Which one is more nutritious? The answer is the opposite of what many people think

When the summer comes, the weather is hot, preparing dishes to suit the weather, helping to cool down the body is a matter of concern for many families. Among summer favorite dishes, gourd soup cooked with shrimp and crab noodle soup with loofah are two dishes that are loved by many families.

Although used a lot, few people pay attention to the nutritional value of these two familiar dishes. TS.BS Nguyen Trong Hung (National Institute of Nutrition) said, both dishes are traditional dishes used for a long time in Vietnam, especially in the summer. In particular, this is a dish that can please everyone from rural to urban areas, from the poor to the privileged.

Dr. Hung said that it is difficult to compare the specific nutritional value of these two soups, because it also depends on the food combined, as well as the quantity of each food in a bowl of soup.

Crab soup has many nutritional values, but when eaten with salted tomatoes, pay attention to the amount to avoid loading too much salt into the body. Illustration.

According to the National Institute of Nutrition’s quantification, a bowl of crab soup cooked with loofah with ingredients includes: 55g field crab meat; Spinach 70g; 100g melon; 1g salt; Vegetable oil 5g.

With the above food ingredients, a bowl of crab soup cooked with melon will have the following nutritional value: Energy 120kcal; Protein 9.1g; Lipid 7.0g; Glucid 5.1g; Fiber 2.3g; Vitamin A 116mg; Beta-carotene 1504mg; Vitamin C 58mg; Calcium 218.7mg; Sodium 668.4mg; Potassium 558.9mg; Zinc 0.4mg. The total amount of salt in the dish is equivalent to 1,671mg (1.67g).

As for the shrimp gourd soup, the ingredients include: 22g shelled sea shrimp; Gourd 150g; Vegetable oil 5g; Salt 1g. When combining the above ingredients, a bowl of gourd soup cooked with shrimp will have nutritional value: Energy 88kcal; Protein 5.4g; Lipid 5.4g; Glucid 4.6g; Fiber 1.5g; Vitamin A 20mg; Beta-carotene 15mg; Vitamin C 12mg; Calcium 50.6mg; Iron 0.7mg; Sodium 452.6mg; Potassium 265.7mg; Zinc 1.3mg; Cholesterol 33.4mg. The total amount of salt in the dish is equivalent to 1131.5mg (1.13g).

Through the table of ingredients and nutritional value of the Institute of Quantitative Nutrition as above, it can be seen that the crab soup cooked with loofah has a higher nutritional value than the gourd soup cooked with shrimp. It is also worth noting that the cholesterol content in crab soup is zero, and in gourd soup is 33.4mg.

Eating crab soup or gourd shrimp soup depends on each person’s taste and preference, but should not eat too much. Illustration.

However, Dr. Hung noted that when eating crab soup, people often eat it with pickled tomatoes, even though it is a traditional dish, delicious and very generous, but when using it, people need to be limited in quantity. Because in crab soup, the salt content is about 1.13g, while salted eggplant is usually very salty, if you eat too much, it will not be good for the body.

According to Dr. Hung, the above comparison is only relative, when people eat it depends on each person’s taste and preferences. In addition, when eating, everyone should pay attention, especially those who are allergic to seafood.

“Although it is a favorite dish in the summer, people also need to pay attention to the variety of foods in the meal. Not for pleasure, but to eat crab soup or shrimp soup for the whole week or all summer. Thus, there will be an imbalance, there may be excess of one substance but lack of another substance. Only eat 1 to 2 times a week with the above two soups, should not be abused, “doctor Hung recommended.