Gaining weight every holiday season? Spring Festival weight surge, revealing the truth behind the weight gain of "umami" →

The Spring Festival, as the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, is always accompanied by family reunions and delicious food feasts. However, many people found that their weight had quietly soared after the festival, and they lamented that "I gain three pounds every festival." Have you ever thought that the reason behind this weight gain may be closely related to the "excessive freshness" we eat during the Spring Festival?

The secret of umami: the magic on the tip of your tongue

Umami occupies a unique position in the taste map of Chinese cuisine. It is not as direct and strong as sour, sweet, bitter and spicy, but it has a magical power that can instantly improve the taste of dishes and stimulate the taste buds of diners.

From a scientific point of view, umami taste mainly comes from flavoring substances such as amino acids and nucleotides in food. Monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG, is the most common umami enhancer. It can trigger a unique sense of umami on the tip of the tongue, making ordinary ingredients come alive.

Seafood is undoubtedly the epitome of freshness. Freshly caught fish, shrimp, crab and shellfish only need to be steamed to give them their original sweetness. Marine fish is rich in a variety of fresh amino acids, and the nucleotides in shrimp and crab add to their freshness. Every bite is the essence of the sea.

There is also the mushroom family, including shiitake mushrooms, matsutake mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, etc. After being dried, they are soaked and stewed. The guanylic acid and other umami ingredients released can make a pot of soup extremely mellow, as if all the spiritual energy of the mountains and forests is gathered in it.

Among meats, pork, beef, and mutton, after proper cooking, their own amino acids and fats blend together to produce rich layers of flavor, making them ideal for braising or making soups.

Umami and weight: the hidden code of obesity

Appetite Trap

Umami has a powerful appetite-stimulating effect. When we taste umami food, the appetite center in the brain is quickly activated, releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which makes us feel happy and satisfied, and then we crave more.

This physiological reaction stems from the instinctive pursuit of nutritious food during human evolution. In ancient times, umami meant the acquisition of important nutrients such as protein, but now it has become the "fuse" for overeating during the Spring Festival.

When faced with delicious food, it is difficult for us to control our food intake. We often eat until we are full. The excess calories are naturally converted into fat and accumulated.

Hidden calories: The truth about the calories in umami dishes

Many delicious ingredients are cooked with high-calorie seasonings or cooking methods. Take seafood for example, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli. In addition to the calories of the scallops themselves, a large amount of garlic is used with hot oil to stimulate the aroma, and the vermicelli absorbs the scallops' delicious broth while also absorbing the fat. This seemingly light seafood dish actually has a lot of calories that cannot be underestimated.

In order to highlight the umami flavor, various oils, sugars, starches, etc. are added when cooking. For example, braised dishes require a large amount of oil and sugar to make them bright red in color and mellow in taste. These extra calories sneak into the body while we are enjoying the umami flavor. Over time, our weight gradually increases.

Digestion "Fast Lane": The Secret of Umami Food Absorption

The nutrients such as protein and amino acids in umami foods are relatively easy for the human body to digest and absorb. Take fish as an example. Its muscle fibers are short and its protein structure is loose. Compared with red meat, fish can be broken down into amino acids faster in the gastrointestinal tract and absorbed into the blood, and then used or stored by the body.

Frequent consumption of delicious food during the Spring Festival keeps the body in a state of efficient nutrient absorption. When the energy intake far exceeds the body's consumption, the remaining energy will be stored as fat, leading to weight gain.

New Food Tips for the Spring Festival

Give priority to fresh ingredients with low fat and high protein, such as various steamed seafood, skinless chicken, soy products, etc. These ingredients can not only meet the demand for freshness, but also control fat intake.

For example, using steamed sea bass instead of braised carp can reduce fat intake while retaining the freshness of the fish to the greatest extent; homemade tofu and crucian carp tofu soup made with tofu as the raw material. Tofu is rich in high-quality plant protein and has a light bean flavor. Paired with a small amount of meat or seafood, it can not only enrich the taste, but also make the whole dish nutritionally balanced and low in calories.

For mushrooms, choose fresh mushrooms instead of dried ones. Dried mushrooms absorb a lot of water during the soaking process and are more likely to absorb oil during cooking, while fresh mushrooms are full of water and have a crisp and tender taste. They are also delicious when simply stir-fried or cooked in soup, such as stir-fried vegetables with fresh shiitake mushrooms and white jade mushroom soup, which are refreshing and healthy.

Abandon high-fat cooking methods such as frying and pan-frying, and use steaming, boiling, stewing, and roasting (with less oil). Steamed shrimp, boiled pork slices (skim off the foam and fat), roasted chicken wings (wrap in tin foil to reduce oil), etc., can lock in the freshness of the ingredients and significantly reduce calories.

Reduce the use of heavy sauces and use natural seasonings to enhance the flavor. Natural spices such as lemon juice, vinegar, onion, ginger, garlic, pepper, star anise, etc. can remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor without adding too much calories.

Follow the principle of eating small meals frequently. There are many delicious foods during the Spring Festival, but don't overeat at one meal. Divide the food into small portions and eat them multiple times, so that you can continue to enjoy the freshness and avoid consuming too many calories at one time.

Eat slower and chew your food thoroughly. Each bite of delicious food stays in your mouth for a few more seconds, which not only allows your taste buds to fully appreciate the deliciousness, but also sends a satiety signal to the brain to prevent overeating. When the family sits around to eat New Year's Eve dinner, you might as well put down your phone and slowly savor each dish while chatting, which can not only enhance family communication, but also help control weight.

References

[1] Sun Zhiyang. Application and development prospects of flavor enhancers[J]. Chinese Condiments, 2011, 36(06): 1-3+9.

[2] Xie Shiyin, Su Xiao, Hu Haimei, et al. Research progress on umami substances in meat[J]. Food Science, 2024, 45(19): 384-394.

[3]Xu Yaguang, Du Chuanlai. Research progress on umami and umami peptides[J]. Journal of Chifeng University (Natural Science Edition), 2024, 40(02): 6-13.

Author: Zhao Xu

Biology and Medicine, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian

Reviewer: Zhang Chao, Li Peiyuan