What kind of magical existence is the “irritating food” that we have heard about since childhood?

"Mutton is fat, don't eat it"

"Don't eat irritating foods when you have a cold, it will make the cold worse"

"My resistance has been low recently, so don't eat irritating foods."

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From childhood to adulthood, I seem to often hear about a kind of food called "fawu". When I am sick or injured, there is always something called "fawu" that I cannot eat.

What kind of magical existence is “fawu”?

What exactly is “hair stuff”?

In fact, "fawu" is a folk saying, which was first recorded in "Puji Fang" in 1406. It mainly refers to foods that are easy to induce certain diseases (or uncomfortable symptoms) or easily aggravate existing diseases . There is no fixed type and range. Some foods can induce old diseases, aggravate existing diseases, or weaken the efficacy of medicine if they are eaten too much. This is the "fat nature" of food.

What are the “hair products”?

From the perspective of modern medicine and nutrition, the following types of food are generally considered to be irritants:

1. Foods that may easily cause allergies

Anything that runs on the road or swims in the water may trigger allergies, such as cattle, sheep, free-range chickens, as well as fish and seafood. Allergic diseases are mostly caused by allergic foods, and allergens are all proteins, so these protein-rich foods are considered to be allergic foods. Tropical fruits are also called "allergic foods" because of their allergic reactions.

2. Spicy food

For example, foods such as peppers and onions. Excessive intake of spicy foods can easily irritate the digestive tract, causing gastrointestinal burning, aggravated abdominal pain and other digestive tract symptoms.

3. High-purine foods

Foods with high purine content, such as seafood and offal, will aggravate the condition during an acute attack of gout. They are "trigger foods" for gout patients and should be avoided.

So, is it true that the so-called “irritating foods” cannot be eaten at all?

The answer is of course NO!

Tips on “hair-raising food”

There are three possibilities why irritants may cause old illnesses to relapse or worsen:

1. Some animal foods contain certain hormones that may cause certain hyperfunctions or metabolic disorders in the human body.

2. The foreign proteins contained in certain foods become allergens , causing recurrence of allergic diseases; seafood itself contains histamine, which can increase vascular permeability, plasma exudation, edema and increase eosinophils, thereby leading to allergic reactions.

3. Some highly irritating foods such as alcohol, onions, garlic, etc. can easily cause the spread of inflammation to inflammatory lesions.

A certain type of food may be considered an "irritant" for some patients, but may have an auxiliary therapeutic effect for another type of patient. For example, for those with a hot constitution, mutton is an "irritant", but for those with a cold constitution, it is not a problem. Sweet and greasy foods may be "irritants" for those with phlegm and dampness and obesity, but not for those with insufficient body fluids.

Clinically, irritants may induce or aggravate certain diseases, but on the other hand, in the treatment of some diseases, irritants can also be used to promote or induce irritation, which can help the disease to break out and shorten the course of the disease. For example, blood-activating foods that are not suitable for patients with hemorrhagic diseases can be used to prevent and treat blood stasis headaches and periarthritis of the shoulder; in the early stages of measles, when the rash is not breaking out smoothly, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and other irritants can help it break out and shorten the course of the disease. Eating more seafood-flavored irritants can promote the outbreak of cowpox, etc., all of which utilize the irritant's ability to break out.

Therefore, whether or not to eat "irritating foods" also depends on your physical condition. Currently, the issue of "irritating foods" does not have much scientific basis. It should be said that as long as there is no allergic reaction or food intolerance, and there is no adverse reaction after eating these things, you can eat less of them, but not not eat them at all.