This kind of meat ruins your stomach and intestines and makes you prone to illness - your fridge might have some right now

This is no alarmist talk - your fridge really might be hiding "zombie meat."

Dig through your fridge - how long has it been since you cleaned out the freezer? For many families, there is often chicken, fish, pork and other meat that gets forgotten in a corner of the fridge, only noticed after a year or so.

In the view of nutrition experts, this kind of meat has passed its safe-to-eat period; not only does it taste bad and lose nutrients, it also carries health risks.

Meat storage time chart

The term "zombie meat" first came from media reports - an exaggerated description of frozen meat sold on the market after being frozen for many years. Most of it is smuggled goods, and its quality and safety cannot be guaranteed.

But in fact, many families' fridges contain meat that has been frozen for too long. Meat expert Li Xingmin, associate professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, says different types of meat have different frozen storage times.

Generally speaking, storing meat in a home fridge for more than half a year is a bit long.

Generally, frozen meat is best eaten within 1 month of purchase - the sooner the better. Chilled fresh meat (meat cooled to 0°C~4°C within 24 hours after slaughter and sold refrigerated) is best bought and eaten fresh; if you don't finish it that day, it can be kept refrigerated at 0°C~4°C and eaten within 3 days.

Hot fresh meat (meat taken straight to market after slaughter without any chilling or freezing) should be eaten the same day it is bought. Because at high temperatures microorganisms easily contaminate meat and multiply rapidly, its safety is relatively poor - especially in summer, when meat bought in the morning may already smell off by evening.

Eating long-frozen meat ruins your health

The fridge is not a "safe deposit box." Even if long-frozen meat has not expired, it becomes hard and dry in texture; losing its fresh flavor is a minor matter - safety and nutrition are also greatly affected.

1. Accelerates aging

The low temperature of the freezer can stop bacteria from multiplying, but it cannot completely stop the oxidation of fat and protein, and therefore cannot completely stop the deterioration of the meat.

Due to oxidation reactions, long-frozen lean meat gradually turns from red to brown, and fat gradually turns yellow; not only does the flavor worsen, it also produces fat oxidation products that accelerate human aging.

2. Increases cancer risk

Expired frozen meat contains many bacteria, and even tiny parasites may be inside; these are all harmful to the body. Long-term consumption of expired frozen pork can lead to a decline in one's immunity and may even increase the probability of cancer.

3. Prone to diarrhea

According to a report in the Straits Herald, in Xiamen, Auntie Lu specially cooked a table full of dishes to entertain the girlfriend her son brought home for the first time. Unexpectedly, after the meal, the whole family - old and young - developed symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed that Auntie Lu's family had contracted gastrointestinal illness from eating thawed, spoiled food, and the culprit was the frozen meat in the fridge.

Liang Chengqiang, director of the nutrition department at Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital, says that according to clinical statistics, the number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is rising year by year, and about 30% of them say they have experienced situations such as food being stored in the fridge for too long.

4. Major vitamin loss

Long-frozen meat not only tastes bad - if the protein oxidizes, it also breaks down essential amino acids. The longer the freezing time, the greater the loss of vitamins, especially B vitamins.

Taboos on eating meat

Never, ever eat pork from diseased pigs

Pork from diseased pigs often carries pathogenic microorganisms and is extremely easily contaminated by harmful microorganisms; unknown toxins may even be present, and home cooking makes it hard to kill the pathogens.

Buy from regular supermarkets and farmers' markets, and don't be tempted by bargains on meat priced clearly below market price - this is the best way to avoid buying diseased meat.

Don't eat meat that is overcooked

At temperatures of 200~300°C, amino acids, creatine, sugars and harmless compounds in meat undergo chemical reactions to form aromatic amino groups. Aromatic amino groups contain 12 compounds, 9 of which are carcinogenic.

Don't eat measly pork

Measly pork, also called rice-grain pork, is pork from pigs that died of disease caused by pork tapeworm larvae parasitizing the pig's body. If a person eats undercooked measly pork, the bladder worms develop into hook tapeworms in the human small intestine. When buying, observe the cut surface of the pork; if you find rice-grain-sized blister-like objects, it can be judged to be measly pork.

Avoid eating salted pork fried at high temperatures

Salted meat contains nitrite; after deep-frying or pan-frying, it produces the carcinogen nitrosopyrrolidine. Therefore, when eating salted fish, salted meat, sausage, ham and other foods, avoid frying.

Don't eat meat lumps

Gray, yellow or dark red meat lumps on the pig's neck and other places contain many bacteria and viruses, and eating them makes one prone to illness.

Don't soak and wash with hot water

Washing pork with hot water affects the taste of the pork. You can first wipe the surface of the pork clean with a clean cloth, then quickly rinse it clean with cold water.

Never refreeze after thawing

When thawing meat, it is best to take it out of the freezer in advance and leave it overnight in the refrigerator compartment to thaw naturally under refrigeration - this minimizes loss of flavor and meat juices. But after thawing, never freeze it a second time. Repeated freezing and thawing makes bacteria multiply even more wildly.

There are also 6 kinds of meat you absolutely must not eat

Lumpy meat in the pig's neck - prone to causing illness

When eating, the gray, yellow or dark red meat lumps on the pig's neck and other places - known as meat jujubes - should be removed.

The meat lumps on the pig's neck are actually lymph nodes, which are immune organs mainly used to filter pathogenic microorganisms. These places contain many bacteria and viruses - do not eat them.

Poultry wing tips - a warehouse of pathogens

The tips of the wings of chickens, ducks, geese and other

poultry

are a "warehouse" that harbors filth and grime.

The poultry "wing tip"

is in fact, for chickens, ducks, geese and other

poultry, the part at the upper end of the tail where long tail feathers grow

, whose scientific name is the "bursa of Fabricius" - a place where lymphoid glands are concentrated. Therefore, these "wing tips" are best eaten sparingly.

For poultry raised properly and having undergone inspection and quarantine, eating it occasionally will not cause harm, but it is advisable not to eat too much.

Chicken necks and duck necks - many glands, toxic

Chicken necks and duck necks contain the thymus, an immune organ. The meat on chicken necks and duck necks can be eaten, but care should be taken to clean the surrounding lymph and trachea - these things are best not eaten. The clean meat portions of chicken necks and duck necks generally have no effect.

Sheep suspensory ligament - diseased tissue

The sheep "suspensory ligament" (also called "hoof white pearl") is generally round-bead-shaped or in strings of grains, and is a type of diseased tissue in the sheep's hoof. Experts do not recommend eating much of it.

Livestock three glands - harmful organs

The thyroid, adrenal and diseased lymph glands on pigs, cattle, sheep and other animals are three kinds of "physiologically harmful organs," and eating them harms health. Therefore, the livestock "three glands" are best not eaten.

Fish "black membrane" - a layer where harmful substances gather

On both sides of the fish's abdominal cavity there is a layer of black membrane, the part where the fish filters heavy metals from the water; it has a strong fishy odor and a dense muddy taste, and contains large amounts of lipids, lysozyme and other substances, so it is not suitable for eating.

Forward this to whoever does the cooking at home - pay close attention: meat is best bought and eaten fresh, and the "zombie meat" in the fridge should be cleaned out right away. One bite ages you ten years, harms the stomach and intestines, and may even cause cancer.

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