Wrong Ways of Eating Fish Can Lead to Fatal Illnesses
As the saying goes, "Pork is not as good as poultry, and poultry is not as good as fish." Fish has always been a widely beloved food for its delicious taste and nutritional value. Our ancestors, when creating Chinese characters, even classified the character for "freshness" (鲜) under the "fish" radical, considering fish the ultimate delicacy of freshness. Moreover, the ever-increasing variety of cooking methods has made fish even more popular. The benefits of eating fish are obvious, but improper consumption can also harm your health, even leading to fatal illnesses. Quickly check out these common wrong ways of eating fish to prevent problems before they happen.
1. Eating Raw Fish Slices Can Cause "Clonorchiasis"
Many people love the tenderness and delicious taste of raw fish slices, but they may not realize that eating raw fish is very harmful to the liver, easily leading to clonorchiasis, and even inducing liver cancer.
According to experts in nutrition and health, clonorchiasis is a parasitic disease mainly affecting the liver and gallbladder. The chance of human infection by eating raw or semi-freshwater fish and shrimp containing live metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis is extremely high. Currently, there are millions of clonorchiasis patients in Guangdong Province alone in China, many of whom were infected precisely by eating raw fish and shrimp.
Its clinical symptoms are relatively common, such as fatigue, discomfort in the upper abdomen, indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dull pain in the liver area, hepatomegaly, and dizziness. In severe cases of late-stage infection, it can lead to liver cirrhosis with ascites, and even death.
2. Ingesting Fish Gallbladders to Detoxify Can Cause Poisoning Instead
Fish gallbladder is a traditional Chinese medicine, often used by TCM practitioners to treat eye redness, pain in the gallbladder area, sore throat, and malignant sores.
Consequently, there is a folk belief that eating fish gallbladders can clear heat and detoxify, improve vision, and relieve coughing. Therefore, despite their bitter taste, some people are eager to try them. Ingesting fish gallbladders is extremely dangerous and can easily cause poisoning and even be life-threatening.
Experts point out that fish bile contains highly toxic substances such as water-soluble "cyprinol sodium sulfate." These toxins are heat-resistant and cannot be destroyed by alcohol. Therefore, whether the gallbladder is cooked, swallowed raw, or taken with wine, poisoning can occur.
Fish gallbladder poisoning has a rapid onset, severe symptoms, and a high mortality rate. Those with mild poisoning may experience nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Severe cases may show symptoms such as an enlarged liver, jaundice, tenderness in the liver area, oliguria or anuria, and kidney area tenderness. If not treated promptly, it can lead to liver and kidney failure and death.
The degree of poisoning is generally related to the amount of bile in the gallbladder, so swallowing the gallbladder of a larger fish is more likely to cause poisoning.
3. Eating Fish on an Empty Stomach May Lead to "Gout"
With the growing trend of dieting, many people like to eat only vegetables and skip rice. It's common to eat fish on an empty stomach, but this can trigger a gout attack. Gout is a disease caused by tissue damage due to increased blood uric acid from purine metabolism disorders.
The vast majority of fish are rich in purines. If a large amount of purine-rich fish is consumed on an empty stomach without enough carbohydrates to break it down, the body's acid-base balance will be disrupted, which can easily induce gout or worsen the condition of gout patients.
4. Eating Fish Immediately After Killing It Leaves Toxins That Harm the Body
Most people believe that the fresher the fish, the better, so they prefer to kill and eat it immediately, thinking this ensures the fish's freshness and nutrition. However, this is actually a misconception. Both farmed and wild fish contain certain toxic substances.
When a fish is killed and eaten immediately, its toxic substances often do not have enough time to be completely expelled, and the parasites and bacteria on the fish have not died completely. These residual toxins can be harmful to the body.
In addition, the fish protein eaten immediately after killing has not been completely broken down, its nutritional value is not fully utilized, and the texture is not the best either.
There is no denying that fish is indeed a very healthy food, but only by eating it correctly can it truly benefit your health.
Is Eating Fish on an Empty Stomach a Waste of Protein?
There is a saying now that "eating fish on an empty stomach wastes protein," the reason being that when the body needs energy and there are not enough carbohydrates, it has to break down protein. Not eating starchy foods and consuming a large amount of protein-rich food on an empty stomach is a waste of protein and is not good for gastrointestinal health.
This is a very one-sided statement. First, we need to understand the role of protein in the human body. 1. It is used to synthesize the body's muscle tissue; 2. It is used to synthesize functional substances in the body, such as antibodies, enzymes, and complements; 3. It is used for energy metabolism to supply the body's needs. Of course, the protein we get from food is mainly used for the first two functions, but when the consumption of carbohydrates and fats is excessive, the body will naturally break down some protein. Otherwise, the lack of energy would cause more serious damage. Therefore, from the perspective of protecting the body's functions, even if it is used for energy consumption, it cannot be called a waste of protein.
Secondly, the consumption of protein needs to consider the degree of an empty stomach. If you are just feeling a bit hungry, the body will not break down much protein. When we are only slightly hungry, the body mainly consumes stored glycogen. The glycogen storage of a normal person can meet the body's energy needs for 3 to 6 hours. At this time, when you feel slightly hungry and consume protein, the protein will not be used for energy consumption, meaning it is not "wasted."
Third, and most importantly, we need to understand that the claim that "eating fish on an empty stomach wastes protein" is too naive and completely misunderstands the human metabolic process. The body's material metabolism is a programmed process. The ingested protein first goes to the liver, then is distributed to various tissues and organs for synthesis, and the rest combines with amino acids from the breakdown of the body's own tissues to form the body's amino acid pool. Even when the body is short of energy, the ingested protein is first used for the body's synthesis needs before being broken down, not broken down upon absorption. This cannot be called a waste.
In fact, the real waste of protein is the excessive intake of it. The human body's utilization of protein is limited; not all ingested protein can be used for synthesis. Moreover, the human body has no storage function for excess protein. The excess protein is metabolized and eventually excreted in urine, which is the real waste of protein. Not only that, the metabolism of excessive protein is excreted through the kidneys, increasing the pressure on them and causing chronic damage to kidney function.