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At Christmas, most Norwegians are more traditional than at any other time of the year.
Most of us eat ribs or chops on Christmas Eve, while some also choose Christmas lutefisk, turkey, or cod.
Christmas is also a time when you like to enjoy yourself a little more. We bake Christmas cakes, eat more fatty foods, and like to complete the meal with dessert.
What few of us know is that Christmas food is also a source of a number of unwanted chemicals.
Fortunately, there is a tip. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority makes a series of recommendations on how to make Christmas food a little healthier, without compromising traditions.
SAFE: Monica Andreassen, who is Senior Advisor to the Food Department, Foreign Substances Section and the EEA of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, offers a number of tips that make Christmas food safer. Photo: www.gudim.no
Don’t burn the ribs
Most Norwegians eat spare ribs on Christmas Eve. Others may opt for turkey, Christmas ham, or chops.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority warns that frying meat over high heat to burn can be harmful to health.
– If it is fried too much, tar carcinogens can be formed. These can be formed by cooking too hard in the oven, grilling or smoking and drying meat, says Monica Andreassen, senior advisor to the food department, foreign substances section and the EEA of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
At the same time, understand that it is only Christmas once a year.
– That’s why everyday habits and not least barbecue habits in the summer are even more important, says Andreassen.
If the accident occurs first and you have burned the Christmas roast properly, there is a tip.
– Then you can cut and discard the burned parts of the food, advises Andreassen.
SNACKS: Nuts are usually a regular feature of Christmas. However, some types may contain aflatoxins that can be carcinogenic or damage genetic material. Photo: NTB
Throw strange nuts
Nuts and Christmas also go hand in hand. Walnuts have a number of health benefits, but if they become misshapen or discolored, you should steer clear.
Deformed and discolored walnuts may have a higher content of the fungal toxin aflatoxin than other walnuts. Aflatoxins are made up of molds, and if a nut looks different, there is a risk that it will be attacked by this fungus, Andreassen says.
Aflatoxins are formed only in warm and humid areas, so they are only found in nuts from tropical and subtropical countries. Aflatoxins can be found in Brazil nuts, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.
Return to yellow for frying
When making Christmas cakes, they should be baked until golden brown and yellow in color, not until golden brown. Also, you should bake with baking soda instead of deer antler salt.
– In this way you reduce the formation of acrylamide in your cookies, says Andreassen.
She explains that the substance acrylamide forms naturally in food during cooking at temperatures above 120 degrees, baking, frying or grilling. The substance can be carcinogenic and in large amounts it also damages the nervous system and reduces fertility.
BROWN: The picture shows the connection between the color of the cookies and the formation of acrylamide. Photo: Danish Veterinary and Food Administration / Norwegian Food Safety Authority
Warns against cinnamon
Christmas oatmeal with sugar and cinnamon is part of the Christmas diet for many, but all in moderation, recalls the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
– Cinnamon contains coumarin, which is a natural aromatic substance, but also a toxin that is harmful to the liver. Young children as young as one or two who regularly eat cinnamon oatmeal are particularly vulnerable, Andreassen says.
Adults who often eat foods or beverages with cinnamon may also exceed the limit of what is considered safe.
– How people react to coumarin varies. Minor damage to the liver is not primarily noticed. The damage is temporary, and the liver repairs any damage even when coumarin intake is reduced, he says.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority encourages the use of real cinnamon instead of cassia cinnamon, which has a much higher content of coumarin.
Gingerbread: Consuming other foods with cinnamon, such as gingerbread and cinnamon buns, is not a cause for concern even during the periods when they are eaten most frequently. Photo: Norwegian Food Safety Authority
Kids and raisins
Children can eat raisins, but also in limited quantities. Raisins can be high in okratoxin A (OTA) from the task of mold.
– The average level of OTA in raisins is well below the cut-off value, but when OTA intake from other foods is added to a high intake of raisins, young children may ingest too much, Andreassen says.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority explains that it is the total intake over a longer period that should be limited.
And if you’re fishing at Christmas dinner this year, it’s important to avoid polluted areas that can be high in harmful environmental toxins. The overview can be found on the Food Portal.
Important all year
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority does not intend to take the fun out of Christmas celebrations, but will report that simple measures can reduce the risk of ingesting substances dangerous to health.
– What you eat between New Years and next Christmas is more important than what you eat during the Christmas holidays. But it’s also good to think a bit about how to minimize the risk of unwanted foreign substances at Christmas, Andreassen says.
Regaining your habits at Christmas can also be helpful for the rest of the year.
– If you remember this for Christmas, there is also a greater chance that you will take some important precautions the rest of the year, he says.
