Preventing "Hotpot Illness": Key Advice for Eating Hotpot in Winter

Few people realize that eating hot pot incorrectly can lead to various health problems, commonly known as "hot pot sickness". What are the symptoms of hot pot sickness, and how can it be prevented?

Symptoms of "heatiness" such as canker sores, swollen and painful gums

Hot pot is served at high temperatures and has a rich flavor, and when combined with ingredients like beef and mutton that are considered "warming" in nature, this "adding heat to heat" way of eating can easily lead to "heatiness", resulting in symptoms like canker sores and swollen, painful gums. People who often eat hot pot tend to eat fewer vegetables and fruits. A lack of vitamin C can disrupt the synthesis of collagen, leading to bleeding gums and mucous membranes.

Recommendation: Avoid overly spicy and oily broths; it's best to choose a clear broth. For every portion of meat, have at least two portions of vegetables. You can choose "cooling" vegetables like white radish, lotus root, and winter melon. Dark leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, and crown daisy are generally considered "cooling" and help provide vitamin C and various minerals to prevent "heatiness". When eating hot pot, let the food cool down slightly before eating to avoid burning your esophagus.

Indigestion, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal discomforts

Spicy and numbing stimuli, alternating between hot and cold food, undercooked ingredients, excessive fat, and overeating can easily lead to gastrointestinal problems. If you drink large amounts of ice beer and baijiu (white liquor) during a hot pot meal, the alcohol can damage the mucus protective layer on the stomach surface and cause damage to stomach wall proteins, creating an effect similar to a "burn" and worsening gastrointestinal discomfort.

Recommendation: At the beginning of your meal, add some slices of potato, Chinese yam, or sweet potato to the broth to eat some starchy food as early as possible, which helps protect the stomach. If there is a lot of floating oil in the broth, skim off most of it before adding vegetables. Avoid any cold drinks or foods and alcohol during the meal. Ensure all ingredients, especially meat and seafood, are fully cooked to avoid parasitic infections. Stop eating when you are 70-80% full; it's better to leave food over than to harm your stomach.

Spicy Chicken Hot Pot with Fresh Chicken Broth

Joint pain and other gout symptoms

High-purine foods like seafood and animal offal, combined with heavy alcohol consumption, can easily lead to uric acid deposition in the blood, triggering gout. Furthermore, the purine substances in the ingredients can fully dissolve into the hot pot broth. Drinking old broth excessively can also cause purine deposition, inducing or worsening gout.

Recommendation: For those with gout, it's best to avoid seafood and animal offal when eating hot pot. Choose fewer mushrooms and mushroom-based broths, as fungi like wood ear and mushrooms are high in purines. Eat less of seasonings like chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and mustard, as they can trigger gout attacks. Do not drink alcohol when eating hot pot; alcohol metabolism produces lactic acid, which affects uric acid excretion. It's best to choose soda water, as it can neutralize uric acid. Do not drink the broth that has been simmering for a long time, nor use it to cook noodles.