Eid al-Adha, when fresh meat consumption increases, is of great importance for people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Stating that the hardness in the meat of freshly slaughtered animals causes difficulty in both cooking and digestion, experts emphasize that especially people with gastrointestinal diseases should not consume sacrificial meat immediately. According to experts, sacrificial meat should be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and then boiled or grilled.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkcü made important recommendations regarding meat and dessert consumption in the upcoming Eid al-Adha.
Noting that the consumption of sugar and sugary foods as well as meat consumption increases during the Feast of Sacrifice, Özden Örkcü warned, "Especially people with obesity (obesity), high blood pressure, cardiovascular, stomach and diabetes (diabetes) should pay more attention to their nutrition."
Stating that people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure should prefer lean or low-fat meats during Eid al-Adha because fatty meats have a higher saturated fat and cholesterol content, Özden Örkcü drew attention to the fact that these people should consume meat in limited quantities and not overdo it.
Fresh meat is difficult to digest
Stating that meat is a food that is difficult to digest, Özden Örkcü said, "The hardness in the meat of freshly slaughtered animals causes difficulty in both cooking and digestion. For this reason, especially people with gastrointestinal diseases should not consume sacrificial meat immediately, it is better for health to consume it by cooking it by boiling or grilling after waiting in the refrigerator for a few days."
Avoid frying!
Emphasizing that attention should be paid to the amount of meat consumption as well as cooking methods during the Feast of Sacrifice, Özden Örkcü continued his words as follows:
"Methods such as boiling and grilling should be preferred for cooking meat, and frying should be avoided. Cooking and frying at very high temperatures for a long time should not be preferred as it may cause the formation of various carcinogenic substances. Cooking or consuming meat with vegetables, rather than alone, is a healthy method in terms of providing nutritional diversity. High heat suddenly solidifies the proteins on the surface and the heat cannot reach the inside of the meat. For this reason, the internal temperature of the meat should be at least 70 ºC-75 ºC. Too high heat causes the outer surface of the meat to burn and water loss to be high, increasing the loss of nutrients."
Do not consume meat raw!
Emphasizing that meat should never be consumed raw or undercooked, Özden Örkcü said, "It should be kept in mind that some zoonotic diseases are transmitted by eating raw or undercooked meat. To prevent the spread of infection, especially children should wash their hands properly with soap after using the toilet, before eating, after contact with farm animals and raw foods. Personal hygiene rules should not be neglected during the slaughtering, skinning, carcass dismemberment, transportation, preservation, cooking and consumption of meat."
Attention to protective measures!
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkcü stated that care should be taken at many stages from slaughtering to storage of sacrificial meat and some rules should be followed, "Beef can be contaminated during skinning and evisceration in slaughterhouses. Bacteria that pass from the surface to the inner parts during the shredding and mincing of meat maintain their viability in the absence of adequate heat treatment and pose a significant risk to public health. As a preventive measure, meat should be cooled rapidly below 7ºC after slaughter. Adequate cooking can be achieved especially when the heat treatment applied to this type of food is 70ºC and above all over the product (including the center), the pink color of the meat disappears and turns gray-brown and the meat juice is completely removed."
Slaughtered meat should be stored correctly
Emphasizing the importance of preserving and storing the slaughtered meats in terms of health, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkcü said, "Sacrificial meats should be cut into small pieces for one meal, not large pieces, wrapped in a refrigerator bag or greaseproof paper and stored in the freezer or deep freezer of the refrigerator. Meat prepared in this way can be stored in the freezer at -2 degrees for a few weeks and in the deep freezer at -18 degrees for a longer period of time."
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkcü noted that meat is a potentially risky food that can easily spoil and listed her warnings and recommendations as follows:
"Thawing meat after freezing creates a breeding environment for some microorganisms and this threatens our health. Thawed meat should be cooked immediately and should not be frozen again. It should be ensured that the meat is thawed in the lower compartment of the refrigerator, "not left uncovered at room temperature". Meat stored in the deep freezer can be placed on top of the crisper section of the refrigerator to thaw. Methods such as thawing on the heater, stove, and keeping it at room temperature, which are applied to thaw the meat quickly, bring dangerous consequences for human health.