After the Start of Autumn, the weather gradually cools down, and more and more people are eating hot pot. Hot pot begins to become mainstream and is deeply loved by everyone. Everyone feels that eating hot pot is nourishing and warming, but have you ever noticed that there are actually taboos associated with eating hot pot.
I. One Heat is Worth Three Freshness
Manifestation: The delicious food from the steaming hot pot is picked up and put straight into the mouth, scalding the tongue until it goes numb, making the forehead sweat, and exclaiming how thrilling it is, and gloriously calling it: "One heat is worth three freshness."
Harm: The oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach mucosa can generally only tolerate a temperature of 50°C. Food that is too hot will damage the mucosa. The temperature of hot pot broth can be as high as 120°C. If eaten immediately after taking it out, it can easily scald the mucosa of the mouth, tongue, esophagus, and stomach. Some people who are prone to recurrent mouth ulcers may easily get "heatiness" after eating hot pot, which increases their chances of getting mouth ulcers several times over, or worsens existing oral mucosal inflammation. Repeatedly, this can also induce esophageal cancer. The most dangerous are those who have precancerous lesions such as oral leukoplakia or lichen planus. The high temperature and stimulation from hot pot seasonings will aggravate these conditions.
Suggestion: When eating hot pot, never be impatient. Take small portions of food from the hot pot and wait for it to cool down before eating. You should follow the principle: "It's better to forgo the freshness than to have it too hot."
II. The Most Delicious is Half-Cooked
Manifestation: To pursue a fresh, crispy, tender, and smooth texture, food is only briefly swirled in the hot pot before being eaten.
Harm: This way of eating, in addition to causing indigestion, allows bacteria and parasite eggs hidden in the food to be swallowed into the gastrointestinal tract, leading to disease. According to research, three serious parasitic diseases—trichinosis, tapeworm, and cysticercosis—can all be transmitted through hot pot. Unclean pork and beef slices are very likely to contain these three types of parasites. Although it cannot be confirmed whether lamb contains trichinosis, tapeworm, and cysticercosis, there have been reports of people getting trichinosis from eating instant-boiled lamb. If you get a parasitic disease, you will feel weak all over, have muscle aches, body swelling, and sometimes feel a stabbing pain when your feet touch the ground.
Suggestion: When eating hot pot, you must cut the meat thinly and cook it for a long time. When swirling pork and beef slices, make sure they are fully cooked. At the same time, check the meat slices for white, rice-like substances; if present, they may be cysticercosis eggs.
III. Mixing Cold and Hot to "Neutralize"
Manifestation: Taking a bite of spicy hot pot followed by a gulp of ice-cold beer is a popular way to eat hot pot for many, gloriously called "neutralizing."
Harm: The sudden change between cold and hot is extremely detrimental to the gastric mucosa and can easily cause gastrointestinal diseases.
Suggestion: When eating hot pot, try to avoid drinking cold beverages.
IV. Let the Spice Come on Stronger
Manifestation: When it comes to hot pot, the numbing, spicy, and hot flavors are always the first choice because the feeling of being drenched in sweat from the spiciness is just too thrilling.
Harm: The destructive power of a numbing and spicy hot pot on the gastrointestinal tract is not hard to imagine. The spicy taste of the hot pot first stimulates the esophagus, then quickly passes through the stomach and small intestine, severely irritating the gastrointestinal wall mucosa, causing stomach acid and bloating. Besides easily triggering esophagitis and gastritis, diarrhea is also inevitable. Office workers with a history of constipation or hemorrhoids should be more careful with what they eat. Otherwise, hemorrhoid patients are prone to relapse due to excessive congestion of the anal sphincter from stimulation around the anus, and constipation patients will find themselves even more "blocked up."
Suggestion: Although everyone's tolerance for spice is different, for the sake of your stomach, doctors believe that it's best to eat numbing and spicy hot pot less frequently; do not eat too much at once, and try to make the seasoning only mildly spicy, and drink less of the spicy hot pot broth. Additionally, after eating hot pot, drink more plain water or strong tea to dilute the spicy juices and reduce the stimulation to the stomach, which will make the gastrointestinal tract more comfortable. If you feel any discomfort, drink some light beverages like thin congee or milk to protect the stomach wall.
V. Hot Pot Broth is Nutritious
Manifestation: Drinking all the leftover hot pot broth after cooking, treating it as a "nutritious soup."
Harm: Most hot pot broths use high-fat substances like lard, tallow, or beef tallow as a base, and are often seasoned with chili, pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns. Eating too much can easily lead to high blood lipids, gallstones, duodenal ulcers, oral ulcers, gingivitis, hemorrhoids, and other diseases. Furthermore, the hot pot broth boils for a long time without being changed, and some of its ingredients will undergo chemical reactions, producing harmful substances. For example: the porphyrin substances in meat and seafood are mostly dissolved in the broth. The high concentration of porphyrin in the broth, after being metabolized by the liver, produces a large amount of nitric acid, which can cause gout, leading to joint pain, and in severe cases, can damage kidney function.
Suggestion: For any leftover ingredients and broth from a meal that cannot be finished, it should be poured out. If it is left in a copper hot pot overnight, do not eat it, as it is not only harmful to your health but may also cause acute copper oxide poisoning.
For those of you who love hot pot, quickly take note of these things, and don't let them become a barrier to your health.