Chinese or Asian food is definitely not as unhealthy as many people think. As is often the case, what matters is who prepares them and how.
Love Chinese but worried about your health?
Are Asian or specifically Chinese foods really healthy or vice versa? We often have mixed feelings about what goes into food in stalls and restaurants. But how is it really? What do studies, analyzes and expert findings say?
You can see what the author of the YouTube channel devoted to food and tasting called Let’s Eat has to say about Yum Yum instant soups in the following post.
Source: Youtube
The dreaded unhealthy ingredients in Chinese dishes
However, instant meals do not represent well the category of Chinese or Asian dishes cooked from fresh ingredients or common convenience foods used in restaurants. What are the most common fears that accompany the consumption of Chinese food?
First of all, it is a concern about so-called glutamate, or monosodium glutamate, which has long since been overcome, but is constantly present in our minds. It is certainly not as evil as people often mistakenly believe. The “glutamate hoax,” or rather the controversial labeling of glutamine as a harmful and health-threatening flavoring and Asian restaurant syndrome, is believed to be the work of Dr. Howard Steele, who in 1968, under a pseudonym, submitted a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.
However, the results of many subsequent studies have shown that glutamine is safe. Seasoning with a strong meat taste can be harmful if consumed in large quantities, sensitive people such as allergy sufferers can also react to it. However, it is definitely safer than, for example, salt.
At Japan’s Tottori University, scientists even achieved very interesting results in dementia patients who were deliberately given 0.9 grams of glutamine in their food 3 times a day. For the purposes of this study, published in 2019 under the title “Effect of monosodium glutamate”, researchers followed 159 patients with dementia, which they divided into two groups.
Members of one of the groups were then given meals enriched with glutamine for 12 weeks. After this time, the patients were followed up for another month and cognitive ability tests were performed for comparison at the beginning and end of the study. In the group that consumed glutamine, there was a significant improvement in the cognitive abilities of the patients.
This study was one of the first, and has been followed by a number of others, to examine the effect of glutamate on cognitive function and dementia. In general, glutamate plays a key role in normal synaptic function, deregulation leads to deterioration and progression of dementia. So it seems that glutamine can actually help.
Soy sauce is another of the dreaded seasonings in Chinese cuisine. This typical snack is also seen by many as a huge problem. In the case of soy sauce, it is precisely the high salt content, however, there are also products with a reduced sodium content that you can normally buy today.
In addition to the dreaded salt, it is a product created by fermentation of soybeans. Traditionally produced sauces contain a lot of antioxidants, are easily digestible and support health thanks to the presence of probiotics. Of course, even soy or added wheat are allergens that can cause problems for sensitive people.
Junk Chinese food can be found in fast food chains
Just like fast food in general, these chains and establishments providing Asian and Chinese food can suffer from the same ailments as all other fast food outlets. Frying, excessive use of flavorings, semi-finished products and downright fatty foods present the same problem, whether it is the cuisine of Western or Eastern culture. It is clearly true that you will find quality in bistros very rarely, and therefore these dishes should not be on your menu too often, let alone daily.
However, dishes prepared using traditional Chinese cooking methods, typical ingredients and fresh ingredients represent healthy eating. Chinese cuisine is varied, it uses a large amount and many types of vegetables, it is also rich in various meats, including fish.
It also offers many fermented foods, which are known for their positive contribution to the intestinal microbiota and thus overall health. This includes, for example, the already mentioned soy sauce, but also fermented tofu, shaoxing rice wine, Chinese zhenjiang vinegar, fermented soy paste with chili, but also fermented black beans or kimchi, which is typically Korean but common in northeastern China.
Sources: eurozpravy.cz, nature.com, frontiersin.org
