Lamb, tofu, seafood... Do we have to stop eating these "irritating foods" if we get hurt?

After an injury, you always want to take good care of yourself so that your body can recover faster. However, there are many sayings that you should avoid certain foods after an injury, which makes people worry about "post-injury diet".

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I often hear the elderly say that after suffering an injury, you must know how to avoid certain foods. Eating some foods will prevent the wound from healing and may even cause suppuration, such as seafood, beef, mutton, and even tofu. Regardless of whether it is true or not, there are many people who believe it.

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So, will eating these foods after an injury really prevent the wound from healing?

01

There is no sufficient evidence for the "trigger food" theory

The topic of avoiding eating "irritating foods" after being injured has been mentioned from ancient times to the present and is widely circulated among the people. There is a saying that foods such as mutton are called "irritating foods". These "irritating foods" will prevent wounds from healing, and therefore become a dietary taboo.

This is not the case.

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According to existing records, the so-called "irritating foods" mostly refer to foods that are irritating and can easily induce certain diseases or aggravate existing diseases. Some people believe that spicy condiments such as garlic and chili peppers are irritating foods, while others believe that fish and shrimp are irritating foods, and some believe that mutton and beef are irritating foods.

In fact, there is not enough evidence to support the theory of "irritating foods", and the taboos on seafood, beef and mutton are only spread among the people. There is no relevant record in classical medical books, clinical medicine or nutrition, and there is no report that eating mutton will affect wound healing.

The healing process after a physical injury is relatively complicated and affected by multiple factors, which can be roughly divided into two aspects: internal and external factors. The internal factors are mainly physical health. If the body itself is malnourished, or has certain metabolic diseases, or lacks immunity due to protein deficiency, it will affect the wound healing process and even lead to a poor prognosis. The external factors include more, among which infections caused by pathogens and foreign bodies in the wound have the greatest impact, but seafood and other foods are not among the external factors.

02

High-quality protein helps wound healing

Contrary to rumors, modern medicine believes that trauma patients, as a special group of people, need to consume more protein during the wound healing process. Properly increasing the intake of high-quality protein will help improve the body's self-healing ability. In clinical practice, it is also recommended that trauma or postoperative patients should appropriately increase the proportion of high-quality protein in their diet. As for the specific issues about seafood, beef, mutton and tofu, let's discuss them one by one.

About seafood

Seafood is rich in high-quality protein, so it is beneficial for wound healing. In addition, some deep-sea fish are also rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as EPA and DHA), which can help trauma patients repair their nervous system and regulate inflammatory immune responses.

However, it should be noted that seafood may carry certain pathogens, especially when it is not fresh enough. If it gets on the wound during processing, or causes diarrhea, poisoning, allergies, etc. after consumption, it is indeed not conducive to wound healing, and may even lead to suppuration or more serious combined infections.

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Therefore, eating seafood safely will not delay wound healing. In fact, the high-quality protein it contains can help improve the body's immunity and promote wound healing. Whether or not you need to eat seafood depends on your personal situation. At the same time, pay attention to food safety, buy from regular channels, and cook it thoroughly before eating.

About Lamb

Lamb is a common source of meat in our daily life. It can provide us with energy and protein, and is also rich in iron, calcium and other nutrients. In life, there are indeed people with allergies or weak gastrointestinal function who feel unwell after eating lamb. In this case, whether eating lamb will affect wound healing depends on the specific situation.

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Therefore, mutton itself is rich in nutrients and can provide protein supplements for patients' recovery, but its fat content is slightly high and it is not suitable to eat more, especially for people with weak gastrointestinal function. In addition, mutton is a high-purine food, and people with purine metabolism disorders should not eat more. The most important thing is to follow the doctor's advice.

About Tofu

Compared with seafood, beef and mutton, this is the first time I have heard that "eating tofu will affect wound healing". As we all know, tofu has been eaten in China for thousands of years. The production process of tofu greatly improves the digestion and absorption of soy protein, with a total utilization rate of more than 90%. At the same time, it can also avoid the embarrassment of gas production after eating too much boiled beans. Therefore, various tofu and soy products have become the most important source of plant protein on people's daily tables.

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So, is tofu, which is suitable for people of all ages, really a taboo for external injuries?

Of course not.

Eating tofu after an injury is more conducive to wound healing. Like soy milk, yuba, fermented black beans, and soybean paste, the main raw material of tofu is also soybeans. Neither the beans themselves nor the gypsum or brine added during the processing have any effect on wound healing.

Is there something wrong with the nutritional ingredients in tofu?

Of course not.

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Every 100 grams of tofu contains about 12.2 grams of protein and 4.8 grams of fat. Other elements include calcium, iron and other minerals, which are beneficial to wound healing.

Some people are also worried that it might be the phytoestrogens in tofu that are causing the problem.

The answer is no.

The so-called phytoestrogens are actually soy isoflavones, which are present in all soy products, but their estrogenic effects are very weak and will not affect wound healing.

03

Injured? Eat without worry

According to the principles of nutritional treatment for patients with infection and trauma in Clinical Nutrition, "the content of calories and protein should be slightly higher than normal levels, and high-quality proteins such as milk, eggs, lean minced meat, and soy products can be used as protein sources." Eating high-quality protein sources after trauma or surgery can help increase the intake of high-quality protein and help wound healing. There are no dietary taboos for trauma, so you can eat without worry after being injured.

Author: Zhang Yu, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Review | Song Shuang, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

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