The winning works of the first Ningxia middle school student science popularization and science fiction essay competition are displayed: Don’t treat chicken soup as “alchemy”

Editor: Kang Yan Reviewer: Yang Pengbin

(Kang Jianing, Class of 2021, Tanglai Hui Middle School, Yinchuan)

When I was a child, I was sickly and always received love from my mother - a bowl of hot chicken soup. We always think that chicken soup has high nutritional value, so which one is more nutritious, chicken soup or chicken? Some people say that it is obvious, of course it is chicken soup, which can warm the middle and replenish qi, prevent colds, and replenish energy. But the real answer to this question is chicken.

Before an old hen is put into the pot, it is rich in a large number of nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins and calcium. Most people believe that these nutrients in the chicken can be melted into the thick soup after being simmered over a slow fire, while the chicken becomes pieces of meat scraps without a soul. In fact, as early as October 2014, the interactive verification program "Is it true?" launched by CCTV had already conducted a survey: drinking chicken soup without eating chicken is actually a dietary misunderstanding. Nutritious chicken mainly brings us a variety of high-quality proteins. Scientists have shown that during the cooking process of a pot of soup, only a small part of these proteins will be dissolved in the soup, and the proteins dissolved in the soup do not exceed 10% of the total amount.

Someone has done an experiment, using a variety of foods rich in high-quality protein (such as fish, etc.) to boil soup for six hours. Although the soup looks very thick, the protein dissolution rate is only 6%-15%, and 85% of the protein remains in the "meat residue" that we think is not very important. Although the quality and taste of the "meat residue" have become not very good after a long period of cooking, it is easier to be absorbed by the human body. After testing, the Beijing Institute of Nutrition Sources found that the protein contained in every 100g of chicken is 25.1g, while the protein mass contained in each chicken soup is 1.37g, which is enough to prove that chicken is richer in nutrition than chicken soup. Yun Wuxin, a doctor of food engineering, said that protein is the most important nutrient we get from chicken. So in addition to drinking soup, we should also eat the "meat residue".

When making chicken soup, you should also pay attention to those soups that look milky white. This kind of soup is not very nutritious. Most of it is emulsified fat. Although it tastes delicious, its nutritional value is not very high, so this is the culprit for your becoming more "round".

In addition, everyone should also know that those so-called high-quality soups that are slow-cooked for 9981 hours often contain a large amount of purines. Purines are soluble in water, and the longer they are cooked, the more they dissolve. Taking chicken soup containing purines may cause high uric acid in the human body, leading to gout.

Therefore, don’t treat making soup as “alchemy”. When making chicken soup, we must control the cooking time of each ingredient, give full play to the advantages of the ingredients, and make the boiled chicken soup more nutritious and healthy. Only in this way can we discover the secret of delicious food.