"Gathering·Food Safety Guide" Series｜Eating crabs is a tricky thing to do, be careful not to fall into the delicious "trap"

The autumn wind blows, and the crab roe is plump. The best season to eat crabs is autumn. At this time, crabs are delicious, with thick and tender meat. They have the effects of clearing heat and nourishing yin, nourishing the liver and kidneys, and nourishing essence and marrow. However, it is also a "high-risk" seafood. If you are not careful, you may fall into its "delicious trap". What are the taboos of eating crabs in autumn? Next, let's take everyone to uncover the secrets of eating crabs healthily...

Four parts that cannot be eaten

Crab gills: The crab's respiratory organs, they should be removed first after opening the shell.

Crab heart: After opening the crab shell, you will see a hexagonal piece in the middle of the crab body. This is the crab heart. It is connected to the crab roe, and most people would think that it is part of the crab roe.

Crab stomach: hidden in the crab roe, a small triangular bag. The excrement in the crab stomach contains many bacteria and harmful substances.

Crab intestines: A part of it is hidden in the crab roe. There is a very obvious black line in the crab roe, which is the crab intestines. It extends all the way to the navel of the crab's abdomen. The crab intestines are the same as the crab stomach. They are full of crab excrement and are not edible.

Two states cannot be eaten

First, don’t eat dead crabs.

After a crab dies, parasitic bacteria in its body will multiply and spread into the crab meat, causing protein decomposition to produce histamine. The longer the crab has been dead, the more histamine accumulates in its body and the more toxic it is. Even if the dead crab is cooked thoroughly, the toxins are still not easily destroyed, causing vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms in the eater.

Second, don’t eat raw crabs.

Crabs contain various pathogenic microorganisms, which cannot be killed by simply soaking them in rice wine or white wine. Eating raw crabs can easily induce parasitic diseases.

"Incompatible" foods should not be eaten together

Persimmon: Crab meat is rich in protein, while persimmon contains a lot of tannic acid. These two substances will react with each other to form protein coagulation into lumps, which are difficult for the stomach to digest. Therefore, if someone eats crab and persimmon at the same time, it can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other discomfort symptoms.

Strong tea: Do not drink tea while eating crabs or within one hour after eating crabs. Tea, like persimmons, contains tannic acid, which can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

Cold food: Do not eat cold food at the same time as eating crabs. Crabs are cold in nature, and eating cold food together with crabs will cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders.

Finally, a warm reminder: Because crabs are cold in nature, it is not advisable to eat too much. People with weak spleen and stomach should pay special attention to moderation to avoid abdominal pain and diarrhea. Crabs are cold in nature. When making autumn crab meals, you can add perilla and ginger as side dishes. Both are pungent and warm medicinal materials, which can relieve the coldness of crabs.

Text/Wang Shuo (Pharmacy Department, Beijing Gulou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine)