What Food to Order and From Where When the AQI is High
You
know the drill by now: the AQI is pushing 300 for the fifth day in a
row and you're starting to just feel generally gross. "I know," you
think to yourself, "I'll eat only salads for the next couple of days so
at least something healthy is going into my body." But are there
specific foods you should eat to make sure your body is in tip-top shape
to fight off pollution?
So-called "antioxidant foods" are the
go-to choice here - we've given a couple of examples below, along with
suggestions for dishes that use the ingredients to their full effect.
It
is worth noting that no single diet or ingredient can drastically
improve your health just by itself and neither has a single diet or
ingredient been definitively proven
to combat the effects of pollution. Eating a generally healthy diet and
exercising regularly will give your body the energy and nutrients it
needs to fight off pollution.*
Of course, since you probably
don't want to venture out in these conditions, the majority of the
restaurants below offer delivery through Sherpa's, Jinshisong, Baidu
Waimai or another similar service.
Broccoli
Order: Grilled broccolini with roe and konbu butter, Obentos
Broccoli,
along with its cousins from the cruciferous vegetable family, is widely
touted online as a "cancer fighter" and a key source of antioxidants. A
clinical trial conducted in Jiangsu found that people who were given a
broccoli-based beverage excreted a great degree of benzene, a known
carcinogen, and acrolein, a lung irritant. Broccoli is widely available
on most menus (清炒西兰花, anyone?), so it's not difficult to get your fill,
but restaurants are doing interesting things with it, too. A fixture on
the evening "shared plates" menu, Obentos' broccoli dish feels at once
healthy and hearty, the broccoli boasting a charred flavor from the
grill and the butter and ikura (salmon roe, which is also a source of omega-3, see below) adding richness.
Turmeric
Order: Turmeric latte, Tribe Organic or Pollution Fighter shot, Juice by Melissa
The
main component of turmeric, curcumin, is widely renowned as an
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, particularly in ayurvedic medicine.
It is thought to aid the body in fighting off the invasive effects of
foreign particles and help repair internal damage to the respiratory
system. Juice by Melissa's Pollution Fighter juice shot combines
turmeric with three other hero ingredients - honey, lemon, and cayenne
pepper - for an easy boost of nutrients. Alternatively, and a relatively
new addition to the menu at Tribe, the turmeric latte is an on-trend
health booster (try searching #turmericlatte on Instagram...). Made with
turmeric powder, organic honey, and organic milk, the latte is lightly
sweet and very soothing.
Omega-3
Order: Grilled mackerel, Hatsune or Obentos
The
side effects of air pollution (specifically, the intake of particulate
matter) are thought to include inflammation and oxidative stress. All is
not lost, however: some studies have found that a diet rich in omega-3
fatty acids has anti-inflammatory effects. You can take an omega-3
supplement such as fish oil or, alternatively, omega-3 can be found in
flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, and oily fish such as mackerel and
salmon.
One of the richest sources of omega-3 is mackerel, a
staple on the menu of many Japanese restaurants, where it can be found
grilled and served with lemon and grated daikon radish. We're partial to
the grilled mackerel served at Hatsune, where the skin is always crispy
and the flesh still juicy.
*It is also worth noting that I
am not a nutritionist, just someone with an interest in healthy eating
and sharing that interest with others.
Photos: Wikimedia, Pixabay