The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and autumn delicacies like mooncakes, hairy crabs, and persimmons are becoming more abundant. No wonder gastroenterologists find an increase in patients with stomach discomfort around this time, or a recurrence of chronic stomach issues. Mooncakes are high in sugar and fat, hairy crabs are considered cooling in nature, and persimmons can cause diarrhea. So, how should one enjoy these three Mid-Autumn Festival foods? Yang Xiaojun, an associate chief physician in the Gastroenterology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, introduces the healthiest ways to eat them.
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with family and enjoying fresh hairy crabs is a great choice. However, some people experience symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting after eating them. This is because hairy crabs are very cooling, especially for individuals with weak spleen and stomach, making them more prone to problems. To enjoy crab, master these golden pairings. Golden Pairings: Ginger, Perilla leaves
Ginger is warm in nature and can counteract the "cooling" effect of crab. Yang Xiaojun explains that if you are cooking hairy crabs yourself, be sure to add ginger when steaming or stir-frying. You can also drink some ginger water or chew some ginger pieces after eating. This can help warm the stomach, provide a nourishing effect, and reduce the likelihood of diarrhea after consuming crab.
When cooking hairy crabs, using perilla leaves is not just for flavor; it also has effects of expelling cold from the exterior, promoting Qi circulation, and harmonizing the stomach. Like ginger, it can help neutralize the "cooling" nature of crab. Even abdominal pain and diarrhea caused by eating too much crab can be relieved by drinking a decoction made with 5 grams of perilla leaves and 8 slices of ginger. Enemies: Frozen beer, strong tea, persimmons
Yang Xiaojun says that besides frozen beer, frozen cola, juice, and any other cold or cooling beverages should not be consumed with crab, or you'll be asking for an upset stomach.
At the same time, avoid drinking tea and eating persimmons within one hour of consuming crab. Tea and persimmons contain a substance called "tannic acid," which can cause the protein in crab meat to coagulate. This coagulated substance stays in the intestine for a long time, fermenting and causing vomiting and abdominal pain.
The Mid-Autumn Festival would not be complete without the symbolic mooncakes, which represent family reunion. However, mooncake skins are made from flour, sugar, and cooking oil. Meat and egg yolk fillings are high in fat, while bean paste and lotus seed paste fillings are high in starch and sugar. Yang Xiaojun suggests that just a small piece of mooncake is enough. Especially for patients with high blood lipids or high blood pressure, it's even more important to control the portion size and avoid meat or egg yolk fillings. Golden Pairing: A light diet
Mooncakes are high-fat and high-sugar foods. After eating one, your diet for the day should be light and not greasy. A light diet doesn't just mean eating more fruits and vegetables; it also involves using less oil and sugar when cooking. Enemy: Sweet foods
Besides avoiding greasy food, try not to pair mooncakes with sweet beverages. Mooncakes are already very sweet, and consuming more sweet food not only makes the taste cloying but also increases sugar intake. This is especially detrimental to diabetic patients. Instead, it's better to pair them with unsweetened beverages, such as fresh tea, light soy milk, and skim milk.
Although persimmons are delicious, they have quite a few taboos. Persimmons contain a considerable amount of tannic acid and pectin. On an empty stomach, these substances can form a "stomach bezoar" under the action of gastric acid. This can be avoided if your stomach is "full" (i.e., you have eaten something beforehand). Additionally, do not eat too many at once, as it can easily lead to diarrhea. Enemies: Seafood, sweet potatoes, spinach
Besides what was mentioned above, persimmons cannot be eaten with crab, fish, or shrimp. Persimmons also cannot be eaten with sweet potatoes or spinach, as it can easily lead to stone formation in the body.
Furthermore, diabetics should not eat persimmons. Persimmons contain 10.8% sugar, most of which are simple disaccharides and monosaccharides (sucrose, fructose, glucose). Therefore, they are easily absorbed after consumption, causing blood sugar levels to rise.