In daily life, there are not a few people who are diagnosed with diseases such as fatty liver, atherosclerosis, heart hypertrophy, insulin resistance, and diabetes. And these diseases are all related to excessive body fat!
So, is there any food that can help us eliminate the fat in our bodies and achieve a healthy state?
There really is, and it is – konjac!
Eating konjac in winter can relieve constipation, reduce fat, and control the “three highs”
Konjac products have been recognized by the United Nations Food Hygiene Organization as “precious natural health foods”. They have titles such as “the king of dietary fiber”, “magic food”, and “intestinal cleaner”. Eating it regularly has many benefits –
- Removing blood stasis and dissipating nodules
Konjac, also known as Amorphophallus rivieri, is an ingredient that can be used both as medicine and food. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that konjac has a pungent and cold nature. It has effects such as promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, detoxifying and reducing swelling, anti-tumor, and relaxing the intestines. It is suitable for people with atherosclerosis to eat as a substitute for dinner.
- Moistening the intestines and relieving constipation
Konjac is rich in dietary fiber. Every 100 grams of konjac contains up to 70 grams of dietary fiber. This kind of fiber has strong water absorption ability, which can expand its volume by 80 to 100 times. Thus, it increases the water content of the feces, softens the stool, and has a good effect on preventing and treating constipation.
- Reducing blood lipid
The effective component of konjac, glucomannan, can prevent the body from digesting and absorbing cholesterol, thus preventing the increase of cholesterol and triglyceride in the serum and liver, and increasing the content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. It has a good effect on reducing blood lipid and a significant anti-fatty liver effect.
- Reducing blood sugar
The glucomannan contained in konjac has a large molecular weight and high viscosity. It can delay the absorption of glucose, effectively reduce blood sugar, and thus relieve the burden on the islets.
At the same time, konjac is also a food with low heat energy and high dietary fiber. It has strong water absorption ability and can increase the sense of fullness. Therefore, it is an ideal food for diabetes patients.
- Reducing fat and losing weight
The fat content of konjac is very low, and it almost contains no calories. For example, the calories of konjac noodles are only one-sixth of that of ordinary noodles, and it can also give a strong sense of fullness after eating. It is suitable for people who are obese and want to control fat.
How to eat konjac
It must be noted that the whole plant of konjac is toxic, especially the tuber. Ingesting raw products or taking excessive amounts of processed products is likely to cause poisoning symptoms. After poisoning, the tongue and throat will feel a burning sensation, itching, pain, and swelling.
The konjac products we usually eat are made from non-toxic konjac powder processed from konjac. Common ones include konjac tofu, vegetarian tripe, konjac shreds, etc. The processing procedures are very complicated. People who are not professional processors should not try it.
The following introduces two ways to cook konjac, which are Q-bouncy, crispy, spicy, numb, fragrant, and delicious.
- Homemade konjac crisp
Ingredients: 200 grams of vegetarian tripe (konjac ingredient), 2 grams of white vinegar, 10 grams of edible oil.
Seasoning ingredients: 5 grams of chili powder, 2 grams each of salt, Chinese prickly ash powder, white granulated sugar, chicken essence, cumin powder, and sesame seeds.
Method: Soak the vegetarian tripe in white vinegar for 1 hour. Put it into the pot when the water boils and cook for 2 minutes, then rinse it with cold water and drain it for later use. Mix all the seasonings evenly, pour a little hot oil to make the seasoning sauce. Add an appropriate amount of the seasoning sauce and mix the vegetarian tripe well.
- Braised beef with konjac
Ingredients: Beef brisket, konjac, pickled hot peppers, pickled radish, pickled ginger water, kelp.
Seasonings: Beer, white sugar, white pepper powder, salt, cassia bark, star anise, Chinese prickly ash, angelica dahurica, vinegar.
Method: Cut the konjac into cubes, blanch it in hot water, and boil it for 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt to increase its elasticity. Soak the beef in clean water, then cut it into thin pieces and pour pickled ginger water to marinate it. Put sugar into the pot and stir-fry it over low heat until it melts, then turn to medium heat. When it starts to foam, add the beef and stir-fry the beef with the caramel color. Add 1 piece of cassia bark, 2 pieces of star anise, 1 piece of angelica dahurica and stir-fry, then add pickled ginger, pickled radish, pickled hot peppers, kelp, and konjac in turn and stir-fry over medium-low heat. Finally, pour in a bowl of beer and skim off the foam. Add 7 grams of salt, a spoonful of white sugar, white pepper powder, and vinegar, cover the pot and simmer for one and a half hours.