When it comes to parasites, everyone's first reaction is that they will parasitize on animals. For example, we usually know not to eat raw seafood, meat and other foods to prevent parasite infection. But in fact, some plants also have parasites, such as water chestnuts that many people like to eat.
had news reports before that Ms. Wang (pseudonym) who is 27 years old likes to eat water chestnuts raw on weekdays. Since two years ago, she has often felt a faint pain in her upper abdomen and did not take it seriously. I was still uncomfortable this year and couldn't bear it, so I went to a hospital in Hangzhou for examination. In the end, the doctor focused the cause on the parasitic infection and took out two living insects from Ms. Wang's body through surgery.
image is captured from Weibo
Water chestnuts are obviously plants, so why do there are parasite problems? Today we will talk about water chestnuts and learn more about it.
01
What kind of plant is water chestnut?
I believe there are still many people who don’t know these two words, right? Water chestnut [bí qi], also known as horse hoof , earthen chestnut , black taro , and Tongtian grass. In the south, it has been known as "underground snow pear" since ancient times, and in the north, it is called "Jiangnan ginseng".
It belongs to a kind of aquatic plant, with a flat, rusty or dark brown skin and white flesh.
02
What nutrition does water chestnut have?
Many people eat water chestnuts as fruits, but in fact it is more suitable for eating some staple foods. Because the content of carbohydrate in water chestnuts is not low, we convert it according to the same amount of carbohydrates. Eating 200 grams of water chestnuts is equivalent to 100 grams of rice.
So, for friends who need to control their weight or lose weight, you need to remember to reduce your intake of rice after eating water chestnuts!
However, the potassium content of water chestnuts is still good, which is better than the bananas with higher potassium content we usually say, about 1.2 times that of bananas, which is quite friendly to friends who need to control blood pressure.
03
Why is ginger slice insect infected?
The reason why water chestnuts have parasites is related to their aquatic plants. Ginger-sliced insects are common parasites in water, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where aquatic plants such as water and lotus root are abundant in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
cases of infection with ginger-sliced insects have been around since ancient times. In 1960, Chinese scholars found ginger-sliced insect eggs in two 1513 mummy feces in Guangzhou.
In 2015, China investigated the infection of ginger-sliced insects in Huyang Township, Tuxian, which mainly cultivated water chestnut areas. A total of 424 people were investigated, and 46 people were found to have positive ginger-sliced insect eggs, with a positive rate of 10.84%. This has dropped significantly compared with the infection situation in history.
Ginger slice insects will adsorb the surface of aquatic plants. If there are cracks or damage to the food, it will also go inside to contaminate the fruit. After eating, people will use suction cups to absorb nutrients on the mucosa of the duodenum or upper jejunum, and develop into adults after about 1 to 3 months.
After infection with ginger slice worms, the amount of stool will increase, the taste will be particularly smelly, and it will contain undigested food. A few patients will also excrete some ginger slice worms from the feces, and may even spit it out of their mouths.
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, allergies and edema are also common symptoms. Severely, it can also cause intestinal obstruction of and even death; children will also affect physical and intellectual development after infection.
04
How to eat water chestnuts safer?
Be sure to heat and cook thoroughly! Do not eat raw!
ginger slices worm cysticariae are not tolerant of high temperature. When eating water chestnuts, you must cook/steam them, eat the white part inside, or make it into the dish like yam , such as stir-fried meat from water chestnuts.
Someone has studied the characteristics of water chestnuts and found that:
Heating water chestnuts is a process of losing water, while the potatoes we usually eat are heated by absorbing water. Therefore, even if water chestnuts are cooked, they can still maintain a crispy taste as long as they last for a long time.
In addition, research has conducted experiments on the heating taste of water chestnuts. The results show that if the original crispy, sweet and tender taste should be maintained after heating at high temperature, the cooking time should be controlled within 5 minutes; if a soft and glutinous taste is to be achieved, the heating time should be more than 10 minutes to completely gelatinize starch granules .
water chestnut skin is generally not eaten, and many vendors will peel it before selling it. However, the water chestnut peel residue is rich in fiber and pigment, which can be further processed and utilized.
05
Summary
Although raw water chestnuts taste better and crispier, it has the risk of infection with ginger sliced insects and also has the safety hazard of bacterial infection. In contrast, proper heating method not only makes eating safer, but also maintains its crispy and sweet taste.
In addition, not only water chestnuts, but also aquatic plants such as lotus roots and water chestnuts should not be eaten raw!
Author｜Xue Qingxin Member of the Chinese Nutrition Society Registered Nutritionist Health Management Public Nutritionist
Source: Health hotspot science number, popular science Chinese
