The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, with the fragrant scent of zongzi leaves filling the air. Eating zongzi is a traditional custom in our country. Many citizens enjoy eating zongzi, some even having them for breakfast every day. A few individuals who are particularly fond of zongzi have even given up their regular meals, eating zongzi for every meal. Journalists have found that some people buy zongzi from food stores, supermarkets, or their company cafeterias every week, purchasing a dozen or so at a time. They then store them in the refrigerator and have one for breakfast each day.
A doctor told reporters: "Food digestion takes at least 6 hours to pass from the stomach to the intestines. Zongzi are made of glutinous rice, which is inherently difficult to digest. Eating them first thing in the morning means they stay in the stomach for even longer, stimulating gastric acid secretion and potentially causing flare-ups in people with chronic stomach diseases or gastric ulcers. Although zongzi can be eaten cold, they become quite hard. It is recommended to take them out of the refrigerator and heat them thoroughly; they should be soft before eating. Notably, zongzi should absolutely not be eaten as a late-night snack, as they will remain in the stomach all night and are difficult to digest."
Every year, there are incidents of elderly people choking on similar foods, some even leading to death. This April, the emergency room of a hospital admitted two elderly men in their 70s who had choked on glutinous rice foods eaten at home and were rushed to the hospital.
Experts suggest that when eating zongzi, it is best to drink tea to help with swallowing and digestion. Eat smaller portions at a time, and consider choosing smaller, mini zongzi. It is also advisable to eat zongzi that are less rich in flavor. For individuals with stomach conditions, plain rice zongzi without sugar are a better choice to avoid excessive sweetness. For patients with gallstones, cholecystitis, and pancreatitis, it is recommended to avoid meat zongzi and egg yolk zongzi. Zongzi that are too greasy, high in fat, or high in protein may cause indigestion, bloating, and trigger acute episodes of their conditions.