Seafood is delicious after cooking, and when paired with suitable foods, it can protect the stomach. However, there are many taboos when eating seafood. Let's take a look!
I. Suitable Pairings for Seafood
1. Pair with vegetables like carrots, Chinese yams, or lettuce. These vegetables have low water content and relatively high fiber content, which aids in the digestion and absorption of protein. This pairing not only prevents nutrient loss but also achieves a dish that is visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious.
2. Use seasonings like ginger and minced garlic. This can remove the fishy smell without compromising the texture. Unlike strongly flavored seasonings like star anise, Sichuan peppercorns,八角 (star anise), or fermented black beans, which can destroy the fresh taste of seafood and even irritate the oral mucosa and stimulate the stomach.
3. Pair with glutinous rice or regular rice to make seafood congee. This combination is a perfect blend of protein and carbohydrates, high in nutritional value and easy to absorb, without losing nutrients like calcium and selenium from the seafood. There are many ways to make seafood congee, such as cutting squid into strips, adding some shredded pork and ginger, and then cooking it with rice.
Three best partners for seafood: ginger, vinegar, and wine. For example, when eating crabs, you must dip them in minced ginger and vinegar. Ginger has the effect of warming the middle jiao to dispel cold and detoxifying. Vinegar can remove the fishy taste from crab meat, and wine also has the effects of sterilizing, dispelling cold, and promoting blood circulation. Together, these three can not only protect the stomach but are also very effective for treating dysentery caused by overeating seafood.
II. Taboos to Note When Eating Seafood
1. Avoid Beer
There are many taboos when eating seafood, and beer is one of them. This is especially true for patients with gout. If you consume excessive beer while eating seafood, it will inevitably trigger a gout attack. Seafoods like shrimp and crab form uric acid after being metabolized in the body. Excessive uric acid not only induces gout but can also lead to kidney stones in severe cases.
Consuming excessive beer while eating a large amount of seafood will accelerate the formation of uric acid in the body. Therefore, experts recommend that beer should be avoided when eating large quantities of seafood, as its impact on the body can be significant.
2. Avoid Fruit
When eating fish, shrimp, crab, and other seafood, be careful not to consume excessive amounts of fruits rich in vitamin C. This is because seafood contains large amounts of protein and calcium, while fruits are rich in tannic acid. Consuming them together not only affects the absorption of protein but can also cause the calcium in the seafood to combine with the tannic acid in the fruit to form insoluble calcium, which irritates the gastrointestinal tract and may even lead to symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Therefore, experts recommend avoiding fruit when eating seafood. It is best to wait for at least 2 hours before eating fruit, and the amount should also be controlled, otherwise, it is possible to suffer from poisoning.
3. Avoid Tea
When it comes to taboos with seafood, drinking tea is also one of them. You should not drink tea immediately after eating seafood. This is because tea also contains large amounts of tannic acid, which can form insoluble calcium with the calcium in seafood. Drinking tea before or after eating seafood increases the chance of calcium and tannic acid combining. Therefore, experts recommend avoiding tea when eating seafood. If you must drink it, it is best to wait for at least 2 hours.