People should avoid eating too many zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), as consuming several in one meal could cause indigestion, bloating, gastric acid reflux, heartburn and other stomach ailments, a doctor said on Saturday.
Zongzi is a traditional delicacy for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was on Thursday.
Citing a recent case as an example, Cathay General Hospital gastroenterology department head Chu Yu-ming (朱淯銘) said that a 58-year-old taxi driver surnamed Hsiao (蕭) ate meals at irregular hours due to his work and has been taking diabetes medicine for three years.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Hsiao recently bought a bag of zongzi and ate several in one sitting, Chu said.
He later developed bloating, gastric acid reflux and hiccuping, and sought medical help, he said.
Chu said that the glutinous rice in zongzi cannot be easily digested, while other ingredients and their preparation methods lead to high levels of fat and salt, and low dietary fiber.
He advised people not to eat too many zongzi, as the slowdown of digestion would lead to gas buildup and other discomfort, which would exacerbate conditions such as diabetes.
When people consume excessive amounts of food that is high in fat, but has little dietary fiber, the gas buildup would cause bloating and discomfort in the stomach, he added.
People with diabetes should get the disease under control, and take medication to improve stomach and bowel movement, and reduce bloating, Chu said.
They should consume soft foods with low fat, cut the food into small pieces and chew thoroughly to reduce the burden on the stomach, he said.
“It is best to go with vegetable dishes to increase fiber content, which can soothe the greasy after-taste palate, and mitigate the load on the digestive tract, and also hold back the blood-sugar level,” he said.
Indigestion and bloating can have other causes that might be difficult for doctors to diagnose, including irritable bowel syndrome, bacterial growth in the small intestine, and carbohydrate or galactose intolerance, which can lead to constipation and diarrhea, he added.
Chu advised people to avoid food that is likely to cause bloating, such as lentils and legumes, milk, yams, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, onions and high-fat foods, and to seek medical treatment if the condition does not improve.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS