Diet taboo list

More than 90% of all the "universal dietary taboos" circulated on the Internet have no scientific basis. The dietary taboos that really need to be observed have never been unified and are only directly related to your physical condition, consumption, and food processing methods.

To put it bluntly, these so-called universal taboos are like one-size-fits-all T-shirts. Thin people wear them loosely, but fat people cannot fit them. Some people have allergies when wearing them. It is impossible to apply to everyone. There was a quarrel about this at my cousin's house a while ago. The old man took the "100 Foods That Are Competitive" stored in his mobile phone and said that spinach cannot be paired with tofu. The combination of oxalic acid and calcium will cause kidney stones. The couple said that they had been eating this way for more than ten years and no stones were found in physical examinations, so they came to me for comment. I asked, do you blanch your spinach before frying? The old man said why do you blanch it? It will be soft and unpalatable when fried. Isn’t that enough? Blanching spinach for 1 minute can remove 80% of the oxalic acid. Not only will it not form stones when paired with tofu, it will allow the oxalic acid and calcium to combine in the intestines and stomach, and will not cause trouble in the kidneys, which is a good thing. Of course, if you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones and still eat raw spinach mixed with tofu without blanching, you should be more careful.

There are actually two schools of thought regarding dietary taboos, and no one can convince anyone. The traditional Chinese medicine system pays attention to the cold and hot properties of food. It is said that people with weak spleen and stomach should not eat raw and cold foods together. Many people think it is metaphysics, but it can also be explained from the perspective of modern nutrition: people with weak digestive function and easily irritated gastrointestinal tract are stuffed with iced watermelon, iced milk tea, sashimi and a bunch of low-temperature or indigestible things at once. The irritated gastrointestinal tract will speed up the peristalsis and naturally be prone to diarrhea. It is really not a "food conflict". There are also many staunch supporters of traditional Chinese medicine who will strictly abide by the food combination requirements of the 18th Anti-Nineteenth Annals. The view of modern nutrition is that as long as there are no underlying diseases, there is no need to have these concerns with normal consumption. In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong between the two statements. If you are doing traditional Chinese medicine, just follow the doctor's instructions and pay attention. If you are usually in good health and eat delicious food, there is no need to put shackles on your mouth.

Don’t believe it, I’ve seen too many people who treat universal taboos as edicts, and end up with eating problems. Last week, a 28-year-old gout patient came to the outpatient clinic. His uric acid had soared to 620 μmol/L. He still believed that "as long as he didn't eat seafood and drink beer at the same time, he would be fine." To put it bluntly, the dietary taboo for him is not at all "Seafood cannot be paired with beer", but that the amount of all high-purine foods must be controlled. Whether you eat them alone or as a pair, you will suffer if you eat too much. There are also many pregnant women who are forced by their elders to completely avoid crabs and hawthorns. In fact, as long as they have no history of habitual abortion and the placenta is stable, there will be no problem at all if they eat a steamed hairy crab or bite half a bunch of candied haws when they are greedy. What they really should avoid are uncooked raw meat and unsterilized raw milk. These are real taboos that increase the risk of listeria infection.

There are also many so-called "dietary taboos" that are actually caused by improper food handling. For example, many people say that green beans are poisonous and should not be eaten casually. In fact, they are not cooked thoroughly. The saponin and hemagglutinin in the green beans are completely inactivated as long as they are fully heated to above 100°C for 10 minutes. There is nothing wrong with eating them if they are cooked normally. There are also sprouted potatoes. Everyone knows that you cannot eat them. In fact, if there are only a few small sprouts that have just sprouted, it is okay to dig out the 1 cm part around the sprouts and cook them thoroughly. If the whole potato has turned green, then don’t save the two yuan. It is safest to throw it away.

Of course, this does not mean that all dietary taboos are false. There are a few that must be observed regardless of body constitution: for example, you must not touch any alcoholic food, including liqueur chocolate and Huoxiang Zhengqi water, for 7 days before and after taking cephalosporin antibiotics. Otherwise, a serious disulfiram reaction will be fatal.； People who take antihypertensive drugs and statin lipid-lowering drugs should not touch grapefruit. The furanocoumarins in grapefruit will inhibit the liver's enzymes that metabolize drugs, causing the drugs to accumulate in the body. This can range from a sudden drop in blood pressure and dizziness to a life-threatening situation. ； For those who clearly have a history of food allergy, don’t touch it regardless of how delicious and nutritious it is. My college classmate is allergic to mango. When I was traveling in Thailand, I tasted a mouthful of mango sticky rice. My larynx was swollen and I was sent to the emergency room. I almost couldn’t breathe.

To be honest, you really need to make a "Dietary Taboo List" for yourself. Don't search for dozens or hundreds of ready-made lists on the Internet. Just take a small notebook and jot down a few things: Last time you had ice milk and you had diarrhea, don't drink ice on an empty stomach next time.； The doctor said that if you have diabetes, don’t touch the milk tea cake. ； When taking medicine, ask your doctor if there are any dietary restrictions. Your own body knows best, and the three or five things you have written down are a hundred times more reliable than those general taboos for gaining traffic.