Some food may be your guilty pleasure to let off steam. Little do we know, certain unexpected food that we consume every day are harmful in the long run.
In a recent Taiwanese talk show, a food expert shared the story of a family who was diagnosed with serious illness, thanks to a main ingredient in their daily diet, which we are sure that many of you can’t live without.
On a daily basis, the family consumed pork and not only that but their food would always include pork lard.
“The 10-year-old kid was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Other family members all got stroke,” said the food expert, Tan Tun-Tzu.
Panicking yet?
The lard adds flavor to the food, making it even tastier that sometimes we put aside the health risks, especially when consumed excessively. So, how is pork lard harmful when taken too much?
Blame the high level of saturated fatty acid.
“It will increase the body’s bad cholesterol and if taken too much, it will be harmful in the long run.”
According to a report by the American Heart Association, other food that contain high levels of saturated fatty acid include beef, butter, cheese, fried food, and more.
Of course, Tan did not mention that we should skip these food altogether. The key lies in moderation. So, assuming we’re all semangat enough to skip pork lard for good, what’s the alternative?
“Try to use oil with ‘higher monounsaturated fatty acid’, which will help increase the body’s good cholesterol.”
3 types of oil, including camellia oil, olive oil, and canola oil, are rich in unsaturated fatty acid, which Tan highly suggested for all families to use in their cooking for better health.
According to Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre, stroke is the 2nd leading cause of death globally, and in Malaysia, it’s the 5th.
It’s all good and fun until you receive your medical report. Take things moderately, not excessively.