After eating bacon and pickles, it is recommended to eat an orange or kiwi fruit.

On a cold morning, when eating a bowl of hot porridge, wontons or noodles, you can add pickles, mustard tubers, sauerkraut, pickled radish, olive paste... and for dinner, there are pickled bacon, sausages, salted fish, etc.... When thinking of these pickled vegetables, many people immediately want to drool.

But when people eat preserved foods, they always have concerns because they contain carcinogenic nitrites. Nitrite mainly refers to sodium nitrite, which is a food additive that looks very similar to table salt. It is often used as a color preservative for meat to maintain the color and quality of meat. It can also inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and extend the shelf life of meat. It is not harmful to the human body if added according to standards.

So how much nitrite is harmful to the body? Ingestion of 0.3 to 0.5 grams of nitrite can cause poisoning, and 3 grams can cause death.

Fresh leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, celery, and toon are rich in nitrates. During the pickling process, bacteria and fermentation bacteria convert nitrates into nitrites. Many people make their own pickled vegetables at home, but the conditions do not meet the requirements, which makes it easier to produce nitrite.

Patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, pregnant women and children should eat less or even no pickled foods.

How can we enjoy pickled vegetables in a healthy way?

1. Vitamins should be supplemented after eating pickled vegetables

The nitrite in pickled vegetables will be converted into nitrosamines when entering the human body, which can damage the gastric mucosa. It is recommended to supplement with an appropriate amount of vitamin C after eating pickled vegetables. Vitamin C is a very strong antioxidant that can block nitrite from forming nitrosamines and reduce the nitrite content. Foods rich in vitamin C: such as tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bitter melon, winter dates, kiwis, strawberries, cherries, oranges, lemons, etc.

The following four fruits rich in vitamin C are recommended

1. Orange: A medium-sized orange can provide approximately 70 mg to 90 mg of vitamin C. It can be eaten directly or squeezed into juice and drunk.

2. Lemon: Lemon is rich in vitamin C, but it tastes sour. Lemon is usually used to soak water, make drinks or as a seasoning for dishes. Usually, we can add a few slices of lemon to a glass of warm water, which can not only add flavor but also provide vitamin C.

3. Strawberries: Rich in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. The content of vitamin C in every 100 grams of strawberries is about 47 mg.

4. Kiwi: The vitamin C content is extremely high. The vitamin C content in every 100 grams of kiwi can reach 62 mg to 143 mg, which is much higher than other fruits.

2. Marinate for at least 20 days before eating

The nitrite content changes during the vegetable pickling process. Generally, the nitrite content in the pickled vegetables is highest around 1 week. There is a risk of poisoning if consumed at this time. After that, the nitrite content gradually decreases. It is recommended to wait at least 20 days after pickling before eating.

3. Add more ginger and garlic when making pickled foods

Some people think that purchased pickles are unhygienic and choose to make them at home. It is recommended to add more ginger and garlic when pickling, because garlic and ginger contain sulfur compounds, allicin and trace element selenium. These spicy seasonings can not only help inhibit nitrate-reducing bacteria in the stomach and reduce the content of nitrates, but also enhance gastrointestinal motility and promote the secretion of digestive juices, thereby accelerating the decomposition and excretion of harmful substances. In addition, vitamin C can also be added when making pickled foods (add 400 mg of vitamin C to every 100 grams of pickled foods) to block the formation of nitrites.

□Lin Lisu, nurse at Wenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital