When it comes to cranberry as a food, many people may not be familiar with it, but it has another name that you should be familiar with, which is kohlrabi. So what kind of nutrition does cranberry have, and how can we eat it more nutritious and delicious? In fact, our ancients have already regarded cranberry as a health treasure. So in this article, I will talk about the small pockets of senior health manager nutritionist Yuan, and I will talk about it in detail.
Cranberry (scientific name: Brassica oleracea var.).botrytis), also known as kohlrabi, cabbage, turnips. It is a mustard plant of the cruciferous family and belongs to the same genus as cabbage, cabbage, greens, etc. The head of cranberry is hemispherical and has fibrous folds on the surface, so it is also called wrinkled cabbage.
Cranberry originated in the Mediterranean region, mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China and other places in China, is a dual-purpose vegetable. Its stems and leaves are edible, and the flower buds are also edible as vegetables.
Next, let's talk about its nutritional value.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for the body, but it cannot be synthesized by the body itself. Vitamin C has an antioxidant effect in the body and helps to strengthen the immune system.
And cranberry is high in vitamin C. Cranberry contains 48-58mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, which is 3-4 times more than apples. Therefore, cranberry is one of the most important for vitamin C.
In addition to this, vitamin C also promotes collagen synthesis. Therefore, the rich vitamin C in cranberry can help to maintain elasticity.
Carotenoids give some vegetables their bright color. Carotenoids are natural antioxidants that scavenge free radicals in the body and help prevent cell damage.
Studies have found that there are two main carotenoids in cranberries: red and orange. These two carotenoids are found in higher amounts in cranberries compared to cabbage and cabbage. That's why it's brightly colored and looks even more attractive.
Dietary fiber refers to plant-based nutrients that cannot be broken down and absorbed by human digestive enzymes. Adequate dietary fiber intake can help with peristalsis and excrete it after binding to cholesterol, helping to control cholesterol.
The skin of cranberry and the folds on the surface contain a high amount of dietary fiber. Therefore, eating cranberry as a vegetable can obtain more dietary fiber and increase satiety.
Since cranberry is so nutritious, how can we eat it?
In ancient China, there were many ways for the consumption of cranberry. It is rumored that when Zhuge Liang set out on the expedition, he chose to pick the young shoots of cranberries as a dish. In the Tang Dynasty, Wei Xuan's "Liu Guestjia's Words" recorded: "Zhuge Liang specially ordered soldiers to plant cranberries alone in the army. Zhang Dai, a writer in the Ming Dynasty, also praised cranberry as the "five beautiful dishes", that is, raw food, sauerkraut, root can quench hunger, raw food can help eliminate phlegm, and cooking can supplement nutrients. Although modern people have a more variety of ways to cook cranberry, such as:
First of all, because the cranberry itself is tender in taste, it is very suitable for eating as a mixed dish. According to our tastes and preferences, we can choose and mix different ingredients to make colorful cranberry dishes.
Wen Yuan's small pocket.
(1) Cranberry salad
This is a Western-style salad. Common ingredients are shrimp, eggs, green beans, sweet corn kernels, etc. Use salad dressings or special sauces as a seasoning for a refreshing and delicious taste.
(2) Cranberry mixed with jellyfish
This is a Chinese-style home-style stir-fry. Sauté shredded jellyfish in oil and mix well with tender cranberries to add flavor. We can also add other side dishes such as shredded carrots, shredded bamboo shoots, etc.
Wen Yuan's small pocket.
(3) Cranberry vermicelli
On the basis of stir-frying the brine vermicelli slightly in oil, add the diced cranberries and mix well to increase the taste. Add a pinch of salt or chicken essence to taste as you like. It is both light and layered.
Since cranberry is more tender and suitable for cooking into soups, there are many kinds of soups with cranberry as the main ingredient.
Put the tomatoes and cranberries together in a soup pot and boil them in water, then add seasonings such as salt to taste. This soup is bright in color and has a unique flavor.
We can add shredded tofu to the light cranberry soup to add texture. You can also add a little chopped green onion, minced ginger, minced chili, etc., to increase the flavor.
Put the shrimp and cranberries together in a soup pot to bring out the rich shrimp aroma and umami flavor of cranberries. Corn kernels and other ingredients can also be added in the right season.
Chinese-style home-cooked stir-fry pays attention to the heat. The softness and hardness of cranberry are suitable as one of the ingredients for stir-frying.
(1) Scrambled eggs with cranberry
In the process of scrambling eggs, add an appropriate amount of cranberries to continue stir-frying, the egg aroma and the delicious taste of cranberries are intertwined, and there is a unique flavor.
(2) Stir-fried meat with cranberries
Common ones are shredded pork and shredded beef. Stir-fry the cranberries with shredded meat to neutralize some of the oiliness. You can also add minced green onions, minced garlic, etc. to enhance freshness.
(3) Fried gluten with cranberries
First, use salt water to whip the gluten and cut it into small pieces. Stir-fry with cranberries for a fuller texture. You can also add a little chicken essence to increase freshness.
There are also hybrid cooking methods in which cranberry is added as one of the ingredients during the cooking process.
(1) Braised rice with mixed vegetables
Take the abundant seasonal vegetables to make a stewed rice, and put an appropriate amount of diced cranberries into the rice and cook them together. In this way, the umami flavor of cranberry can penetrate into the rice, and the flavor is unique.
(2) Cranberry pot with pork ribs
The main ingredient is pork ribs. Put the pork ribs and cranberries in a pot, add water and simmer over low heat. This soup is thick but not greasy, and full of flavor.
(3) Assorted cranberry stew
Take seasonal vegetables such as cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, etc., cut into cubes, then add cranberries and stir-fry them slightly, and then add soup to stew. The dish is light and delicious.
So do you like to eat cranberries? What do you like about it?
1] Li Yingxue. Nutritional value and development and utilization of cranberry[J].Current Nutrition,2012,7(3):26-27
2] Yang Lirong. Nutritional value and cooking of cranberry[J].Agriculture and Technology, 2009, 29(4): 235
3] zhang d, hamauzu y. phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, carotenoids and antioxidant properties of green, red and yellow bell peppers. journal of food, agriculture & environment, 2003, 1(2): 22-27.