Jellyfish addicts do not want to be poisoned with this dish, please carefully remember the following notes

Although jellyfish contain many essential nutrients for the body, however, extreme care should be taken when eating jellyfish to avoid some unintended health risks.

Health benefits of jellyfish

In some Asian countries, people love to eat jellyfish because of its many health benefits, including helping with high blood pressure, arthritis, bone pain, ulcers and digestive problems. While most of these claims have not been supported by research, there are some potential health benefits of eating jellyfish:

Great source of selenium

Jellyfish are an excellent source of selenium. Selenium is an essential mineral that plays an important role in our bodies. This mineral has been shown to have antioxidant properties, protecting your cells from oxidative stress.

Therefore, adequate selenium intake is associated with a reduced risk of several diseases, including heart disease, some forms of cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, selenium is important for metabolism and thyroid function.

Abundant Choline

Choline is an essential nutrient, you can find 10% of choline needed per day in 58g of dried jellyfish. Choline has many important functions in the body, including DNA synthesis, nervous system support, fat production for cell membranes, and fat transport and metabolism.

In addition, choline also helps improve brain activity, enhance memory and better processing ability. This nutrient may even help relieve symptoms of anxiety.

Natural source of collagen

Collagen is a protein that plays an essential role in the structure of tissues, including tendons, skin, and bones. In addition, collagen has also been linked to various potential health benefits, including improved skin elasticity and reduced joint pain. Specifically, jellyfish collagen has been analyzed for its potential role in lowering blood pressure.

One test-tube study of collagen from ribbon jellyfish showed that its collagen peptides had significant antioxidant and blood pressure-lowering effects. Similarly, another 1-month study in rats with high blood pressure observed that daily consumption of jellyfish collagen significantly reduced blood pressure levels. Although promising, these effects have not yet been studied in humans.

Additionally, additional animal studies have documented that jellyfish collagen protects skin cells from sun damage, improves wound healing, and helps treat arthritis. However, these effects have yet to be studied in humans.

Red jellyfish

Risks of eating jellyfish

In addition to the benefits that jellyfish bring to health, there are still many potential risks of eating this type of jellyfish if you do not know how to properly prepare it because the toxins in jellyfish are harmful to people’s lives – Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health Medical recommendation.

Allergic reactions: Jellyfish are generally safe for most people. However, there are still some cases of anaphylactic reactions after eating cooked jellyfish.

Bacteria and pathogens: If not cleaned and prepared properly, jellyfish can harbor dangerous bacteria or pathogens that are harmful to your health.

High aluminum content: In the process of processing jellyfish, people will use alum. This is a chemical compound called aluminum potassium sulfate that is sometimes used as an additive to preserve foods. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certified this as a safe substance, the amount of aluminum left in jellyfish after consumption is still very worrying.

Too much aluminum in the diet can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A study in Hong Kong found that jellyfish ready-to-eat foods had high levels of aluminum. Habit of using these foods regularly can affect health.

How to choose and prepare jellyfish

Fresh jellyfish

How to choose fresh and delicious jellyfish: You should choose those with a slight pinkish white color and firm flesh. When touched, it is not sticky, there is no water coming out of the jellyfish.

Preliminary preparation of fresh jellyfish: When buying jellyfish, you cut the jellyfish into small pieces and then wash them thoroughly with water, soak in diluted salt water with a little alum for 15 minutes.

When you see jellyfish turn red or light yellow, soak it in cold water for a bit and you can start processing.

Jellyfish can spoil quickly at room temperature, so they need to be cleaned and stored properly. Jellyfish are often preserved using a mixture of alum and salt to help disinfect, reduce the pH of the meat while maintaining its firmness. If cleaned and prepared properly in this way, jellyfish usually show little or no sign of infection or other dangerous pathogens. Therefore, you should only eat jellyfish that have been thoroughly cleaned and processed appropriately.

Dried jellyfish

How to choose dried jellyfish: You should choose jellyfish of clear origin, paying special attention to the expiry date and production date. It is best to buy at supermarkets or reputable stores nationwide.

When buying jellyfish at the supermarket or market, it is necessary to understand the origin and origin clearly. Because the products are incomplete information may be the type of jellyfish that has not been completely eliminated toxins or poor quality is not good for the body.

Preliminary processing of dried jellyfish: You must soak and wash with clean water many times because it may contain some chemicals in the process of preserving jellyfish to help fresher jellyfish. 30 minutes is the best recommended time to soak the jellyfish. The last step of the preliminary processing is that you briefly blanch boiling water, let it dry before entering the processing stage.