Eating Steamed Shrimp and Fish with Beer
In addition to wine and beer, according to a quote from Dan Tri, experts have pointed out that some types of food, pharmaceuticals, and products can also cause alcohol concentration in the blood or breath when consumed.
Some foods, such as steamed shrimp and fish with beer, and dishes that use red wine sauce during marinating or processing, may still retain a very small amount of alcohol when consumed.
In addition, some foods containing ethanol are fermented before being introduced into the body, such as “homemade” sticky rice yogurt made with fermented sticky rice, because the basic ingredient of this dish is the mixture of light wine into yogurt. Similarly, other fermented products can also cause alcohol concentration in breath, such as fermented fruit juice.
However, according to the regulations of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP (as amended by Decree 123/2021/ND-CP), drivers with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 0mg/liter of breath will be fined. This means that there is no “green zone” like many other countries in the world, and the penalty for violating the alcohol concentration while driving a car in Vietnam is currently very high.
Drivers are increasingly concerned about the risk of being “involved in a case” of alcohol concentration even though they do not directly consume alcohol or beer. Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, in charge of the Russian-Vietnamese High Oxygen Center, the Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Center under the Ministry of Defense, shared that some types of food and beverages such as sweet fruits, fermented fruits like grapes, durian, pineapple, and syrups contain alcohol but in very small amounts.
Foods such as steamed shrimp and fish with beer and beef with red wine sauce, when combined with various spices, have a small amount of alcohol, not as much as when consumed directly. Although eating these foods does not affect the ability to control vehicles, they still cause breath alcohol.
To avoid high breath alcohol concentration, resting for 30 minutes, rinsing your mouth, and drinking filtered water can help. If the concentration is still high, you can propose to rest for an additional 15 minutes before retesting.
Dr. Hoang also explained that the unit of alcohol, based on the concept of the World Health Organization (WHO), is 10 grams of pure ethanol alcohol. For example, 200ml of beer, 75ml of wine (1 glass), and 25ml of strong liquor (1 cup) are equivalent to one unit of alcohol. For healthy adults, the liver can eliminate about 1 unit of alcohol per hour. However, this time may vary depending on factors such as health condition, weight, and age.