The Most Dangerous Foods in Summer
The outbreak of hemorrhagic E. coli infection in Germany has made people around the world nervous, and countries have taken action to prevent the spread and occurrence of the epidemic. After the Ministry of Health of China announced the development of an emergency plan on June 10th, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau and the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a notice. To prevent hemorrhagic diarrhea, consumers should eat less at places with poor sanitation conditions such as food stalls and roadside vendors. Some of the hottest-selling summer foods, such as crayfish, lamb skewers, and Malatang (spicy hot pot), have been listed as "dangerous elements" that can cause intestinal infectious diseases.
"In fact, cases of hemorrhagic E. coli have always existed, but China has not had a concentrated outbreak," Zhou Rongbin, director of the emergency department of the General Hospital of the Beijing Military Command, told reporters from the "Life Times": "E. coli is mainly infected orally, with food transmission being the most common, such as meat, raw vegetables, and seafood. Unclean hands are also a major source of infection." Moreover, summer is a high-incidence period for gastrointestinal diseases every year. Nausea, vomiting, fever, watery bloody diarrhea, and headaches are typical symptoms of hemorrhagic E. coli. In severe cases, shock can occur, which can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. For this reason, Zhou Rongbin, along with Zhang Liang, a senior national cooking technician and senior culinary technician at Shandong Tourism Vocational College, and Fu Jinru, chairman of the Tianjin Nutrition Society, have jointly listed the types of dangerous foods and reminded everyone on how to eat them safely.
— Barbecue Category —
Foods to be wary of: Lamb skewers and chicken wings from roadside stalls. In an interview, Xiao Zhao, who once worked at a roadside stall, revealed the shocking secrets of barbecue. To reduce costs, barbecue shop owners always cut corners on the meat. "The meat is first cut and skewered, then casually set aside. In the summer heat, if business is slow, the meat quickly becomes stale. Then, the meat is washed, and tenderizing powder is added, making it appear fresh again," Xiao Zhao said. If the meat is spoiled, adding tenderizing powder and beef essence makes the grilled taste almost identical to fresh meat.
Fake lamb has also become an unspoken rule in the industry. "Many lamb skewers are actually duck skewers," Xiao Zhao said. While working at the barbecue stall, he always wondered why the owner soaked the "lamb" in sheep oil before he learned the truth. "Duck and lamb are easily distinguished by taste, but when soaked in sheep oil or sheep urine and then grilled with lamb essence, no one can tell the difference." Bamboo skewers used for grilling are often reused by many vendors, becoming a medium for the spread of germs. Additionally, lamb skewers processed on the roadside are contaminated by vehicle exhaust and dust, with no guarantee of hygiene.
When grilled over an open flame, chicken wings produce a large amount of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can accumulate in the body and induce cancers such as stomach and colon cancer. Another carcinogen, heterocyclic amines (HCAs), has been shown in animal experiments to cause breast and colon cancer. The fattier the meat being grilled, the more carcinogens are produced, and the carcinogen content in the burnt skin is even higher than in the meat itself. This danger is most evident in grilled chicken wings. Furthermore, chickens are given six or seven types of vaccines during their growth, most of which are injected into the wing area, making the wing tips most likely to accumulate hormones, which is unhealthy to eat in excess.
Solution: First, always choose clean and hygienic places for barbecue; it's best to avoid food stalls and roadside vendors. Second, try not to eat the fatty pieces in the grilled meat, and remove the skin from grilled chicken wings. Third, wrap the food in aluminum foil to prevent excessive smoke containing carcinogens from entering the food. Fourth, ask for more cumin when eating barbecue. Research from Kansas State University shows that cumin and curry can significantly reduce carcinogens produced by high-temperature cooking.
— Raw/Uncooked Category —
Foods to be wary of: Cold-dressed kelp shreds, lotus root slices, dried tofu, enoki mushrooms, etc. In the processing and sales industry of cold dishes, there is a common practice of "renewing" them. This means that when cold dishes have been out for a long time, they are washed, mixed, and resold. In this process, some are simply rinsed with water and then re-seasoned with salt, MSG, and other seasonings, while others require special "preservatives" to maintain freshness.
For example, when kelp shreds are left for too long, they become soft, sticky, and develop a strange odor. To restore their original texture and color, many unscrupulous vendors add chemicals during processing. The cold-dressed lotus root slices we see in restaurants and food stalls are often snow-white, but in reality, lotus root turns brown quickly after being sliced due to oxidation, and even after being blanched in boiling water, it won't be very white. To achieve a white color, chemical agents such as sodium hydrosulfite are used. Dried tofu, seaweed, and packaged enoki mushrooms may have similar problems. Additionally, most cold dishes are prepared raw, and if hygiene standards and the disinfection of tableware and kitchen utensils are not observed, it can lead to cross-contamination of bacteria.
Solution: Besides ordering fewer cold dishes when eating out, pay special attention to their appearance, color, and smell. Be cautious when purchasing cold dishes that have colors or a brightness that deviates from the original ingredient or have a strange odor. Especially in summer, if cold dishes are not refrigerated, bacteria can grow after just one hour at a constant temperature. Whether eating at a food stall or making cold dishes at home, it's best to add some minced garlic and ginger, which have a sterilizing effect. Boiled soybeans and peanuts are relatively healthy and safe, but soybeans should be eaten in moderation—a small portion is enough.
— Seafood Category —
Foods to be wary of: Spicy crayfish, stir-fried river snails, and grilled seafood. Every summer, hospitals see numerous patients with diarrhea caused by eating crayfish. The hot and humid summer environment provides ideal conditions for the growth and reproduction of intestinal pathogens. Crayfish often carry lung flukes, and cooking methods like grilling, stir-frying, marinating, or pickling cannot kill all the lung fluke metacercariae in the crayfish. If a person eats raw or undercooked crayfish, the larvae of the lung fluke enter the human body and can "travel" to invade the lungs, liver, brain, abdominal cavity, and other organs, causing inflammation. In severe cases, it can lead to organ abscesses and other damage. River snails are also common hosts for parasites. Research has found that 17%-30% of river snails contain larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis.
Grilled oysters and scallops are currently the most popular ways to eat seafood, but the most dangerous aspect of this method is being "cooked on the outside, raw on the inside." Seafood contains pathogenic bacteria like Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which are heat-resistant and require temperatures above 80°C to be killed. It may also contain parasite eggs, but grilling cannot guarantee that these bacteria are completely eliminated. If vendors use stale or dead seafood to "pass off as fresh," it is even more dangerous, especially for shellfish, which have a high natural bacterial load and their protein decomposes quickly. Once they die, bacteria will multiply rapidly and produce toxins. Stale seafood can also produce other substances that cause diarrhea, nausea, or even food poisoning.
Solution: The safest way to eat seafood is to steam or boil it. If you must eat grilled seafood, ask for it to be grilled for a longer time. River snails and crayfish from food stalls or small restaurants often have unknown sources and poor sanitation, so it's best to eat them less. If you do eat them, you should discard the heads, which are most easily contaminated. Uncooked seafood dishes like "drunken shrimp" or "seafood marinated in soy sauce" should be eaten with extreme caution. Additionally, when eating seafood, it's best to pair it with garlic and mustard to kill bacteria.
— Beverages Category —
Foods to be wary of: Draft beer. Draft beer generally has a short shelf life and needs to be stored at 3-8°C. However, the draft beer sold on the market is often actually ordinary fresh beer that has not been pasteurized. This type of beer is usually stored in plastic or stainless steel barrels, relying on the barrel's own insulation for preservation. If the sanitary conditions of the food stall are not up to standard, problems can easily occur.
Solution: It's best to choose bottled beer. Don't drink it too cold. Avoid drinking beer with meat skewers, as it can easily induce digestive tract tumors. Eating seafood with beer can increase uric acid levels and trigger gout. In summer, milder drinks that relieve greasiness, nourish the stomach, and cool down are more suitable. Barley tea and sour plum soup are good choices.
— Malatang (Spicy Hot Pot) Category —
Foods to be wary of: Repeatedly boiled green leafy vegetables and animal offal. Malatang involves boiling various meats, bean products, and vegetables together, with the broth being reused. Research has found that after boiling for 90 minutes, the nitrite content in hot pot and Malatang broth increases significantly. Repeatedly boiling green leafy vegetables also produces nitrites.
Animal offal like tripe and omasum are "popular items" in Malatang, but the ingredients from food stalls or roadside stalls cannot be guaranteed. Under the cover of the spicy broth, consumers cannot tell the quality. Prolonged boiling of animal offal also produces purines, which can trigger gout.
Solution: Try to eat less Malatang from roadside stalls and avoid the ingredients mentioned above. When eating, it's best to dip it in sesame sauce to increase calcium intake. Add some garlic juice and vinegar, which have antibacterial properties, or eat some raw garlic to help prevent intestinal infections.