The world is so big, I want to eat – How can I eat healthier when I travel on vacation?

Author: Li Haijie: Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Health and Safety, School of Public Health, North China University of Technology

Reviewer: Yan Shengguang, Professor of the School of Public Health, North China University of Technology, Hebei Province Collaborative Innovation Center for Occupational Health and Safety

"The world is so big, I want to see it" expresses the yearning of countless people for travel. Especially in recent years, with the improvement of the economic level of Chinese residents, more and more people like to travel during holidays, enjoy the beautiful scenery of various places, and experience different customs and practices.

When you choose a travel destination, what attracts you the most? Especially this year when "Zibo BBQ" became popular, we began to find that food culture has become an increasingly important part of tourism. Compared with the beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural history, a few friends or the whole family taste the local specialties together during the trip and feel the different fireworks. This simple and pure state makes people feel particularly relaxed and comfortable.

However, when people pay attention to the food culture characteristics during tourism, they should not ignore the potential food safety hazards. China has a vast territory and many ethnic groups. Different geographical locations and natural conditions have created different food cultures. Today we will talk about the possible food health problems in two representative tourist destinations in China.

1. Coastal Areas

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When it comes to traveling, for most people, the first choice in summer is the seaside. China is a maritime country with a mainland coastline of 18,400 kilometers and a total coastline of more than 32,600 kilometers. There are many coastal cities in China. Although each coastal city has its own characteristics, the attraction of traveling to coastal cities is always the soft sandy beaches, blue waters, and delicious seafood. In the early morning, tourists will gather at the dock, waiting for fishing boats full of fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. These seafood are not only delicious, but also rich in protein and minerals. However, with the frequent occurrence of seafood-related food safety issues, we should pay special attention to the following points when traveling:

1. Seafood that is not cooked thoroughly contains bacteria, and seafood must be strictly sterilized before eating. As people pursue the freshness of food, "raw marinated seafood" is becoming more and more popular, but the pathogens in seafood are mainly Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which are relatively heat-resistant and can only be killed at temperatures above 80°C. In addition to bacteria, seafood may also contain parasite eggs and bacteria and virus contamination caused by processing. Generally speaking, boiling in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes is considered to be completely sterilized. Therefore, you must be cautious about seafood that is not heated and cooked, and you must ensure that the fish is fresh and hygienic.

2. When eating seafood, be sure to eat it in moderation and try to avoid eating it with fruits. Although seafood tastes delicious, the high protein content and relatively complex food ingredients may put a certain burden on the human stomach. Fruits contain more tannic acid. If you eat them with fruits, it will not only affect the body's absorption of protein, but also irritate the gastrointestinal tract and even cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. Therefore, it is best to wait for more than 2 hours after a seafood meal (because it takes 2 to 3 hours for food to empty in the stomach) before eating fruits.

3. People with gout should eat less seafood, and people with allergies should not eat seafood. Seafood is a food with high purine content, which has a significant effect of raising uric acid and can easily aggravate gout symptoms. Therefore, people with gout should eat less seafood. Seafood is a food that can easily cause allergies, because the rich protein contained in seafood is a foreign protein to the human body and is the most common food-borne allergen. If you are allergic to seafood, you should abstain from it to avoid allergic symptoms.

2. Southwest China

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Since the reform and opening up, the tourism economy in the southwest region has made great progress. Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet and other places attract a large number of tourists every year. The southwest region not only has rich natural resources such as Mount Emei, Jiuzhaigou, Huangguoshu Waterfall, etc., but also has many splendid cultural heritages such as the Potala Palace and Leshan Giant Buddha. Tourists in the southwest region can enjoy the beautiful scenery gifted by nature while experiencing various delicacies such as hot pot, sour soup fish, rice noodles, etc. There are two points to pay special attention to in terms of diet when traveling in the southwest region:

1. Don't overestimate your ability to eat spicy food. The Sichuan Basin is low-lying and has high air humidity. Locals eat spicy food to achieve the purpose of sweating and detoxification. For foreign tourists, too spicy food can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort, so you must eat according to your ability.

2. Be sure to beware of "mushroom" poisoning. Yunnan is known to have more than 900 species of wild edible mushrooms, accounting for more than 90% of the known species in China and more than 45% of the known species in the world. Yunnan's wild edible mushroom resources occupy a pivotal position in my country and even in the world. June to September every year is the mushroom-eating season in Yunnan, and mushroom poisoning incidents often occur at this time. Tourists who love mushrooms must go to regular restaurants to taste them, and remember that "safety" comes first.

As the saying goes, "the land and water nurture the people", China's 9.6 million square kilometers of land has nurtured 56 ethnic groups and more than 1.4 billion people. Tourism allows us to experience different natural environments, ethnic customs and food cultures, brings many exotic life experiences, helps us release the pressure in work and life, and achieve both physical and spiritual gains. In recent years, with the occurrence of some food-related events in tourism, such as "sky-high prawns" and food poisoning, people's concept of tourism consumption has also quietly changed. Tourists are increasingly pursuing a "safe, delicious, nutritious and healthy" diet and an "equal, respectful and comfortable" travel experience. "Zibo BBQ" tells us that "sincerity" is the eternal nirvana. As consumers, tourists are always willing to pay for authentic food. So please be less routine and more sincere in the tourism industry, so that tourists will come to you from afar.

References

[1] Sun Changhao. Nutrition and Food Hygiene[M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2017.

[2] Anonymous. Eight things to pay attention to when eating seafood [J]. Safety and Health, 2014(08): 56.

[3] Chen Riyi. What should children pay attention to when eating seafood[J]. Food and Health, 2013(10): 24-25.

[4] Kunming Edible Fungi Research Institute of China National Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. Searching for the secret of biodiversity: the friendship between fungi and fungi[J]. Chinese Edible Fungi, 2021, 40(10): 78.