Can you eat river crabs that have just died?

River crabs can be eaten just after they die, but it is best not to eat river crabs that have been dead for too long, otherwise the taste of the dead river crabs will be a bit unpleasant, and dead river crabs contain some toxic substances, eating which will affect our gastrointestinal health, so it is recommended that you choose fresh river crabs. When choosing river crabs, we should avoid those that are about to die and drunken crabs.

1. Can you eat crabs that have just died?

Crabs that have just died cannot be eaten.

Not only crabs that have just died, but also those that are about to die, drunken crabs, and crabs of unknown origin are not recommended for consumption. Because these crabs contain substances that are harmful to the body, eating them can easily cause food poisoning or induce other diseases. Therefore, don’t think about wasting food by eating dead crabs.

2. Why can’t dead crabs be eaten?

1. Dead crabs taste worse

Crabs contain histidine in their bodies, which produces histamine and histamine-like substances under the action of decarboxylase. After a crab dies, the intestinal glands inside will easily fall apart, and the histidine and digestive enzymes inside will break down the crab meat. Therefore, the taste and texture of the dead crab will deteriorate greatly, and the taste will be very bad.

2. Eating dead crabs can easily cause allergies

Because the histidine contained in crab meat will be converted into histamine after the crab dies. This type of substance is an allergenic substance. When ingested by the human body, it will cause vasodilation, congestion and edema of the skin and mucous membranes, urticaria, runny nose, nasal congestion, bronchial asthma, etc. In severe cases, it can lead to respiratory and circulatory failure and be life-threatening.

3. Dead crabs can easily cause food poisoning

Crab is an omnivorous animal that lives in water and mud. It eats a variety of foods that contain a large number of bacteria and viruses. When crabs are alive, their own metabolism can compete with microorganisms and inhibit bacterial reproduction. However, after crabs die, microorganisms will use their nutrients to reproduce rapidly, causing the crabs to rot and deteriorate, producing excessive toxins. People are prone to poisoning symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever after eating them.

3. Be careful when eating raw crabs

In many coastal areas, many people like to use crabs to make drunken crabs, which is what we call eating raw crabs. Everyone believes that after crabs are soaked in white wine, they can kill bacteria and viruses in the body, and drinking a little wine can kill bacteria very well. In fact, this is a wrong idea. The environment in which crabs live is very complex, and they may carry parasites called "metacercariae". The alcohol in white wine cannot kill this parasite, so when eating raw drunken crabs, if they are not thoroughly cleaned, this parasite can easily enter the human body, pass through the intestines to the lungs, and in severe cases even reach the liver, brain and other organs, causing organ cysts. Therefore, the editor here still recommends that it is best to cook crabs before eating. Only the high temperature can kill some parasites and bacteria inside.

4. What can’t you eat with crabs?

1. Crabs and persimmons cannot be eaten together

Crabs are rich in protein, which reacts with the tannic acid in persimmons to form a protein coagulation mass. These products are difficult to digest in our stomach.

2. Do not drink strong tea with crabs

Drinking tea after eating crabs can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort. This is because strong tea also contains acid, so it cannot be eaten with crabs.

3. Crabs cannot be eaten with mutton

Crabs are cold foods, while mutton is warm. If the two are eaten together, the effects are opposite and they are mutually exclusive. Especially for people with spleen deficiency or yang deficiency, it will damage the spleen and stomach.

4. Crabs cannot be eaten with peanuts

Peanuts are sweet and high in fat. If eaten together with cold crabs, it will cause great harm to the spleen and stomach and easily cause diarrhea. Especially people with poor gastrointestinal function should not mix crabs and peanuts together.