Using spices in food: Delicious and healthy

Spices not only help create the unique and delicious dishes but also have certain effects on health.

If the good use of spices brings positive effects, but when the wrong is used, the wrong use can also have many potential health risks.

Spices are an indispensable ingredient in cuisine, the contribution of spices creates a multi-colored “culinary picture”. According to the definition of scientists and biology, spices are foods, herbs or chemical compounds added to dishes. Spices make food have a characteristic taste, attractive color, taste better, stimulate the digestive system of people to make the food easier to digest, and can be processed according to the principles of the East. y (welding food, heat) or the yin and yang principle with special foods.

There are many types of spices such as: fish sauce and salt (creating a salty taste); Housing, pepper, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, … (creating a spicy taste and characteristic smell), herbs such as coriander, basil, cumin, turmeric, … are eaten raw or added to food when marinated, Processing. Each type of spice, which can be processed with different doses, reductions, even different recipes suitable for each dish, reflects the ingenuity and sophistication of a culinary art with the chef. .

The role of spices: Spices are very important to season, locate food effectively, increase flavor, flavor, attractive color, stimulate digestion, make the dish more lively and attractive. enjoyers. Some spices are also used for the purpose of processing dishes according to the principles of Oriental medicine, similarity and incompatibility (the dish causes cold stomach, welding with spicy, hot spices). The mix of spices (dosage, proportion, type of seasoning) is associated with the housewives’ experience and culinary level, often there is not a common recipe for all dishes. Each dish has one or several typical spices (some meat comes with shrimp paste, chili, galangal root, lemongrass root, dog basil; fish soup must be cooked with a spoon; boiled chicken must be dipped in lime salt. and lime leaves, flipped duck eggs served with sliced ​​ginger and coriander, …).

Many familiar spices such as lemon basil, mint … have positive effects on health

Herbs: Lettuce, basil, smell, oregano, fresh onions, chili, garlic …) provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, are very good plant “antibiotics”. Green vegetables (cauliflower, celery, leeks, tomatoes, …) and fruits (oranges, lemons, mandarins …) are a source of vitamin C, vitamin C in the fruit is not lost due to processing. Out. B – Carotene is found in yellow, orange or dark green vegetables such as red pepper, carrots, tomatoes, mango, gac, red rose, greens, water spinach, green onions … Green vegetables are also a good source of folic acid, vitamin K. Legumes are rich in B vitamins (B1, B2). In addition, spices “natural antibiotics” are effective in preventing flu and viruses such as onions, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, apricot leaves, perilla, oregano, basil, mint, herbs, basil, …

But if raw vegetables are not hygienic (while using fertilizers: fresh manure, composted manure, using improper pesticides, …) is a carry-on dish. pathogen for the user: susceptible to gastrointestinal infections, helminthiasis, acute and chronic pesticide poisoning.

To ensure safety when using, it is necessary to pre-process and wash many times with clean water, it is best to wash each leaf directly under running water is the most effective method to remove worm eggs, pathogenic bacteria. and residues of pesticides still on the leaves of vegetables. Soaking raw vegetables in a dilute solution of potassium permanganate (usually a 1% solution of potassium permanganate) or dilute saline is often not hygienic. Through a number of experiments showed that, in the purple, dilute salt water, there is no effect on worm eggs and some pathogenic bacteria. The amount of plant protection chemicals is not significantly reduced if not rinsed many times.

Overuse of spices can have many potential health risks

So should apply the way to wash raw vegetables with clean water several times, then pick up the vegetables, drain before eating.

Salty spices such as fish sauce, salt, soup powder, … should be extremely limited, so eat them lightly because it is associated with a number of diseases. One 5g teaspoon of salt contains about 2000 mg of sodium, which is equivalent to the amount of salt that should only be consumed during the day for a normal adult without high blood pressure. Abandoning the habit of consuming foods containing a lot of salt such as salted eggplant, pickles, shrimp paste, shrimp paste, canned foods …

For a salt-restricted diet, individuals and families can reduce their salt intake with the following simple measures:

– Reduce the amount of salt, soup powder, fish sauce … added to food when cooking. The maximum is no more than one-fifth of a teaspoon of salt per one’s meal a day.

– Limit the use of products with high salt content such as french fries, pizza, canned foods …

Choose products with a low salt content when buying processed foods.

Read the labels when buying processed foods to check the salt content.

– Children should eat natural foods and strictly control the addition of salty spices.