Beef is a common meat on our dinner tables. It has good quality and is delicious to eat, especially steak, which is very popular. However, have you ever thought before eating it that there are taboos associated with it?
Eight Taboos of Eating Beef
1. Do not eat with pork
Although beef and pork are both meat dishes and not typically stir-fried together, they are often found on the same table. What many don't realize is that the two should not be eaten together. There are two reasons for this:
First, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine food properties, pork is sour, cold, and slightly cool, with a greasy and yin-cold nature. Beef, on the other hand, is sweet and warm in nature, known to tonify the spleen and stomach, strengthen the waist and legs, and have the effect of calming the middle and replenishing qi.
The two have opposing properties: one is warm and the other is cold; one tonifies the middle and spleen, while the other is cold and greasy, which can weaken a person. Their natures and flavors are in conflict, so they should not be consumed together.
2. Patients with nephritis should not eat too much
Beef is a high-protein food and is not suitable for people with nephritis, as it can加重 the burden on the kidneys. When taken with aminophylline drugs, it can also reduce their efficacy.
3. Do not eat in excess
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that beef has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing the spleen and stomach, and strengthening the muscles and bones. However, the amount consumed should not be excessive. About 80 grams per meal is recommended. Overconsumption may increase the risk of colon and prostate cancer.
4. Not suitable for the elderly and children to eat in large quantities
Beef is high in cholesterol and fat, so it is not advisable for the elderly, children, or people with weak digestion to eat too much of it.
5. Cannot be eaten with liquor
Eating beef with liquor can cause inflammation of the teeth. Liquor is a very warm and heating substance. For people with a heat constitution, consuming liquor with beef is like adding fuel to the fire, easily causing flushed face, body heat, and worsening of sores and carbuncles.
6. Beef should not be grilled
Beef should not be smoked, roasted, or grilled, as these cooking methods can produce carcinogens such as benzopyrene and nitrosamines, which are detrimental to health after consumption.
7. Not suitable to be eaten with potatoes
Because potatoes and beef require different concentrations of gastric acid for digestion, eating them together can prolong the time food stays in the stomach, thereby causing stomach discomfort.
8. Not suitable to be eaten with river snails
River snail meat is rich in vitamin A, protein, iron, and calcium, and has therapeutic effects for diseases such as red eyes, jaundice, beriberi, and hemorrhoids. However, river snails and beef are considered to be antagonistic, difficult to digest, and can cause bloating.