Seafood is not only a culinary delight but also a nutritional all-rounder; from promoting brain development to protecting the heart, its nutritional value surpasses that of many other foods. However, although seafood is rich in nutrients, it is not suitable for everyone.

Most seafood is cold in nature and should be consumed in moderation

Seafood grows in water and is imbued with yin-cold properties; therefore, most varieties tend to be cold in nature. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, excessive consumption of seafood can affect the circulation of the body's yang qi. Especially for people with yang deficiency constitutions, ingesting too many cold seafoods may worsen symptoms such as cold hands and feet and fatigue.

Modern medical research also supports this view — cold foods may reduce digestive enzyme activity. This helps explain why some people experience bloating, diarrhea, and other indigestion symptoms after feasting on seafood. In particular, certain proteins found in shellfish may place an additional burden on people with weaker digestive function.

In addition, women during menstruation and the postpartum period have the uterus in a special state; consuming cold foods at this time may cause cold-induced blood stasis, which is like placing a barrier on a road under repair, impeding the normal flow of qi and blood and exacerbating dysmenorrhea in some women. Of course, these adverse effects vary among individuals; the key is to understand one's own body condition and consume in moderation.

For the general population, choosing seafood that is neutral in nature or warming and tonic, or substituting freshwater fish, can both supplement nutrition and avoid worsening cold tendencies. For example, warm tonic fishes such as eel and loach have qi- and blood-nourishing effects; neutral varieties like sea bass and crucian carp are nourishing without harming the spleen and stomach; whereas shrimp and warmer seafoods such as abalone and dried scallops can warm and tonify kidney yang while nourishing yin without being cold. However, intake should be controlled to avoid excess, and those with weaker digestive function should be more cautious. For those with severe cold deficiency, it is recommended to consult a TCM practitioner for individualized dietary regulation

Seafood Is Delicious but Hides Contraindications

In traditional Chinese medicine most seafood is considered "stimulating food" and certain groups should be cautious: patients with skin diseases may experience worsening of eczema, urticaria, or recurrent abscesses and suppurations; individuals with allergic constitutions are prone to allergy from heterologous proteins, in severe cases leading to shock; patients with gout or hyperuricemia may have gout attacks precipitated by the high purine content in seafood; those with colds and fevers, unhealed wounds, or autoimmune diseases may find recovery affected by consuming seafood.

There are contraindications for seafood pairings: eating seafood together with persimmons, strong tea, and other tannin-rich foods can cause protein coagulation, reduce nutritional value and possibly lead to indigestion and abdominal pain; consuming high-purine seafood with beer readily triggers gout; eating seafood together with cold-natured foods such as bitter melon or watermelon can cause diarrhea in individuals with weak spleen and stomach; dairy products should be consumed separately from seafood to avoid impairing absorption of minerals such as zinc and iron.

Health Guidelines for Eating Bivalves

Bivalve ingredients, as an important category of seafood, are delicious and nutritionally rich; their consumption methods both emphasize presenting the original flavor and must take into account safety and principles of health preservation.

Handling: Live bivalves should be rested in lightly salted water for several hours, adding a few drops of sesame oil to promote sand expulsion.

Cooking: Steaming or quick boiling preserves their fresh sweet flavor; remove from heat as soon as the shells slightly open, as overcooking makes the flesh tough and rubbery. Stir-fry methods require a strong, quick heat and the addition of pungent aromatics such as ginger, garlic, and chili to remove fishiness and counteract their cold properties. Classic coastal cooking with alcohol (e.g., yellow wine braised clams) uses alcohol evaporation to take away the fishy smell, while the warming wine liquid helps balance the cooling nature of shellfish. Raw-eating enthusiasts should take special care: sashimi items like geoduck and surf clams must be ensured to be caught from the deep sea and subjected to ultra-low-temperature sterilization to avoid infection risk from pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Health preservation: The high-protein, low-fat characteristics of shellfish make them suitable for people dieting, but because their purine content is relatively high, patients with gout should only sample them sparingly. Traditional Chinese medicine considers them to have significant yin-nourishing effects, particularly suitable for those with yin deficiency and internal heat when paired in soups with tofu, winter melon, and similar ingredients; however, those with spleen and stomach coldness should accompany them with warming seasonings like pepper and perilla. Modern innovative preparations such as cheese-baked mussels and garlic-vermicelli steamed scallops enrich the flavor layers while retaining nutrition, but attention should be paid to the proportion of high-calorie ingredients.

Regardless of the cooking method, the core principle is to adhere to "freshness is life" — shellfish that have been dead for more than 2 hours are prone to producing toxins and must be discarded, not eaten.