Hotpot is a dish that many Vietnamese people love. That is because hotpot is very convenient to prepare, unlike cooking a multi-course meal. Everyone can gather around a hotpot and quickly cook various types of food based on different tastes. However, eating hotpot in certain ways can pose health risks:
Eating unfamiliar mushrooms
When eating hotpot, people often use mushrooms, commonly shiitake mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms… which are popular for their crispiness, fragrant aroma, and high nutritional content. But using unfamiliar mushrooms can cause digestive damage, poisoning, and even the risk of death. Therefore, one must be extremely cautious with the types of mushrooms and their origin.
Basil and tomatoes are not suitable for chicken hotpot
Having basil or tomatoes with chicken hotpot can cause conflicts. Chicken meat belongs to the liver system, while basil has warm characteristics that break down energy, reduce blood clotting. Combining these two types of food can lead to dizziness, tinnitus, tremors, itchiness… Additionally, chicken meat also contradicts tomatoes and garlic, so these two ingredients should not be added to a chicken hotpot.
Eating water spinach in beef hotpot
Beef has a warming nature, while water spinach has a cooling nature. When combining these two types of food, eating too much can cause stomach pain, indigestion, and even constipation, discomfort.
Eating undercooked vegetables for hotpot
When preparing hotpot vegetables, many people don’t cook them thoroughly like cooked vegetables because they believe that simmering will make them well-done. But when re-dipping or eating partially cooked vegetables, it is impossible to completely eliminate parasites clinging to the vegetables. Therefore, diners will have to deal with gastrointestinal diseases.
Mixing raw and cooked food together
When eating hotpot, raw and cooked food can get mixed up, such as mistakenly picking up raw and cooked ingredients with the same pair of chopsticks, especially when dining in a group and not paying close attention. As a result, there is a risk of bacterial infection and a higher chance of contracting worms. Using the same pair of chopsticks for raw and cooked food is also a risk of infection.
Eating for too long and consuming hot hotpot broth can damage the digestive system and lead to cancer
Many people often sit near the hotpot for a long time, leisurely eating and chatting. Continuous boiling of hotpot broth will increase cholesterol levels in the blood, the intestines have to work continuously, and digestive fluid decreases, resulting in digestive disorders. Continuously boiling hotpot broth will produce harmful substances such as salt, purine, and nitrite. Nitrite, when exposed to amino acids in meat at high temperatures, will form nitrosamine compounds that can damage DNA structures, increasing the risk of cancer. Therefore, one should limit sitting for too long near the hotpot and boil fresh broth instead of reusing the broth.
Eating excessively hot food can harm the esophagus
The esophagus is only suitable for food at around 50 degrees Celsius. However, hot hotpot soup containing a lot of oil and the cold weather make many people prefer hot food. Drinking hot soup and eating hot food increase the risk of esophageal damage. Therefore, it is recommended to scoop out the hot soup and food into a bowl, let them cool down, and then eat.
Sharing dipping sauces
Sharing dipping sauces with many people is a common habit in Vietnam. However, it is not good for eating habits as it may increase the risk of H. pylori infection…
