It's the season to eat crayfish again, and there are five questions that need to be clarified about how to eat crayfish safely and healthily.
1. The dirtier the water, the fatter the crayfish?
Crayfish are omnivores, and their main food is organic matter at the bottom of the water, such as aquatic weeds, algae, shellfish, and aquatic insects, among others. Because of its heterogeneous diet and tenacious vitality, it can survive in polluted water bodies, but its digestive function is strong, and toxins do not accumulate in the body. Crayfish prefer clean water, and crayfish grown in sewage have poor vigor, grow slowly, and die quickly.
2. Can you eat the head and shell of a crayfish?
Most of the harmful substances such as heavy metals in crayfish are concentrated in the gills and internal organs, especially the shrimp head, and the shell is also a place where heavy metals are easily enriched, so it is not recommended to eat. The contents of lead, arsenic and cadmium in parotid gland and shrimp yellow were higher than those in shrimp meat, and the heavy metal content of juvenile shrimp was higher than that of adult shrimp, which was mainly affected by the heavy metal content in the water in which they lived. It is best to buy farmed shrimp, wild crayfish living environment is uncertain. Choose a crayfish with a red and clean back, a white and neat abdomen, and a white and clean shrimp gills, cut off the front skull, pick off the stomach pouch, cut off the cheeks, remove the shrimp line, and wash it with a brush.
3. Can you get rhabdomyolysis from eating crayfish?
Eating crayfish may cause rhabdomyolysis, but the causative factor is unknown. It is not the components of the crayfish itself that cause the disease, but a toxin produced by the crayfish that grow in certain waters and enrich other organisms. Crayfish is not the only food that causes rhabdomyolysis, eating burbot, eel, barracuda, buffalo fish, especially largemouth cochineal, Atlantic salmon, freshwater pomfret, etc. can cause rhabdomyolysis. Although the probability of rhabdomyolysis from eating crayfish is extremely low, it is important not to be greedy.
4. How long do you boil crayfish before you can eat it safely?
Crayfish do have the potential to carry parasites, but other aquatic organisms such as snails and bullfrogs can also carry them. The shell of crayfish is very thick, and if it is not cooked, it is easy to eat and spoil the stomach. These problems, after being fully cooked, can basically rule out the associated risks. Only cooking at 100°C for more than 15 minutes can completely kill the parasite cysts in the body.
5. What is the maximum number of crayfish to eat per day?
The protein that the human body can absorb every day is 30~50 grams, which is about the amount of protein contained in six or seven normal-sized crayfish. If you eat dozens of them at a time, too much protein cannot be absorbed by the body and will damage the kidneys. It is recommended to eat no more than seven or eight crayfish at a time, and it is best not to eat more than twice a week. In addition, patients with gout should be cautious about eating crayfish, and it is best not to eat it.
Source: Health Times