of the ingredients; and use them to replace a large amount of salt, sugar, soy sauce and other seasonings, it will not only increase the intake of dietary fiber, but also obtain rich phytochemical nutrition. It is a good replacement option.

When cooking spices such as onions and garlic that are rich in sulfide, it is recommended to chop or slice them and leave them for a while to allow them to come into contact with the air so that allicin and sulfide can be produced before eating.

Principle 4: Moderate Oxidation

In addition, for spices such as onions and garlic that are rich in sulfides, it is recommended to chop or slice them and leave them for a while during the cooking process to allow them to come into contact with the air and allow allicin and sulfides to be produced before consumption.