Green Living Guide

Author: / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: What is the relationship between cooking methods and nutrients? Cooking methods should be appropriate to retain more nutrients. For example, "steaming" causes the least damage to nutrients and is worth promoting; "boiling" and prolonged frying, deep-frying, or stir-frying will result in significant nutrient loss. It is best to minimize their use and, when necessary, use high-heat quick stir-frying to shorten heating time. When boiling soup, first bring the water to a boil before adding vegetables to reduce vitamin loss. Additionally, fresh vegetables should be washed before cutting to prevent water-soluble vitamins B and C from being washed away.
Methods to Preserve Nutrients During Cooking:
- Cooking Livestock and Poultry: About 24 hours after slaughter, when lactic acid accumulates to its highest level in the meat, the meat is most nutritious.
- Cooking Live Fish: 2 to 5 hours after the fish is killed (shorter in hot weather, longer in cold weather). At this time, the fish's protein breaks down into various amino acids that are easier for the human body to absorb, making its nutritional value higher.
- Adding Vegetables: When the oil is about to smoke or just beginning to smoke. Since the smoke point of refined cooking oil is lower, using refined oil reduces harmful substances in the smoke and maintains the quality of the oil. The ideal temperature for stir-frying is 180°C, and high-quality refined oil will already exceed 200°C when it smokes in the pan. When the oil temperature reaches 200°C, glycerol decomposes, producing harmful substances that can damage the respiratory and digestive tracts.
- Adding Iodized Salt: When the dish is about to be served, avoid adding iodized salt to the hot oil or before adding it. Experiments show that when adding salt to the hot oil while cooking a dish, the dietary iodine retention rate is only 18.7%, whereas adding iodized salt when the dish is about to be served increases the retention rate to 63.2%. This is because iodide in iodized salt is easily volatile at high temperatures and hygroscopic at high humidity, so it should be stored in a brown glass bottle, tightly sealed, and kept in a dark, cool, dry place away from heat sources. Adding salt after cooking can maintain flavor while reducing salt intake, effectively lowering sodium consumption.
- Adding MSG: When the dish is about to be served to avoid the harmful transformation of MSG into monosodium glutamate under high heat. Add MSG when the dish is almost cooked. Avoid adding MSG to foods containing soda, baking soda, or vinegar.
- Adding Soy Sauce: When the dish is about to be served to avoid nutrient loss.
- Adding Cooking Wine: When the pot reaches the desired high temperature for optimal effect, such as when pan-frying fish for red-braised fish, immediately spray it after frying for the best results.
- Washing Rice: Avoid rinsing with running water or hot water, or scrubbing vigorously. Generally, rice should not be washed more than three times. Wash vegetables or fruits with running water (at least the last time) if suspected of excessive pesticide residues, or soak them in rice water first.
- Washing Fruits and Vegetables: Wash them before cutting. If cut first, most water-soluble vitamins will dissolve into the water through the cuts. Cook and consume immediately after cutting. Fruits and vegetables certified as "green food" by national authorities can be eaten with their skins, and it is best to consume them raw to avoid nutrient loss.
- Blanching Vegetables: Add vegetables to boiling water and minimize their time in the water. Do not squeeze out too much water after blanching. When using vegetables as fillings, do not squeeze out the juice but add a little starch to prevent nutrient loss.
- Cooking Vegetables: Concentrate the broth and eat it with the vegetables. Add vegetables to boiling water when cooking. When cooking bone broth or fish broth, add a little vinegar to promote calcium dissolution and absorption. When cooking porridge or rice, first bring water to a boil before adding the rice or cooking it directly with boiling water. This reduces the loss of vitamin B1 as the chlorine in the water evaporates.
- Stir-frying Meat and Other Animal Products or Vegetables: Use high-heat stir-frying. Overcooking green vegetables can cause a 50%–90% loss of folic acid. Minimize water addition when stir-frying to reduce the loss of water-soluble vitamins and inorganic salts.
- Steaming Lean Meat, Fish, and Vegetables: Use steaming for foods with mild flavors. Steam after the water boils to reduce nutrient loss.
- Frying: Frying causes severe nutrient loss, but if a layer of batter is applied to the surface of the food to prevent direct contact with the oil, it can protect the nutrients. Repeatedly heating various cooking oils at high temperatures causes oxidation, producing toxic and carcinogenic substances. Therefore, oil used for frying should not be used for cooking. Vegetable oils should also not be consumed excessively (no more than 30 grams per day) and should be paired with animal fats to maintain nutritional balance.
What to Pay Attention to When Cooking Rice?
As the saying goes, "A man is iron, and rice is steel; one meal without it leaves you hungry." Rice is a necessity for survival, the main source of carbohydrates, and contains a large amount of B vitamins and vitamin C. Currently, some young women skip meals to lose weight, but experts have found that while weight may decrease, health will be affected if a person does not eat rice for a long time. The importance of rice is obvious, but scientific cooking methods are also crucial. First, the loss of vitamin B during cooking is proportional to the cooking time. If cooked with cold water, vitamin B loss is about 30%, while boiling water significantly reduces this loss. Second, avoid adding alkali when cooking porridge. Adding alkali makes the porridge cook faster, but frequent use of alkali destroys the B vitamins and vitamin C in the porridge. Long-term consumption of such porridge can lead to indigestion, rapid heartbeat, beriberi, mouth ulcers, and bleeding gums. Additionally, do not add water during cooking, as this results in undercooked rice and poor flavor.
How to Pay Attention to Iodized Salt Consumption?
Many people lack knowledge about iodized salt consumption. Since iodine is chemically active and easily volatile, improper storage or cooking can significantly reduce its effectiveness. Therefore, when consuming iodized salt, attention should be paid to:
1. Do not store it in an open container for long periods to avoid contact with sunlight and air, which can cause iodine to volatilize. It is best to store iodized salt in a brown glass bottle and keep it tightly sealed. Avoid excessive purchases to prevent prolonged storage.
2. Do not add salt to high-heat cooking to avoid iodine volatilization. It is better to add salt just before serving.
3. Do not cook it with animal fats, vinegar, tomatoes, or pickled vegetables, as chemical reactions can reduce iodine utilization.
Vitamin Deficiency and Remedies
You can see which nutrients you are lacking from external body changes.
- Cracked lips and blurred lip lines are early signs of lip disease, indicating a lack of vitamin B2 and vitamin C. Solution: Eat more green vegetables, citrus fruits, tomatoes, fruits, and potatoes, and take vitamin B and vitamin C supplements.
- If your tongue is overly smooth, with raised papillae, yellowish or whitish sides of the tongue, it indicates a lack of folic acid and iron. A lack of these substances can hinder red blood cell production in the bone marrow, leading to glossitis, anemia, digestive disorders, and poor growth and development. Solution: Eat more animal liver, spinach, and whole-grain bread, and take B-complex vitamin pills containing folic acid.
- If your corners of the mouth are red, dry, cracked, and painful, you may have angular cheilitis due to insufficient nutrition. If left untreated, it can lead to mouth ulcers and lymphadenitis. The cause is often a lack of iron, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and vitamin B6. A lack of these vitamins can cause anemia and affect growth and development. Solution: Eat green vegetables like spinach, beef, liver, and beans, and take B-complex vitamin pills.
- If the sides of your nose are red, shiny, oily, and peeling, it indicates a zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency can cause poor appetite and metabolic disorders. Solution: Zinc is present in most foods, so a balanced diet can correct zinc deficiency. Alternatively, take multivitamin pills containing zinc.
- If pulling out hair causes pain and hair strands easily tangle, it indicates a lack of vitamin C and iron. If hair color becomes lighter or duller, it may indicate low vitamin B12 levels. A lack of vitamin B12 affects red blood cell production and the nervous system. Solution: Eat dairy products, liver, fish, and beans, and supplement with B vitamins.
- White spots on nails indicate zinc deficiency. Brittle nails indicate iron deficiency. Solution: Eat spinach, liver, and pork, beef, lamb, and take multivitamin pills containing zinc.
What Are the Basic Rights and Obligations of Citizens in Environmental Matters?
This refers to the legal right of citizens to live in a clean, beautiful, and suitable environment and the right to exclude others from destroying such a comfortable environment. Since the environment is shared by all humans, citizens must fulfill their obligation to protect the environment while enjoying this right. The integration of these two aspects constitutes the complete environmental right of citizens.
Article 6 of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Regulations explicitly states: "Citizens have the right to enjoy a good environment and the obligation to protect the environment."
Article 6 of the Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates: "All units and individuals have the right and obligation to protect the environment and the right to report and sue units or individuals that pollute or damage the environment."
Article 41 further states: "Those causing environmental harm are responsible for eliminating the harm and compensating directly affected units or individuals for losses."
Other laws, such as the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China, the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China, the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Marine Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, also have similar provisions, all of which establish the right of citizens to a clean and comfortable environment.
The environmental right of citizens is essentially an extension of the provisions in the General Principles of the Civil Law of the People's Republic of China regarding "the right to life and health" and "the protection of legally owned property."
At the same time, Article 124 of the General Principles of the Civil Law states: "Those who pollute the environment and cause harm to others shall bear civil liability in accordance with the law."
As well as criminal law provisions regarding environmental crimes, these also establish legal protection for citizens' environmental rights.
It should be noted that when exercising environmental rights, citizens must themselves comply with the law. Citizens cannot abuse their rights when exercising environmental rights. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Article 11, states: "When exercising freedom and rights, citizens shall not harm the interests of the state, society, collectives, or the legally owned rights and freedoms of other citizens."
If affected by environmental pollution, citizens have the right to demand that pollution be stopped, reduced, or eliminated, but they must not use illegal means to prevent illegal acts.
At the same time, the comfort aspect of environmental rights must be determined by specific authorities in accordance with legal procedures and standards, as well as measurement methods.
Environmental Education Must Reach the Family
Integrating environmental education into the family, transforming parents' traditional concepts, and raising their environmental awareness plays a vital role in consolidating school environmental education achievements and extending its impact to the family and society.
Many schools in Shanghai's Changning District have carried out environmental education activities under the "Little Hands Holding Big Hands" initiative. By educating one generation, they have influenced parents and grandparents, achieving a heartening situation where three generations share the benefits of environmental education.
Students in schools have promoted messages such as "Water is the source of life," "Prohibit the use of single-use non-degradable items," and "Use green appliances," as well as the "Seven Behavioral Norms" advocated by the municipal party committee and government. They have investigated parents' behaviors, such as wasting water, forgetting to turn off lights, and littering, and monitored actions like leaving running water while brushing teeth, using vegetable water to mop the floor or flush the toilet, and hanging clothes on tree branches. These efforts have raised the environmental awareness, ethics, and behaviors of family members.
It has been proven that people prefer to study, work, and live in safe, clean, comfortable, and harmonious environments. Such environments not only promote physical and mental health but also improve work efficiency.
The improvement of environmental awareness, in addition to school education, must also rely on family education, requiring everyone to contribute to improving the environment and creating better conditions. This makes environmental education a conscious psychological demand and a conscious behavior.