In the cold winter, hot pot is highly favored. A family or a few friends gather around a table, chatting while enjoying steaming hot food, and the severe winter cold disappears without being driven away. So, how can one eat hot pot in a healthy way? Are there any taboos to be aware of? We need to be vigilant about the six major hazards of eating hot pot.
Hazard One: Indulging in hot pot without moderation can easily lead to illness
Children and the elderly have weaker constitutions and should choose hot pot with rich, nourishing broths that are high in calcium. Citizens suffering from chronic pharyngitis, gastroenteritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, skin diseases, hemorrhoids, etc., should not choose spicy hot pot. Patients with diabetes and hypertension should avoid seafood hot pot. Patients with gout and chronic gastritis should eat less mushroom hot pot. In addition, Director Wang specially pointed out that hot pot should be consumed in moderation and not excessively. At the same time, attention should also be paid during the process of eating.
Avoid long duration: The time for eating hot pot should be controlled within one and a half hours, and the remaining soup base should not be drunk. Director Wang said that after the hot pot broth has been simmered for 90 minutes, the nitrite content will increase significantly, which is very detrimental to health. Prolonged eating can easily lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Avoid eating too hot: The temperature of hot pot broth is quite high, and food just scooped out still has a high temperature, which can easily damage the oral mucosa and cause diseases like oral ulcers. Therefore, food just taken from the pot should not be put into the mouth immediately; it should be placed in a bowl to cool down a bit before eating.
Avoid overly strong flavors: Food that is too spicy or numbing can easily irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tract, causing congestion and edema, and it can also easily induce other diseases, aggravating symptoms. In addition, it is also necessary to avoid the hot pot being too salty, which would place a heavy burden on the heart and kidneys.
Avoid pairing with beer: The carbon dioxide in beer can aggravate the irritation to the oral mucosa, and in severe cases, it can cause pharyngitis, throat edema, etc. Moreover, the purine substances in the hot pot broth are higher than in a normal diet, and alcohol can easily cause lactic acid to accumulate in the body, inhibiting the excretion of uric acid, which greatly increases the risk of gout. In addition, it should be noted that people who often eat hot pot are prone to "internal heat" symptoms such as a sore throat, oral ulcers, chapped lips, and dark yellow urine. To prevent this, it is important to have a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and eat more vegetables. Eating some fruit 30 to 40 minutes after a meal can have a certain "heat-clearing" effect.
Hazard Two: Frequently eating spicy hot pot can lead to hair loss
Many people lose hair when under great stress or staying up late, but they don't realize that diet and lifestyle actually have a more direct and significant impact on hair. For example, the intake of spicy food, oil, and sugar, and whether essential vitamins are supplemented, all have a huge impact on hair. Surveys have shown that frequently eating large amounts of spicy hot pot, greasy food, and heavily seasoned dishes has been proven to have a negative effect on hair growth, and can even directly cause hair loss. It is now the cold season, and hot pot is very popular, but when you indulge, remember not to overdo it.
Hazard Three: Eating hot pot can easily trigger cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents
Not everyone can enjoy hot pot without restrictions, especially patients with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. They must be particularly careful when eating hot pot, as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents can strike at any time.
Four major causes that can lead to accidents
One, Poor air circulation. When eating hot pot, there are often many people and it takes a long time. If the air is not circulating, it can cause insufficient oxygen concentration indoors. If a charcoal stove is used indoors, incomplete combustion of charcoal can produce large amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which can more easily lead to myocardial hypoxia, inducing angina pectoris and myocardial infarction.
Two, Overeating. When eating hot pot, the meal is long and it is appetizing, so people often eat a lot. Overeating causes blood to concentrate in the stomach, leading to insufficient blood and oxygen supply to the heart and head. In addition, overeating can also prevent the diaphragm from contracting normally, resulting in insufficient oxygen intake in the lungs, inducing stroke and myocardial infarction.
Three, Fluctuations in blood pressure. When eating hot pot, many people like to have some cold drinks to refresh themselves. However, cold drinks can cause blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract to constrict and stimulate the secretion of adrenaline, leading to a rise in blood pressure. Hot soup, on the other hand, causes blood vessels to dilate and lowers blood pressure. This causes blood vessels to constrict and dilate in a very short period of time, making blood pressure extremely unstable. For people with hypertension, mild cases may experience headaches and dizziness, while severe cases can lead to stroke and myocardial infarction.
Four, Large temperature difference between the hot pot restaurant and the outside. The restaurant is usually hot and bustling, but once you step outside, you are met with biting cold winds. For long-term patients with hypertension and arteriosclerosis, exposure to cold air stimulation causes a physiological reaction that leads to a sudden constriction of blood vessels. The narrowed lumen, combined with a large amount of lipid deposition and atherosclerotic plaques, obstructs blood flow, which can easily trigger the onset and recurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The cold also makes the blood viscous, and blood is more likely to form small clots, causing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular blockages, thus inducing angina pectoris and myocardial infarction.
Hazard Four: The danger of nitrites in hot pot
Nitrite is a toxic chemical substance. Although it is not a carcinogen itself, it has indirect carcinogenic properties. It is difficult for the average person to see it in its entirety, as it is intangible and invisible. But we have seen many things that it has disguised and embellished; it has the power to turn the decayed into the marvelous. For example, in cured cooked meats, nitrites are used to make them look more vibrant. With nitrite, meat products can retain their youthfulness, just like an aging woman using cosmetics can look radiant during the day. Not only are nitrites artificially added to these processed foods, but they are also present in the vegetables and meat we eat every day. For example, the nitrite content in vegetables is about 4 mg/kg, in meat it is about 3 mg/kg, and in eggs it is about 5 mg/kg. The content in some foods is even higher, such as soybean powder at 10 mg/kg.
Hazard Five: Pregnant women eating hot pot in winter can cause fetal malformation
Pregnant women should reduce the number of times they eat hot pot. If they do eat occasionally, they must make sure the meat slices are thoroughly cooked. This is because the infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep is about 61.4%. If a pregnant woman is infected with the Toxoplasma virus, it can be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta, affecting the development of the fetal brain. In severe cases, it can also cause miscarriage, stillbirth, hydrocephalus, or anencephaly.
Another thing is that we do not recommend pregnant women to eat animal liver. Besides containing iron, the liver is also rich in vitamin A, and excessive intake can cause birth defects. The current recommendation is not to eat any liver or liver products, especially during the first trimester when important organs are forming. A balanced diet, including dairy products, vegetables (especially carrots), and fruits, can provide sufficient vitamin A.
Hazard Six: Hot pot contributes to the high incidence of pancreatitis in Chongqing
According to news from the 2009 China Pancreatic Surgery Forum, the incidence of pancreatitis in Chongqing is higher than the national average. Experts from Xinqiao Hospital of the Third Military Medical University believe that the dietary habits of Chongqing people—loving hot pot, twice-cooked pork, and beer—are the root cause. Acute pancreatitis is often caused by alcohol or gallstones, but a single meal with excessive high-protein food can also cause acute pancreatitis. Severe pancreatitis can also damage important organs in the body and even be life-threatening. The food in hot pot is blanched in an oily broth. The alcohol in beer and the fat can stimulate pancreatic secretion, stimulate edema and spasm of the duodenal papilla, increase the pressure within the pancreatic duct, causing pancreatic juice to extravasate, and thus lead to pancreatitis.