"When the weather is cold, I have to make some marinated meat and prepare it for the New Year." Li Lei said to Uncle Zhang, a neighbor in his community, while selecting meat at the vegetable market.
Li Lei is a chef with good skills, and he usually lives a simple life, but he likes to make some traditional pickled food. Seeing that the weather was getting colder, it was a good time to marinate pork belly, sausages, and pork belly, and he had already begun to prepare.
Uncle Zhang is Li Lei's neighbor, who is old and retired at home, and likes to wander around the community in his spare time. Today, he happened to go to the market to buy some vegetables, and when he met Li Lei, he casually said hello.
"Leizi, the marinated meat is well done, remember to leave me a piece for the Chinese New Year next year." Uncle Zhang said, smiling very kindly.
Li Lei waved his hand: "Uncle, how can you not stay, don't worry, I promise not to forget." By the way, do you usually eat a lot of cured meat? I'm telling you, although these things taste good, you have to be careful to eat too much. ”
Uncle Zhang was stunned: "What? Is there anything wrong with cured meat? ”
Li Lei smiled and touched his nose: "This cured meat, although it is delicious, there are some problems that you may not have noticed." Nowadays, many pickled foods have added preservatives, and eating too much is not good for the body. ”
He paused and said in a low voice: "Everyone knows about this preservative, but many people don't care. If you look at these common cured meats, sausages, and tripes on the market, you can't rely on them as the main food at all. ”
Uncle Zhang frowned: "Preservatives? Isn't everyone eating this thing, why do you suddenly say this? ”
Li Lei sighed: "The harm of this preservative is actually quite big, and many people ignore it. Do you know?The doctor told me that the long-term intake of preservatives has a lot to do with some chronic diseases, especially gastrointestinal, liver, and cardiovascular diseases.”
As soon as these words came out, Uncle Zhang was suddenly a little stunned: "Then I have eaten bacon sausages for so many years, isn't it ......?"
Uncle Zhang didn't dare to think about it anymore, and hurriedly asked, "Li Lei, what's going on?" Can you tell me about it? ”
Li Lei looked around to make sure that no one noticed them, so he pulled Uncle Zhang to the side of the small stall: "Uncle, if you want to know, you have to listen to me slowly." In factPreservatives are chemicals that are added to many foods during processing to extend their shelf life.
Especially for meat products, such as sausages, bacon, ham sausages, cured meat products, etc., preservatives are almost indispensable. ”
Uncle Zhang frowned: "Aren't these things all able to be stored for a long time, just put them in the refrigerator?" ”
Li Lei nodded: "Theoretically, this is the case, but some products must be added with some chemical preservatives in order to ensure long-term storage." For example, nitrite, benzoic acid, etc., these ingredients will inhibit the growth of bacteria and delay the spoilage process.
The question is,These chemicals can be harmful to the body if ingested in excess, especially the liver and kidneys.”
Uncle Zhang continued to be puzzled: "Is the preservative so powerful?" What exactly can it cause problems? ”
Li Lei sighed: "Preservatives are very harmful. You see, nitrite, which reacts with amines in the body to form carcinogens called nitrosamines.
Research shows thatLong-term consumption of foods containing nitrite can increase the risk of cancers such as bowel cancer and stomach cancer. It can also affect the health of blood vessels, leading to an increase in blood pressure and an increase in the burden on the heart. ”
Uncle Zhang was a little stunned when he heard this: "Nitrite? Isn't that eating too much, and your stomach is full of these chemicals? ”
Li Lei nodded: "Yes!" AndNot only these cured meats, but also some canned foods, ready-to-eat foods, and even instant noodles and salad dressings that we usually eat, often have preservatives added to them.”
Uncle Zhang's face was worried: "Then I have eaten it for so many years, haven't I accumulated a lot of these things in my stomach?" ”
Li Lei smiled helplessly: "To be honest, no one dares to guarantee that they have not eaten food containing preservatives. Even if you usually eat lightly, you will inevitably come into contact with these products.
Especially in the fast-paced modern life, many people will choose convenient fast food or pickled products.”
As the two walked along, Li Lei suddenly stopped, looked at Uncle Zhang and said seriously: "However, the doctor suggested that we should pay attention to more than just cured meat. There are now four foods on the market that have added preservatives, but many people completely ignore them. ”
"Oh? What else? Uncle Zhang asked curiously.
Li Lei rolled up his sleeves: "The first is fast food. For example, some convenience foods such as fried chicken, french fries, and hot dogs.
In order to keep these foods crispy for a long time, manufacturers will add some preservatives, such as sulfur dioxide, phosphate, etc. Not only do they put pressure on the liver, but they can also affect kidney function. ”
Uncle Zhang interjected: "I really haven't paid attention to this. After eating these things, the liver and kidneys are affected. ”
"Yes," Li Lei continued,The second type is canned food, especially canned fruits and vegetables.
In order to extend the shelf life, preservatives are often added to canned food, and these additives, long-term intake can cause immune system disorders and even increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. ”
“The third is sugary drinks.Nowadays, many drinks are added with preservatives, and drinks with too much sugar may not only lead to obesity, but also increase the burden on the liver and pancreas. Long-term consumption of preservative-containing beverages may also lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia. ”
“The last one is processed dairy products.Everyone knows that dairy products are a good thing, but processed dairy products such as cheese and yogurt are often added with preservatives in order to extend their shelf life.
If you eat too much, it will not only affect the digestive system, but may also damage the intestinal flora. ”
Uncle Zhang was dumbfounded when he heard this: "So many foods have added preservatives!" So how do I eat it? ”
Li Lei shrugged: "Actually,Controlling your diet and reducing your intake of foods that are high in these preservatives can effectively reduce health risks.
You see, although cured meat is delicious, if you make pickled products, try to choose natural preservation methods, such as adding an appropriate amount of salt, soy sauce and some natural spices, and avoid adding too many chemical preservatives. ”
Uncle Zhang was silent for a while: "It turns out that preservatives have so much harm to the body, it seems that we have to pay attention to it in the future." ”
Li Lei nodded: "That's right, protecting the body starts with diet." You see, a lot of problems don't show up at the beginning, but over time, they can have a huge impact on health. Controlling the intake of preservatives is the greatest protection for the body. ”
What are your thoughts on this? Welcome to discuss in the comment area! [Rose]
[2013] Zhang Long. Are preservative-free foods healthier? China Quality Journey,0,
Disclaimer: The content of the article is for reference only, the storyline is purely fictional, intended to popularize health knowledge, if you feel unwell, please seek medical attention offline.