The cooler weather is perfect for a cozy evening around a steaming pot of hot pot. However, because hot pot contains many spices, oils, proteins, and fats, it can easily lead to bloating, indigestion, and digestive disorders. So, what should you eat after having hot pot to effectively “detox”?
Here are some suggestions for fruits or beverages you can consume after a hot pot meal to help enhance digestion, according to Sohu. It is advisable to consult a nutritionist if you have pre-existing digestive issues or specific food allergies for safety:
1. Eat Fruits
After enjoying hot pot, you should eat some cool fruits within 30 to 40 minutes to aid digestion and effectively reduce body heat, as hot pot is often spicy and high in animal fats.
Cool fruits are very rich in vitamins and help prevent acid buildup in the body caused by excessive protein intake from beef, pork, chicken, etc. These include kiwi, dragon fruit, pear, grapefruit, pomegranate, watermelon, strawberry, orange, and persimmon.
Note that these fruits are high in vitamin C, so you should not eat them immediately after finishing your hot pot, especially if it was seafood-based. The arsenic pentavalent in seafood can combine with vitamin C in fruits, converting into arsenic trioxide, which is toxic to the body.
Eat fruits at least 30 minutes after finishing hot pot. (Image: Internet).
2. Drink Tea
About 1 to 2 hours after eating hot pot, you can have a cup of green tea, which helps reduce food odors in your mouth, boosts metabolism, and aids in fat digestion. However, it is not advisable to drink tea immediately after eating hot pot, as the tannins in tea can combine with proteins in food, creating difficult-to-digest residues and precipitates that can lead to kidney stones. This substance also reacts with minerals in food, such as iron (from beef), magnesium, and zinc, generating harmful acids for the stomach. Moreover, tannins and theobromine in tea inhibit the secretion of gastric and intestinal juices, making food absorption more difficult.
If you’ve had seafood hot pot, it’s best to drink green tea after about 2 hours, as the tannic acid in tea can combine with the calcium in shrimp and crab, causing indigestion and even stone formation.
Recommended teas to drink after hot pot include black tea, green tea, and honey rose tea.
3. Drink a Cup of Warm Water
After eating hot pot, you should drink a cup of warm water 30 minutes later to promote intestinal motility and stimulate the digestion of food in the stomach. Make sure to drink boiled water that is still warm to avoid poisoning, limit excessive salt accumulation in the body, and maintain the potassium-sodium balance in the blood.
Additionally, staying hydrated helps prevent constipation, which can occur when consuming oily and protein-rich dishes like hot pot.
4. Yogurt
A cup of yogurt consumed 30 minutes after eating hot pot will help increase beneficial bacteria in the intestines, protecting the stomach lining if you have eaten spicy hot pot and aiding better digestion while promoting the elimination of waste.
Note: Do not eat cold yogurt immediately after hot pot, as alternating between hot and cold foods can easily harm the digestive system, leading to indigestion, diarrhea, and tooth sensitivity.
Nutritionists also recommend that not only after eating hot pot but after every meal, you should have a cup of yogurt to maintain a balanced gut microbiome and support better digestion and nutrient absorption.
Yogurt is good for gut health and should be consumed daily. (Image: Internet).
5. Detox Lemon Water
You’re probably familiar with glasses of water enhanced with slices of lemon, not only to enhance the flavor of plain water but also to help cleanse the intestines, reducing feelings of heaviness and greasiness after consuming high-protein and fatty foods. Lemons also contain acids that effectively help eliminate excess fatty acids from the body.
6. Tips When Eating Hot Pot
Besides knowing what to eat after hot pot, you should also pay attention to the following issues while enjoying hot pot to avoid health risks:
- Do not start by dipping meat immediately when you begin eating. If you start eating hot pot, especially if consuming alcohol, it’s effective to “line your stomach” first with carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes or vegetables to protect your stomach. Moreover, dipping meat first will release a layer of oil that settles at the bottom of the pot, which over time will convert into saturated fatty acids, leading to bloating and indigestion.
- Do not eat hot pot for more than 2 hours. This means that an extended hot pot session can cause the digestive system to work continuously, increasing pressure on the stomach and raising the risk of digestive disorders as digestive secretions decrease over time.
- Change the hot pot water after boiling for 30 minutes. Prolonged boiling of hot pot water will produce saturated fats harmful to organs such as the cardiovascular system due to the nitrite formation from vegetables.
Be cautious with food combinations when eating hot pot. (Image: Internet).
- Be mindful of food combinations that may cause poisoning, such as shrimp, clams, snails with bitter melon, tomatoes; tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and potatoes; beef with amaranth; chicken with Vietnamese coriander.
- Use separate chopsticks for raw and cooked food to avoid food poisoning.
- Limit consuming undercooked foods due to the high risk of bacterial contamination.
- Avoid eating hot pot and drinking cold beverages simultaneously, as this can irritate the stomach and reduce digestive secretions, leading to digestive issues.
- Be cautious with pre-packaged seasonings; read the usage instructions and expiration date carefully before use.
- Those with gout, high blood pressure, and diabetes should limit consuming hot pot broth; individuals with digestive disorders or stomach issues should avoid spicy hot pot.
