Healthy Tips to Enjoy Hotpot

Hotpot is a favourite among Hongkongers during the freezing winter. And this meal is often enjoyed with refreshing cold drinks. However, diners have forgotten eating while alternately drinking a cold beverage can harm their health.

Some doctors advise a good practice of a minimum of 3 minutes gap between drinking hot soup and a cold drink, especially for patients with hypertension, as it may cause their blood pressure to fluctuate. The sudden rise and fall of blood pressure triggers headaches and cause dizziness, stroke, and myocardial infarction in severe cases.

Another concern that can affect our health is the temperature difference when we have the hotpot indoors with a few glasses of wine, and then we come out into the cold open air. People suffering from hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and/or hypertension, and are aged above 50, should exercise extra care. They may suffer an eye stroke caused by the blood capillaries’ contraction and rupture. Patients with eye stroke should consult their doctor without delay because this is not a symptom of presbyopia. It is advisable to have a balanced, light diet, regular check-ups, and timely consumption of the medicine to lower the chance of having an eye stroke.

Some studies have found that eye stroke patients could suffer another stroke and myocardial infarction within five years of the attack. These studies also show that 1 in 4 people may suffer from severe cardiovascular disease on average, making it an alarming fact for everyone to pay attention to.

Hence, it is advisable to follow a healthy lifestyle by sleeping early, eating nutritious food, reducing weight, and exercising regularly, to manage the "three highs" proactively.