Saturday, November 28, 2009
By Amer Malik
LAHORE
Doctors have advised people against immediate cooking and improper preservation of sacrificial animalsí meat during the Eid-ul-Azha to avoid infectious and fatal diseases among people, especially the patients with diabetes, liver, renal, kidney, cardiac, hepatitis and high blood pressure complications.
They have urged people to be moderate in eating meat of sacrificial animals on the Eid in order to stay healthy. Extra intake of the meat could cause indigestion, diarrhoea, stomach pain, fever, etc. After a certain period of time, the over-eating stats showing its effects on blood pressure, arthritis, heart diseases, cancer, deficiency of calcium leading to osteoporosis, etc, besides causing obesity which depresses pancreas only to reduce formation of insulin in the body, and may cause diabetes.
They, however, also term the meat of sacrificial animals the purest as compared with mutton or beef available in markets throughout the year. It is full of nutrition, curing most of the diseases, if eaten in moderate quantity.
Talking to The News, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterologist in the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, says people, particularly heart and hepatitis patients, should use the meat of sacrificial animals carefully, otherwise, it could prove harmful to them. He prohibits the people from cooking meat of sacrificial animals immediately after slaughtering them, saying it could cause infectious diseases, affecting lungs, stomach and cause high fever. He advises people to keep the meat at least for six hours in open air for its proper dehydration of blood and moisture before cooking or placing it in deep freezer.
Dr Zafar says the meat should be properly cooked, as half-baked meat could cause infectious diseases like fever, typhoid and stomach diseases. While barbecuing meat, he says, people should make it sure that meat is properly cooked as there is concentration of germs causing typhoid.
“The overdose of meat can be dangerous for people with liver disorders as well as patients of hepatitis and jaundice,” he says, adding extra intake of meat could increase blood circulation to stomach among cardiac patients, resulting in ischemic heart diseases. ìDiabetic patients should not consume the meat much its fats contain nine caloric/grams and the sugar level can shoot up,” he adds.
He says people should be careful while defrosting frozen meat, which should be kept lukewarm at least for six hours and later keep it in microwave oven for 45 minutes to kill germs within the frosted meat.
Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says the excessive use of salt and chilies’ could increase acidity in stomach and is dangerous for those having problems of regurgitation, ulcers in stomach and small intestines. The consumption of cola drinks with the spicy food could do more harm to the health of individuals, particularly carrying certain disease, he says.
He cautions people against using fats attached with the meat as a replacement of the oil or ghee, terming it the most dangerous form of fats that may lead to hypertension, heart disease, angina and heart attack etc, if used for long0.
He says certain parts of the meat are rich in cholesterol like the brain Masala, and Sire Paye, and should be avoided by those having high cholesterol level. The excessive burning of meat during barbecue can also produce such chemicals as are dangerous for the health and contain potential carcinogens.
Dr Shahid Malik from the Institute of Public Health, Lahore, says the sacrificial meat of animals, including goat, cow, sheep and camel, which is known as red meat, is eaten in greater quantity on the Eid than routine, and it is not good for health. He says the common man, who is unable to have the luxury of red meat throughout the year due to its high prices, eats a lot, which causes certain diseases or aggravates the complications among the patients suffering from various diseases. ìIf taken according to the principles of health and hygiene, red meat is rich in high biological value (HBV) protein,” he adds.
Dr Salman Kazmi from Mayo Hospital advises all patients of chronic liver disease (Hepatitis C) to avoid too much red meat on the Eid because it precipitates Hepatic Encephalopathy (unconsciousness/coma) among them.
Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid, a Gynaecologist, says there is no restriction upon pregnant women to enjoy the meat, but advises them not to eat extra spicy food on the occasion. She says the women should also use fruits, vegetables, yogurt and salad along with meat to make a balanced diet.
Dr Shehla Akram, a nutritionist, says both mutton and beef are A-class protein providers and high in nutritional value. She saysthe importance of meat can not be denied, adding that animal protein should form at least 18 to 20 per cent of our diet, as it improves the haemoglobin level, strengthening muscles of body.
Dr Naveed Akhtar, a lecturer in the Meat Technology at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, says meat is a complete medium for micro-organisms, hence a precious diet for human consumption. ìAfter sacrifice, meat should be kept at a cool place before freezing, because it undergoes mortis phenomenon after slaughtering.î The phenomenon does not complete at freezing temperature and meat becomes rigid,” he says, adding repeated freezing and thawing for cooking should be avoided.
He says meat could be stored in freezers for a long time but it loses the water present in it called wheep or drip in meat terminology, changing its flavour.
Dr Babar Sabzwari, a dental specialist, asks people to brush their teeth after every meal to remove meat particles entangled within their teeth. “The use of dental floss or thread is advisable to remove meat particles within teeth,” he says.
The Council for Herbal Physicians secretary general, Hakim MA Khalid, says instead of taking sacrificial animals’ meat as detrimental or useful for health, it is important to know that balanced diet promises healthy life and imbalanced diet causes diseases. Highlighting the rich value of camel meat, he says that camel meat cures fever, pain, hepatitis-C and urine diseases besides being a general tonic for the neurological weakness of human body.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
