Clean white

Author: Zhang Enlai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: White foods refer to those with a natural white or light color. In addition to the color of the food itself, some food ingredients, such as poultry and fish, are considered white foods because their colors are more delicate compared to the red meat commonly referred to as "red meat." Therefore, poultry and fish are also classified as white foods. White foods come from animals, plants, and other sources, with a wide variety of types, rich nutrition, and delicious flavors, making them highly favored by people. Among white foods, grains like rice and flour are most closely related to humans. They are not only the primary source of human energy but also fundamental nutrients. Rice, flour, and similar foods are used as staple foods and processed into various pastries. They are also used as auxiliary ingredients in cooking and are important raw materials for many seasonings.
In white foods, aquatic products are the main source of animal protein and contain a variety of essential nutrients for the human body. Poultry, such as chickens and ducks, have nutritional profiles similar to fish and are also important food ingredients. White foods are widely distributed in nature. In addition to seafood, poultry, and eggs, vegetables like lily bulbs, water chestnuts, lotus roots, white radishes, bamboo shoots, and garlic; fungi like monkey head mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, Tremella fuciformis, and bamboo fungus; and fruits like lychees, lotus seeds, lotus nuts, pears, and almonds are all important white foods. Additionally, ingredients like pork skin, pork brains, tendon, sheep kidneys, milk, and beef marrow can also be classified as white foods.
Traditional Chinese medicine research suggests that the five colors of food correspond to the five internal organs of the human body: red corresponds to the heart, green to the liver, yellow to the spleen, white to the lungs, and black to the kidneys. With the advancement of science and technology, modern nutritionists have conducted in-depth research and generally believe that white foods are a relatively ideal health food. They are not only rich in nutrition but also serve as effective remedies for preventing and treating diseases. For example, milk contains conjugated linoleic acid, which can inhibit the growth of various tumors. Vegetables like water chestnuts, lotus roots, bamboo shoots, and white radishes have certain effects on regulating vision and stabilizing emotions, benefiting patients with hypertension and heart disease. Water chestnuts, winter melons, bamboo shoots, and white radishes contain fiber and some antioxidants, which can enhance immune function, prevent ulcers and stomach cancer, and protect the heart. Garlic, an indispensable seasoning in cooking, contains compounds like alliin, allicin, and ajoene, which can lower blood lipids, prevent coronary heart disease, kill various cocci, bacilli, molds, protozoa, and trophozoites, and inhibit the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach, thereby reducing the risk of stomach cancer.