It's only May, and the markets and supermarkets are already selling the first berries: strawberries and cherries. However, the first summer berries and fruits can be dangerous for your body if you do not follow the safety rules that Oksana Ivanova, a gastroenterologist of the highest category at Dobrobut Medical Center, warns our readers about
To ensure that your health does not suffer after eating the first berries, follow these rules:
- Buy berries and fruits in season.
It's important to remember that early berries and fruits are usually treated with all kinds of chemicals to ripen quickly. Such fruits contain a minimum of nutrients, but they absorb harmful substances well. Eating such products can cause poisoning. Therefore, no matter how much you want to try the first strawberries, it is better to wait until the season for berries comes and they begin to ripen naturally, without stimulation with chemicals. Before you buy strawberries or cherries and bring them home, taste them. If the berries are grown with fertilizers, they do not have a pronounced flavor.
- Wash fruits well, especially those that grow on the ground.
Strawberries grow on the ground and can be infected with worms. Therefore, all berries should be rinsed well several times in warm running water to minimize the risk of worm infestation. In case of symptoms of worm infestation (abdominal pain, poor health, nausea), you should immediately consult a doctor.
- Do not risk eating berries if you have any pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.
Do not eat berries raw. If you have any pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, such as peptic ulcer or gastritis in history or in the acute stage, fruit acids contained in fresh berries and fruits are contraindicated. People with such problems should eat berries and fruits only when they have been thermally processed, in the form of fruit casseroles and compotes.
- Do not overdo it.
In winter and spring, we did not have the opportunity to enjoy our favorite berries, so it is quite understandable to want to eat them in season and saturate the body with vitamins.However, it should be remembered that after a long absence of summer berries and fruits in the diet, our body lacks the enzymes necessary to digest such food.At the same time, the large amount of glucose contained in berries and fruits is a serious burden on the pancreas, and eating a large number of berries out of habit can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and discomfort.It usually takes 20-21 days for the enzyme system to adapt.Therefore, any new product should be introduced gradually, starting with a small amount, say, a handful of strawberries or cherries. But even for an adapted healthy body, berries should be consumed only as a dessert, and not instead of the main meal.
- Beware of allergies!
People with a history of allergies should be careful about the first summer berries and fruits. This is especially true for red fruits, which usually contain allergenic substances. If you notice any allergy symptoms that can be linked to eating berries, you should immediately consult a doctor. After all, food allergies can behave in different ways. It can manifest itself as a simple skin rash or as more serious manifestations, such as Quincke's edema.
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