Can I Eat Watermelon After Eating Clam?

Seafood Consumption and Its Precautions

During summer, many people enjoy eating clams, which are rich in minerals and proteins and are affordable, making them one of the favorite seafood options for the general population. However, it is generally not recommended to eat fruits after consuming clams, especially for those with delicate gastrointestinal systems, as it may cause discomfort. Women should consume fewer cold fruits after eating clams.

Can clams and watermelon be eaten together? Generally speaking, they can be consumed together without major issues. However, it is advisable not to consume them in large quantities simultaneously. Eating fruits and seafood together is generally not recommended as it may hinder digestion and absorption, potentially leading to acute gastroenteritis. If you experience abdominal pain after eating clams and watermelon, it may be due to food poisoning or gastrointestinal inflammation caused by the clams. Additionally, consuming chilled watermelon may also lead to stomach pain due to chilling the spleen and stomach.

Regarding the question of whether eating clams with foods rich in vitamin C can lead to poisoning, clams, like other seafood, contain relatively high levels of arsenic. Long-term and excessive consumption of clams with vitamin C may lead to chemical reactions that produce arsenic pentoxide, commonly known as arsenic, which can cause serious arsenic poisoning. This is why seafood is not recommended to be consumed with vitamin C. However, in general, it is unlikely to reach the amount that can cause poisoning in daily life. For example, ingesting a large dose of vitamin C would require consuming over 50 medium-sized apples, 30 pears, 10 oranges, or more than 3 kilograms of raw green leafy vegetables at one time.

Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, kiwi, grapefruit, mango, tomatoes, watermelon, and pears. However, it is not easy to synthesize arsenic from seafood and vitamin C. For this to occur, two prerequisites must be met: first, a large amount of vitamin C must be ingested in a short period of time, generally exceeding several thousand milligrams. Second, the seafood must be contaminated with arsenic pentoxide. In reality, it is difficult to meet both of these conditions simultaneously. Consuming more than 2000 milligrams of vitamin C per day (which would require eating at least several kilograms of fruit) can lead to diarrhea, which helps eliminate excess vitamin C from the body. Before reaching the point of being poisoned, it is likely that the individual would already be overwhelmed by the amount of food consumed, causing gastrointestinal discomfort.