"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Eating apples in winter can hydrate, aid in weight loss, and supplement vitamins. But do you know the taboos of eating apples frequently?
Taboos of Eating Apples
1. Don't eat the apple core
The apple core contains a small amount of harmful substance—hydrocyanic acid. A large accumulation of hydrocyanic acid in the body can lead to symptoms like dizziness, headaches, and rapid breathing, and in severe cases, it may cause coma. But there's no need to worry too much, as the hydrocyanic acid in apples is mainly present in the core, not in the flesh. It's worth noting that while habitually chewing into the core won't cause immediate poisoning, doing so long-term is indeed detrimental to your health.
2. Be wary of waxed apples
Many apples are treated with excessive amounts of growth hormones, color enhancers, and bulking agents during cultivation, or excessive preservatives during storage. Even at the point of sale, colorants, waxing, and bleaching are used to cater to consumers' preference for good-looking fruit. These "toxic apples" have become a serious public health hazard.
The danger of "toxic apples": Bulking agents to increase size, color enhancers to improve appearance, and preservatives for freshness. Excessive use of these can harm the liver. Retailers may also apply industrial wax to apples to retain moisture and make them look fresh and appealing.
3. Apples should not be eaten with seafood
Apples contain tannic acid. Eating them with seafood not only reduces the nutritional value of seafood protein but can also easily lead to abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Similarly, other fruits high in tannic acid, such as strawberries, bayberries, persimmons, pomegranates, lemons, grapes, and sour pomelos, should not be eaten with seafood.
Apples are very nutritious. Chew them slowly, which not only aids digestion but also helps prevent diseases and cancer. So, although apples are rich in nutritional value, if we want to have a healthy body, we must pay attention to our diet. This is the only way to eat apples healthily.
4. Don't eat apples at night
Many people are used to eating apples when they are hungry at night. It's said that "an apple in the morning is gold, but one at night is garbage." It offers no benefits to the body.
5. Don't eat apples right after dinner
Eating an apple one hour after dinner can aid digestion. However, eating one immediately after a meal is not good for digestion.
6. People with ulcerative colitis cannot eat them
Patients with ulcerative colitis should not eat raw apples, especially during acute flare-ups. The intestinal wall ulcers are thin, and the apple's texture is hard. Coupled with the irritation from 1.2% crude fiber and 0.5% organic acid, it is not conducive to the healing of the ulcerated intestinal wall. It can also mechanically irritate the wall, easily inducing complications like intestinal perforation, dilation, and obstruction.