The Minor Heat solar term has arrived, and in many places, there are folk sayings such as “the minor heat yellow eel competes with ginseng,” which suggests that eel meat is not only tender and delicious but also highly nutritious. Eel is rich in DHA and lecithin, which are essential nutrients for brain cells.
Traditional Chinese medicine states that eel has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping pain, dispelling wind and reducing swelling, as well as moistening the intestines and stopping bleeding. It can help regulate blood sugar and has a good auxiliary therapeutic effect on hemorrhoids and diabetes. However, modern medicine has found that while eel is beneficial, it is not suitable for everyone, and there are four types of people who should avoid excessive consumption.
1. Patients with gout should not eat too much eel:
Eel contains small and densely packed cells with a high content of nuclear material, as well as a considerable amount of purines. Excessive consumption of purines can lead to the formation of uric acid in the body, thereby directly affecting blood uric acid levels and triggering acute gout attacks.
Gout patients should be cautious with seafood, as apart from jellyfish and sea cucumber, which are low in purines, other seafood has relatively high purine content and is not suitable for gout patients to consume.
2. Patients with bleeding disorders:
Patients with bleeding disorders such as thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, and vitamin K deficiency should eat less eel, as the eels contain eicosapentaenoic acid, which can inhibit platelet aggregation, thereby exacerbating bleeding in these patients.
3. Patients taking cough medicine:
Some cough medicines contain monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which suppress the secretion of monoamine oxidase from the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Consuming eel after taking such medications can lead to a rapid accumulation of histamine in the body, resulting in poisoning.
4. Individuals with poor gastrointestinal health:
Eel is prone to parasitic infections, and even cooking at high temperatures for an extended period can leave room for potential residues, which can infect humans. For those with poor gastrointestinal health, eating eel can cause indigestion and even lead to symptoms such as stomach pain, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and low blood pressure.
