Does squeezing lemon and dipping mustard reduce the risk of infection when eating raw food?

Numerous cases of parasitic infections with worms several meters long have been reported.

Recently, there have been a series of hospitalizations where doctors discovered tapeworms several meters long. At the end of July, a 25-year-old female patient, experiencing frequent fatigue, restlessness, and digestive disorders, went for a check-up. Tests revealed tapeworm segments and eggs. Doctors diagnosed her with bovine tapeworm infection and prescribed medication to treat adult tapeworms. After taking the medication, the patient expelled a 6-meter-long tapeworm. The woman stated that she habitually ate rare beef pho and beef hotpot, occasionally experienced digestive problems, and noticed foreign objects in her stool.

For example, an 8-year-old patient from Son La province came to the hospital for examination due to fatigue and loss of appetite. After admission, the doctors took a medical history and found no abnormalities. However, through necessary tests, the doctors diagnosed the child with tapeworm infection and proceeded with deworming medication. As a result, the child expelled a tapeworm nearly 1.5 meters long from their body.

Consuming raw food is one of the causes of tapeworm development in the body.

Raw or undercooked food is a favorite dish for many people.

Ms. LCĐ (25 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she and many members of her family enjoy eating raw or undercooked food. Especially dishes like raw shrimp with fish sauce, salmon, and oyster sashimi...

"Even though I know raw food might not be good for me, when I eat it I think if I squeeze a lot of lemon, dip it in plenty of mustard, and choose fresh seafood, it'll probably be okay," Ms. D. shared.

Similarly, Ms. NTO (59 years old, residing in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) stated that she often eats rare dishes such as rare beef pho or rare beef as a snack or when feeling tired and not wanting to eat rice. If cooked thoroughly, the meat becomes tough and loses its characteristic sweet flavor. Therefore, she often squeezes lemon juice onto the meat to disinfect it.

For example, TBH (28 years old, residing in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) stated that she doesn't have a preference for raw meat, sushi, sashimi, or rare meat, but she enjoys eating raw vegetables. She often uses water spinach, bean sprouts, lettuce, and various herbs to wrap with pork and rice paper. "However, my concern is that the quality of vegetables on the market is not guaranteed, so even after washing, there may still be residual chemicals, bacteria, and parasites clinging to the stems of water spinach, spleen, etc. However, because I love dishes wrapped with raw vegetables, I usually soak the vegetables in salt water to wash them before eating," Ms. H. said.

Squeezing lemon juice or dipping food in mustard does not disinfect raw food.

Adding lemon juice and mustard only reduces the fishy smell and enhances the flavor.

According to Dr. Dinh Tran Ngoc Mai (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City), raw foods such as raw meat, especially raw seafood like raw fish salads, are always appealing and popular due to their freshness and high nutritional value. However, these raw foods are easily contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites such as worms and flukes if hygiene and proper preparation are not ensured.

"Adding lemon juice and mustard only reduces the fishy smell and enhances the flavor of the food; it cannot kill the microorganisms mentioned above. To eliminate harmful agents in food, it must be cooked at high temperatures for an appropriate amount of time," Dr. Mai shared.

Dr. Mai shared that to minimize the risk of parasitic and bacterial infections, we should choose high-quality, hygienically prepared food and use appropriate cooking methods.

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