Is bone soup the best way to supplement calcium? The longer bone soup is cooked, the more calcium it contains? Nutritionists Debunk Myths

Taiwanese people love to drink soup and also love to make soup, and they have to cook it long enough to make it tasty! Whether it is chicken soup or pork ribs soup, the meat and bones must be stewed together; many people believe that the longer the soup is boiled, the more nutrients in the bones and meat can be boiled out, so the essence is all in the soup. Meat that is cooked until it is dry and hard has little nutrition, so it doesn't matter if you don't eat it. Is this really the case?

Whether it is the rich chicken soup or the refreshing pork ribs soup, it is stewed with vegetables, seafood, yam, corn and other ingredients. The ingredients are delicious and it will make you salivate! The rich and fragrant soup always makes people want to drink two more bowls.

People generally believe that bone soup is very nutritious, especially suitable for teenagers, pregnant mothers, and the elderly. Many elders even require pregnant women and postpartum women to drink more bone soup to supplement calcium. In order to increase the nutritional content of the soup, housewives like to boil the soup for a long time.

Whether it is the rich chicken soup or the refreshing pork ribs soup, it is stewed with vegetables, seafood, yam, corn and other ingredients. The ingredients are delicious and it will make you salivate! The rich and fragrant soup always makes people want to drink two more bowls.

Rich in protein and minerals, bones and meat are nutritious

Nutritionist Zhang Wenyi said that chicken bones and pork bones are rich in minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc.; chicken contains high-quality protein, B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, etc., and pork also contains high-quality protein, as well as potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, etc. The longer the cooking time, the more nutrients the soup contains. However, there are three things worth noting here.

1. Drinking soup without eating meat will result in less nutritional intake

After food is stewed, some nutrients will indeed be lost into the soup, but most of the nutrients still remain in the ingredients. It is generally not recommended to chew bones, but we can eat meat. It is recommended to eat the meat in the soup when drinking it, so that you can get rich high-quality protein. If you only drink the soup without eating the ingredients, the nutrition you take in will probably be limited.

It is generally not recommended to chew bones, but we can eat meat. It is recommended to eat the meat in the soup when drinking it, so that you can get rich high-quality protein.

2. Bones may contain heavy metals, and the longer they are cooked, the more they are released.

Nutritionist Zhang Wenyi reminds that although chicken bones and pork bones contain nutrients, they may also contain heavy metals such as lead and other pollutants. The amount released may increase if they are cooked for a long time. In order to reduce the risk, it is recommended to carefully select ingredients of good quality and stew them moderately. It is not necessary to pursue an extremely rich soup. In addition, it is not recommended to suck bone marrow to avoid ingesting contaminants that are harmful to health.

3. The longer the purine is stewed, the higher the purine content. Gout and kidney patients should pay attention to this.

The longer the soup is cooked and the thicker it is, the higher the purine content will be. Gout patients are best to avoid eating it to avoid increasing uric acid concentration and causing gout attacks. In addition, bone soup has high potassium and phosphorus content and is not suitable for patients with kidney disease. For the general public, it is not advisable to drink large amounts of bone soup to avoid excessive intake of fat and calories.

Bone soup is not the first choice for calcium supplementation. Taking calcium tablets before meals can help with absorption.

So, can drinking bone soup supplement calcium? As mentioned earlier, the nutrients dissolved from the bones into the soup are limited, and naturally not much calcium, so drinking bone soup is not the first choice for calcium supplementation. In comparison, milk, dried fish and calcium tablets are relatively efficient in supplementing calcium.

If you choose to supplement calcium with calcium tablets, nutritionist Zhang Wenyi said that vitamin D3 can help calcium absorption and storage, allowing calcium to play a role in strengthening bones. Therefore, when people choose calcium tablets, they can pay attention to whether vitamin D3 is added. In addition, it is recommended to take calcium tablets before meals to enhance the effect. If taken during or after meals, the absorption rate will easily decrease.

Pair it with vegetable soup for a balanced and healthy drink

I would like to remind everyone that if you occasionally want to drink some pork rib soup or chicken soup, don’t forget to choose safe ingredients, wash them thoroughly, and avoid over-cooking so that you can drink it with peace of mind.

It is the hot summer now. When making soup, you might as well add refreshing vegetables such as onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, zucchini, winter melon, carrots, cabbage, etc. to supplement dietary fiber and balance the fat and protein in meat and soup, so that you can eat more balanced and healthier!