Are crabs suitable for everyone? Who should avoid eating them
The meat of crabs is tender, delicious, and also very nutritious. Its protein content is several times higher than that of pork or fish, and it is also rich in riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin A. However, these delectable crabs are not suitable for everyone. People with certain diseases should avoid or limit their consumption.
1. Patients with hepatitis should not eat crabs. Hepatitis patients often suffer from gastric mucosal edema, abnormal bile secretion, and impaired digestive function. Crab meat is rich in protein, which is not easily digested and absorbed, often leading to indigestion, bloating, vomiting, and other issues.
2. Patients with cardiovascular diseases should avoid eating crabs. Crabs are high in cholesterol; every 100 grams of crab meat contains 235 mg of cholesterol, and every 100 grams of crab roe contains 460 mg. For patients with coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, consuming foods high in cholesterol can lead to increased cholesterol levels and worsen cardiovascular conditions.
3. People with colds, fevers, or the flu should not eat crabs. The diet for colds should be light, and the high protein in crabs is not easily digested. Eating them can make a cold harder to cure or worsen the condition.
4. People with a weak or "cold" spleen and stomach should avoid or eat fewer crabs. Crabs have a "cold" nature in Traditional Chinese Medicine and can easily cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, or indigestion. Patients with chronic gastritis, stomach or duodenal ulcers should also avoid crabs, as they can cause a relapse or worsening of the condition.
5. People with allergic constitutions should avoid eating crabs. In such individuals, specific crab proteins can pass through the intestinal wall with increased permeability, triggering an allergic reaction. This reaction produces large amounts of histamine, causing spasms in the gastrointestinal smooth muscle and vascular edema, leading to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Some may also develop urticaria or asthma. Furthermore, people with skin diseases such as dermatitis, eczema, or tinea should also be cautious, as eating crabs can aggravate their condition.
6. People with biliary tract diseases, such as cholecystitis or gallstones, should not eat crabs. The formation of cholecystitis and gallstones is related to excessive cholesterol and metabolic disorders in the body. Eating crabs can easily cause a relapse or worsening of the condition.
7. Pregnant women should eat fewer or no crabs. Traditional Chinese Medicine considers crabs to be "cold" in nature and to have properties that invigorate blood and dispel stasis, which is not beneficial for pregnant women.
8. The elderly should not eat too many crabs. As people age, the function of their digestive organs declines, and their ability to digest and absorb is poor. Therefore, eating crabs should be for tasting purposes only, and not in large quantities. Similarly, young children have underdeveloped digestive organs and poor digestion and absorption abilities, so they should also avoid eating too many crabs. Friendly reminder: When eating crabs, you can use ginger and vinegar as seasonings to aid digestion and sterilization. You can also add some perilla leaves when steaming crabs. Perilla has a pungent and warm nature, promoting sweating to release the exterior, moving qi to relieve the chest, and can counteract the toxicity of fish and crabs. If you feel gastrointestinal discomfort after eating crab, you can decoct 15 grams of perilla and 5 slices of ginger, drink it while it's hot to warm the stomach, and it can also relieve pain and stop diarrhea.
According to ancient medical texts: "Eating persimmons with crab causes diarrhea." The reason is that crab is rich in protein, while persimmons contain a lot of tannic acid. When consumed together, they can coagulate into a hard substance. Additionally, both crab and persimmon are "cold" foods, and consuming them excessively at the same time can easily lead to discomfort.