Be careful when eating crabs if the spleen and stomach are weak
Now is the season when crabs are on the market in large quantities. Crab has short and thin muscle fibers, tender and delicious meat, rich nutrition, low fat content and rich in DHA, which can prevent brain decline and prevent and treat atherosclerosis. However, eating too much crabs can also cause health problems. Recently, a hospital has treated patients with gout attacks, high blood lipids and gastrointestinal discomfort after eating large amounts of crabs. Chief Physician Ye Yanbin, director of the outpatient clinic of the Clinical Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, reminded that crab meat is cold in nature and should be eaten with caution by those with spleen and stomach deficiency or allergies. Moreover, crab roe is very high in fat and cholesterol. People with hyperlipidemia and gallbladder disease should eat less. Eat, gout patients also need to pay attention. When eating crabs, you must pay attention to scientific, reasonable and correct eating methods.
Try to choose live crabs
According to the “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2009 Edition”, every 100 grams of edible crab meat contains 11.6% to 13.8% protein. Under normal circumstances, uneaten crabs should be stored using quick-freezing technology (below -18°C). However, crab meat sold on the market often does not meet ideal conditions, causing bacteria to multiply rapidly and decompose proteins and free amino acids into histamine. Histamine is highly toxic and cannot be completely removed by heating at high temperatures. When the human body consumes excessive amounts of histamine, it can cause poisoning, so live crabs should be eaten as much as possible.
Also, avoid eating overnight crab meat. If the crab meat is kept fresh at a temperature below -18°C, histamine will be produced, which is also difficult to completely remove by heating. If histamine is poisoned, symptoms such as dizziness, headache, chest tightness, heart palpitations, rapid breathing, hives, decreased blood pressure, nausea, red skin, and conjunctival congestion will occur. Ye Yanbin emphasized that try not to eat overnight crab meat.
It is not recommended to eat crabs raw
Crabs themselves contain parasites and bacteria, with Vibrio haemolyticus and Salmonella being the most common in contaminated crab meat. Therefore, eating crabs raw is prone to adverse intestinal reactions and poses health risks. It is safer to eat them cooked.
Also, cooking time is important. Research shows that cooking for less than 30 minutes increases the risk of arsenic poisoning. Therefore, eating raw crab meat will not only ingest parasites and bacteria, but also pose the risk of arsenic poisoning. Friends who like to eat raw pickled crab must be vigilant.
Do not eat the same food as persimmons, grapes and hawthorns
Everyone has heard that eating persimmons and crab meat together can cause stomach discomfort. In fact, grapes and hawthorns can also cause stomach discomfort.
Ye Yanbin said that persimmons, grapes, hawthorns and tea all contain high levels of tannic acid. The aforementioned fruits are also rich in pectin and dietary fiber, while crab meat contains a large amount of protein and calcium. When tannic acid meets protein, it will metabolize in the stomach. Coagulates and produces tannic acid protein. In addition, protein and calcium will stick to pectin and cellulose to form calcium stones, which are difficult to digest and cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
In addition, Chinese medicine believes that crabs, persimmons and ice cream are cold foods. For people with poor gastrointestinal tracts, eating crab meat and cold foods at the same time may damage the spleen and stomach, and may easily cause abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms. Therefore, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, it is not recommended to eat crabs and cold foods at the same time.
Excessive consumption of crab meat may induce chronic diseases
Many people think that crabs have low cholesterol content. The cholesterol in crab meat is indeed low, but the cholesterol content in crab roe is not. According to the “Chinese Food Composition List 2019 Edition”, the cholesterol content of every 100 grams of edible crab meat and crab roe is 86 mg and 252 mg respectively. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Adults with Hyperlipidemia (2023 Edition) point out that people with hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol index above 5.2) should have a daily cholesterol intake of less than 200 mg, while healthy adults should have a daily cholesterol intake of less than 200 mg. The recommended intake should be less than 300 mg.
Even if an average adult only eats one or two crab roe, the cholesterol intake accounts for 42% of the recommended daily cholesterol intake. However, if a person with hypercholesterolemia eats the same amount of crab roe, the cholesterol intake has reached 63%. Total recommended daily amount of cholesterol.
In addition to being rich in high-quality protein, calcium, and high cholesterol, crab meat is also high in sodium. If you’re not careful, your sodium intake can often exceed the daily recommended amount. Therefore, special groups such as pregnant women and people with hyperuricemia, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, etc. are recommended to eat little or no crab roe and only eat an appropriate amount of crab meat.
Excessive intake of high-purine diet, alcohol and other factors increase the production of uric acid or reduce the excretion of uric acid, which can easily lead to gout. Crab and beer are both purine-rich foods. Therefore, do not drink alcohol, especially beer, when eating crab meat. The daily dietary purine intake of an average healthy adult is 600 mg to 1,000 mg; gout patients should limit their daily purine intake to less than 150 mg during a gout attack. 100 grams of edible crab meat and crab roe contain 144 mg and 182 mg of purine. It can be seen that excessive consumption of crab meat or crab roe can lead to hyperuricemia and increase the risk of gout. People with hyperuricemia are advised to consume no more than 1 to 2 taels of crab meat or less than 0.5 taels of crab roe per day.
Ye Yanbin suggested that when eating crabs, pay attention to the right amount, once a week, no more than 2 crabs each time, and pay attention to a balanced combination of meat and vegetables. In addition, eating cold crabs such as hairy crabs can be combined with ginger tea to prevent gastrointestinal discomfort caused by coldness in the spleen and stomach.
