Pig intestines are a rustic dish but are loved by many Vietnamese people. Pig intestines are processed into many different attractive dishes such as porridge, boiled intestines, hot pot dip, grilled intestines, fried intestines...
According to Doctor Le Van Thieu, Department of General Infections, Central Tropical Diseases HospitalPig intestines contain some nutrients such as protein, fat... However, this dish also has many potential health risks.
The intestine is the pig's digestive organ, so the food the pig eats will affect the quality of this food. For example, farmers using substandard animal feed can put the baby intestines at risk of being contaminated with impurities.
The intestines of pigs are where waste from the digestive process is stored. Therefore, this is a part that is more likely to contain dirt and toxic substances.
Pig intestines (illustration).
Doctor Thieu said that in addition to toxic substances, pig intestines also have the risk of carrying pathogens such as parasites (helminths) and bacteria. If pig intestines are not carefully processed or do not ensure food hygiene and safety, people can be infected with these pathogens when eating.
A scary disease that can be encountered when eating undercooked pig intestines is Streptococcus suis infection, this bacteria often sticks to the blood (secretions), intestines, intestines, organs and pork.
“No No matter what type of pig intestines we eat, paying attention to food safety and hygiene is a top priority, because both young and old intestines have potential health risks." Dr. Thieu said.
Eat pig intestines properly to ensure health safety
To ensure safety when eating intestines, experts advise people to buy pig intestines at reputable establishments and limit eating too much pig intestines. When processing, families need to ensure the pig's intestines are completely cooked, using high temperatures and a long enough cooking time to ensure that bacteria and worms exist in the pig's intestines. When eating, people should eat when the intestines are just cooked and still hot to help reduce the risk of infection.
Dr. Thieu noted: "Protein-rich foods such as tripe are an ideal environment for poisoning bacteria to grow. Therefore, even if cooked, if left out in the environment for a long time, the intestines are very susceptible to infection".
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam, former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition said that animal organs still have a certain value when eaten in moderate amounts. However, eating too much pig intestines can cause many health consequences. The reason is that animal organs, including pig intestines, contain a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Eating too much tripe will put you at risk of high cholesterol. When people eat too much cholesterol, it will lead to excess fat, thereby increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.
According to nutritionists' recommendations, people should limit eating white organs (heart, stomach, colon...) because they contain a lot of cholesterol. If you want to eat pig intestines, you should only eat it 3-4 times a month.
The recommended healthy diet is less than 300mg of cholesterol/day, with cholesterol from all foods. Experts also note that cholesterol is not only found in animal organs but also in animal skin, animal fat...
Finally, experts recommend that people with chronic diseases, overweight, obesity, metabolic disorders, young children, and the elderly should limit eating pork intestines. Instead, people should eat a variety of foods, balance foods, and increase physical activity to ensure health.
