Eating is the most essential aspect for humans, whether poor or rich, busy or idle, they cannot skip three meals a day. With an ever-improving standard of living, the demand for food has also been enhanced. Nowadays, dining is not just about being full but also about flavor and nutrition.
Each meal must be packed with protein, vitamins, minerals… to achieve a nutritional balance. Hence, we often need various ingredients in the kitchen to meet these needs. Among them, vegetables are an indispensable type of food in every meal, as they provide us with many types of vitamins, trace elements, fiber, and other components. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, if we want to maintain good health and satisfy our taste buds, we cannot overlook vegetables.
Three types of vegetables with more “parasites”, clean vegetables, caution when eating vegetables
Vegetables are representatives of nutrition and health. Some vegetables are not just stir-fried or used in soup but can also be eaten raw. Many people believe that eating raw preserves more nutrients, after purchasing, you can clean them and consume directly. However, in reality, one should not eat raw vegetables randomly because some types of vegetables grow in specific environments. During growth, they not only easily attract insects and trap dust particles but also tend to harbor bacteria, parasites, which are hard to detect with the naked eye. These types of vegetables cannot be eliminated by washing with clean water and may not be killed by boiling water. If eaten raw, parasites are likely to enter our bodies, affecting our health. Let us share with you three common types of vegetables that contain many “parasites”. Do not be careless before consuming them because the consequences can be severe, so do not underestimate them.
Lotus root
The autumn-winter season is the time to eat lotus root. It has high nutritional value, providing moisture, reducing dryness, nourishing the liver, and stomach, enhancing physical strength. Fresh lotus roots can also be eaten raw, they taste sweet, juicy, crispy, and delicious, similar to fruits. However, we should still avoid eating raw lotus root, as the lotus roots growing underground have been buried deep in the mud, some people use fertilizer to cultivate lotus roots to increase nutrients. Thus, lotus roots are not just covered with soil but also absorb more parasites, such as fluke, Fasciolopsis… Therefore, before consuming lotus roots, peel and clean them thoroughly, then cook them at high temperatures for a long time, such as boiling, stir-frying, steaming,… to ensure better hygiene.
Chinese broccoli
Chinese broccoli is a highly nutritious vegetable, containing a lot of vitamin C, fiber, sulforaphane, folic acid, cellulose, and other components that help protect the heart, improve vision, boost immunity, beautify and moisturize the skin…
Although Chinese broccoli is very good for health and nutrition, it requires patience in processing. Its special physiological structure makes it easy for bacteria, insects… to reproduce. Although it will be sprayed with pesticides during growth, we often find some bugs, insect eggs, and dirt when cleaning it. Additionally, according to research, Chinese broccoli also contains many parasites that are not visible. Therefore, after cleaning Chinese broccoli, it should be blanched in boiling water before cooking.
Lettuce
Lettuce is a vegetable whose edible part is mainly the leaves. In ancient times, it was praised as a highly nutritious vegetable and called the “golden thousand leaves”. Lettuce is rich in water, folic acid, potassium, vitamins, fiber, and other components that help maintain gut health, strong bones, and enhance immunity… Lettuce is moist and juicy, many people like to eat it raw and cool, which is very appetizing.
However, lettuce with many leaves piled on top of each other without a consistent structure is also a significant advantage for parasites to reside in. Therefore, the amount of parasites in lettuce is relatively high. Try to separate each lettuce leaf and wash it thoroughly; this will help prevent the smallest crevices where bacteria and parasites can reside from being overlooked.
