For urban people, pickles are a very unhealthy food, but for rural people, pickles are just a side dish for meals. If you don’t eat pickles for a meal, the meal will not taste good. My grandfather is a typical case.
I remember that ever since I was a child, my grandfather always had pickles at every meal, and this is still the case today. No matter whether there are vegetables or not, grandpa only likes pickles. For the sake of grandpa's health, we have reminded him several times to pay attention to a healthy diet and try not to eat too many pickles.
However, my grandfather replied, "I have been eating pickles for more than 60 years. Now I am almost 90 years old, and my health is not very good." Indeed. Grandpa has not had any major health problems so far. Every time he goes for a physical examination, except for the known high blood pressure and spinal problems, everything else is normal.
Having said that, in front of health experts, pickles are recognized as "unhealthy foods" that cause cancer. The label of harmful to health has not been removed yet. Pickles really cause cancer and are harmful to health?
World Health Organization: Pickled food is 2B carcinogens
The reason why pickles are labeled as carcinogenic is mainly because pickles will produce a large amount of nitrites during the restriction process. Although nitrite does not directly cause cancer, after the substance enters the human body, it will react with proteins in the body to produce carcinogens-nitrosamines. Therefore the World Health Organization also lists nitrite as a 2A carcinogen.
Here comes the question. Since pickles contain a lot of nitrite, why does the State Food Supervision Administration sit idly by and allow pickled pickles to be sold in supermarkets?
It is true that pickles contain nitrite, but we usually The nitrite in the purchased pickles has reached the edible level, and the danger to the human body seems to be negligible.
Because during the pickling process of pickles, the nitrite content is not static and will change over time. Under normal circumstances, the nitrite content will reach its peak within 2 to 8 days after the pickles are pickled. At this time, the pickles must not be eaten. After 8 days, the nitrite content in the pickles will slowly decrease. After about 20 to 30 days, the nitrite in the pickles has basically disappeared, and it is safe to eat.
Although it is said that eating pickles correctly does not directly cause cancer, eating pickles for a long time is definitely harmful to the human body, so it is not recommended for everyone to eat them regularly.
What problems will long-term eating of pickles bring to human health?
1 Eating too many pickles will lead to malnutrition
Eating some pickles appropriately will not have much impact on human health, but pickles cannot be used as a substitute for vegetables. Although pickled pickles and salted fish are also made from vegetables and fish, the nutrients in the vegetables and fish will be destroyed during the pickling process, causing the nutrients in the food to be lost. If you only eat pickles but not vegetables for a long time, you will easily suffer from malnutrition.
2 Eating too much pickles can induce high blood pressure
Although the nitrite content of pickles will decrease during the pickling process, a lot of salt will be used when pickling the pickles to ensure a delicious taste and a long storage time. However, if you consume high-salt foods for a long time, the sodium ions in the salt will enter the human blood, affecting blood circulation and increasing the risk of high blood pressure.
3 Eating pickles every day will affect the health of the liver and kidneys
Eating pickles every day will not only affect the normal blood pressure, but also affect the health of the liver and kidneys.First of all, the content of sodium ions exceeds the standard The liver needs to be decomposed , thereby increasing the workload of the liver. After the liver decomposes the kidneys are needed to excrete it affecting the health of the kidneys;
Secondly, eating too much Salty food makes you thirsty easily. At this time, you will constantly replenish water to dilute the sodium ions in the body. When there is too much water in the body, the excess water needs to be excreted through the kidneys, which invisibly increases the burden on the kidneys again.
In this case, rural people eat pickles every meal, why are there so many old people?
First, most of the pickles eaten by rural people are pickled at home. will choose fresh vegetables for pickling during the pickling process. On the other hand, urbanites can only buy pickles themselves if they want to eat them. However, in order to reduce costs, some businesses will choose stale vegetables for pickling.
At the same time, when vendors pickle pickles, they pickle them in large batches, which inevitably leads to improper storage, causing the pickles to spoil . Spoiled pickles may contain aflatoxin, but aflatoxin has long been classified as a first-level carcinogen.
Secondly, the biggest difference between rural people and urban people is the difference in labor force. People living in rural areas, whether young or middle-aged or old, will do some hard work in order to survive. They will inevitably sweat while working, thereby achieving the effects of strengthening the body and expelling toxins; however, in cities Most people work in office buildings, and spend most of their time sitting still. If things go on like this, there will be a lack of exercise.
Third, rural people are more likely to be satisfied. Everyone has one thing in common: the better they live, the greater their desire. In order to pursue a better life, they add a lot of trouble to themselves, thus affecting their health. However, rural people have relatively fewer desires, and their lives will be more relaxed , making themselves delicious and less stressful. The body will be relatively healthier.
The above three points are the main reasons why there are more elderly people with long life in rural areas. To sum up, most of the vegetables that rural people eat every day are grown at home. They are relatively healthier, have enough exercise, have a good mentality, and are easily satisfied and so on.
Summary: Although it is mentioned in the above content that nitrite does not directly cause cancer, eating too much pickles is still very harmful to human health, so it is recommended that you eat less.
Reference:
[1] These 6 types of food are breeding grounds for carcinogens! The International Center for Research on Cancer has warned you a long time ago! · Health Times · 2019-04-30
[2] Long-term consumption for "good health" Do you know the dangers of pickled pickles? It may cause cancer!·Shandong Radio and Television Station·2017-07-05
