In the spring you always want vitamins. Tired of the long winter without fresh vegetables, every spring we pounce on vegetable dishes. But it must be remembered that for accelerated ripening of fruits in vegetable stores, fertilizers containing nitrates are usually used, which are not easily removed from vegetables. And nitrates can cause serious health problems.
To maximize the neutralization of nitrates, it is important to adhere to several rules.
Ideally, it is generally better to refrain from eating early vegetables and wait at least the end of May. Then the amount of nitrates will be much less.
The external signs of the fruits indicate whether they were exposed to excessive influence of nitrates: for example, the absence of a sweet taste, but the presence of a bright color and unripe seeds in watermelon and melon suggests that the concentration of nitrates in them is "off scale". Cucumbers may have a thick and smooth skin as a sign of “nitration”. It is also better not to buy large fruits.
Before cooking, the vegetables must be thoroughly rinsed - first under cold, then under hot water, and finally, pour over boiled, but not hot, water.
An even better way is to soak the sliced vegetables in cold water for 15-20 minutes. Then most of the nitrates are guaranteed to be released into the water.
What is the best way to cook vegetables? When boiled, the nitrate level is reduced by 50-80%. When baking, stewing or steaming, the amount of nitrates is reduced by 30-50%. Frying is the least effective in this regard - only 10% of nitrates are neutralized.
You can neutralize nitrates by adding citric acid or pomegranate juice to the finished dish. You can also drink a little vitamin C before eating fruits and vegetables with suspected nitrates.
