Why is black wood ear a weight-loss superfood? Let the experts tell you
Black wood ear, also called wood ear, cloud ear, smooth wood ear, wood chicken, or tree chicken, is a fungus of the genus Auricularia in the class Basidiomycetes. Black wood ear has very high nutritional and medicinal value, and it has an excellent moisturizing and cleansing effect on the human digestive system. It contains vitamin K and rich minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and it helps moisten the lungs, reduce blood clotting, ease coronary artery atherosclerosis, and prevent thrombosis. Research has also found that the polysaccharides in black wood ear have anticancer and antitumor activity.
[Weight loss and constipation relief]
Black wood ear contains abundant cellulose and a special plant collagen. In addition to promoting gastrointestinal motility and helping excrete fatty foods while reducing fat absorption, it can also help promptly remove and expel toxic substances from the stool in the body, thereby helping prevent rectal cancer and other cancers of the digestive system.
Black wood ear also contains the 8 amino acids essential to the human body. Its calcium content is dozens of times that of meat, and its iron content is as much as a hundred times higher. In addition, it has no special odor, and its smooth, tender, crisp texture makes it easy to cook with, making it one of the important supporting ingredients in many dishes. Black wood ear is also very low in calories and high in dietary fiber, making it very suitable for people who are trying to lose weight.
[The human body's natural scavenger]
Black wood ear contains abundant plant collagen components. These components have a very strong adsorptive effect, have a good ability to dissolve endogenous foreign bodies such as gallstones, kidney stones, and bladder stones, and stimulate the secretion of glands in the digestive tract and urinary tract, helping expel them. Therefore, regularly eating black wood ear can help clean the digestive tract and clear the stomach and regulate the intestines.
[Dietary precautions]
Although wood ear has many benefits, eating too much can still be harmful and can lead to symptoms such as damage to the spleen and stomach, abdominal bloating, and even diarrhea. Therefore, it is recommended not to eat it in excess, and eating it together with other vegetables will be healthier.
1. People who are prone to diarrhea and people with low sexual function should not eat much of it.
2. Dried wood ear should be soaked in water before eating; if it remains tightly contracted after soaking, it should not be eaten.
3. Fresh wood ear contains toxins, so it is best to dry and process it before eating.
4. Black wood ear has an anticoagulant effect, so people with bleeding disorders and pregnant women should not eat it.
5. It should not be eaten together with wild pheasant or river snails.
[Key points for choosing commercially sold black wood ear]
When buying wood ear, pay more attention to its quality to avoid buying black wood ear that has been over-processed or had preservatives or dyes added. When choosing dried black wood ear, you can select dried wood ear that feels light, is dry and loose, and contains fewer impurities.
In addition, some merchants, in order to save costs, use artificial wood ear. One type is made by simmering brown sugar, water, and seaweed gum. Although this artificial wood ear is relatively harmless, it has no nutritional value, and its texture cannot compare with real wood ear.
Another type of artificial black wood ear is made using chemically processed substances, dyeing white wood ear or yellow wood ear to make black wood ear. In addition to possibly causing vomiting and diarrhea, the dye components in this artificial wood ear may also cause poisoning.
How to choose:
1. Good-quality dried wood ear feels dry and relatively light; fake wood ear has a damp feeling and is slightly heavier.
2. It can also be distinguished by taste. Good wood ear tastes fresh and fragrant with no strange odor. If it tastes salty, some merchants may have soaked the wood ear in salt water to increase its weight and deceive consumers. If it tastes astringent, it may have been soaked in alum, which may be harmful to the body.
3. You can also judge the quality of wood ear by soaking it in water. The better the quality, the more it expands after soaking; poorer quality is the opposite.
References and image sources:
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