A 61-year-old man suffered from renal failure after eating. The doctor sighed： Don’t save this step if you are lazy in cooking.

"I didn’t expect to get into such a big trouble just because of a dish."

Mr. Li, 61, has suffered from chronic kidney disease for many years. He usually pays great attention to his health and has been eating lightly.

But not long ago, Mr. Li suddenly felt weak, unable to eat, and nauseous and vomited. After going to the hospital for examination, the serum creatinine value soared to more than 900, which was diagnosed as acute kidney injury, and he had to rely on hemodialysis for the rest of his life.

The doctor said that the "behind-the-scenes" of all this was the spinach that Mr. Li ate before his illness. Why is this?

Delicious spinach on the dining table, why does it cause kidney damage?

In daily life, everyone has eaten spinach, which contains various vitamins and minerals. But it is such a nutritious vegetable, why does Mr. Li eat it so badly that he needs dialysis?

Zhou Fangfang, deputy director of the Department of Nephrology, the Second Hospital of Ningbo, said that the cause of the patient’s illness is oxalic acid in spinach. Excessive intake of oxalic acid will promote the formation of calcium oxalate stones, which in turn will cause obstruction and damage the kidneys.

Does that mean you can’t eat spinach in the future? Don’t worry, in fact, as long as you do one more step: blanching, the worrying situation will not appear.

Mao Lichan, deputy chief physician of Department of Nephrology, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminded that vegetables rich in oxalic acid can be blanched for 60 seconds before cooking to remove most of the oxalic acid. It is suggested that when choosing spinach, try to choose tender spinach, and the oxalic acid content will be lower.

At the same time, you can eat it with some foods such as rape, mushrooms, kelp, eggplant, etc., which will help to discharge oxalic acid as soon as possible and reduce the chance of stone formation.

Dr. Mao Lichan also said that if there are symptoms such as decreased urination, edema, nausea and vomiting after eating foods rich in oxalic acid, you must seek medical attention in time to check your renal function, so as to avoid the course of chronic kidney disease and even life-threatening.

Some people who have calcium oxalate stones, kidney diseases or other metabolic diseases themselves are advised not to eat spinach as much as possible.

There are five kinds of vegetables that can only be eaten after blanching, so don’t try to save trouble.

Blanching is a step in cooking. Not all ingredients need to be blanched, but except spinach, the following five kinds have reasons for blanching. No matter how lazy you are, don’t save this step.

1. Nitrite: Toona sinensis and celery.

Toona sinensis and celery have higher nitrate content, especially in some old leaves. When cooking, it is easy for the body to ingest excessive nitrate without blanching. This substance enters the body and reacts with gastric acid and protein decomposition products to produce nitrosamines, which will be harmful to health.

2. Contains plant lectin: green beans

There is a high content of phytoagglutinin in leguminous vegetables such as green beans, sword beans and lentils. This is a toxic glycoprotein, which is difficult to kill without adequate heating, and will cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after eating. When cooking, it’s best to blanch first, which can largely avoid being undercooked.

3. Colchicine: fresh day lily

There is colchicine in fresh day lily, which will be oxidized into colchicine in the body after being absorbed by gastrointestinal tract. It has strong toxicity and will affect the function of gastrointestinal mucosa and respiratory system, leading to gastrointestinal discomfort, abdominal pain and vomiting.

It is generally not recommended that you eat fresh daylily. If you have to eat it, you can blanch it for 2~3 minutes before cooking, and then soak it in clear water for 2 hours before cooking.

4. May be contaminated by parasites: water chestnut and lotus root.

Water chestnut, lotus root and other aquatic plants may have parasites on them, so you must not make cold salad directly, and blanch it for 2~3 minutes before eating.

5. There may be pesticide residues and eggs: broccoli and cauliflower.

Vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower are difficult to clean, and there may be some pesticide residues and eggs in them, so blanching before cooking can greatly reduce the risk. It is recommended to blanch for 1~2 minutes.

If you blanch correctly and eat healthy, you can rest assured of these five points.

"Blanching water" looks simple, but if you want to affect the taste and nutritional value of food as little as possible, there is a lot of stress in it. Do the following five steps, eat healthy and eat delicious food.

1. Pot Rigadeau with some water

When blanching vegetables, you should put as much water as possible, with no vegetables as the minimum. This can shorten the blanching time and preserve the texture and nutrition of vegetables as much as possible.

Step 2 control the time

The blanching time should not be too long each time, otherwise it will lead to a large loss of nutrients in vegetables and the taste will become worse.

3. blanching together is exquisite

When you need to blanch a variety of different vegetables at a time, it is recommended to blanch the light-colored vegetables first, and then blanch the heavy-smelling vegetables with dark colors.

4. Don’t cut too small pieces

After cleaning vegetables, it is recommended not to cut them into pieces and blanch them directly, which can reduce the nutrient loss of vegetables and make them taste better.

5. Add some salt and oil when blanching.

Doing so can keep the color of vegetables green and prevent oxidase from destroying chlorophyll.

If you are not sure whether the blanched vegetables are good or not, you can also directly choose to make them into boiled vegetables, drain the water after taking them out of the pot and pour them with soy sauce, and the delicious and healthy vegetables will be ready.

References:

[1] "Shocked! Retching, abdominal distension, low back pain after a dish of home cooking … and acute kidney injury. Nephrology expert: In fact, many people love this vegetable, but the cooking method is exquisite. Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2022-12-19

[2] "Don’t forget to blanch these four kinds of vegetables before eating". Health Management Center of Fujian Second Hospital 2023-05-17

[3] "Seven kinds of ingredients bring their own harmful substances, and they must be" blanched "before eating". Life Times 2023-04-04.

Reprinting is prohibited without the permission and authorization of the author.

Read the original text