Meaty Eid takes its toll on holidaymakers

RAWALPINDI: Patients started pouring into the emergency wards of different hospitals of the twin cities from the day of Eid. Over consumption of meat led to an increase in complaints of constipation, heartburn, acidity, diarrhea, nausea and high blood pressure amongst residents of the area.

Talking to The Express Tribune, representatives from various hospitals said like every other Eidul Azha, people did not manage their diet properly. It is a common trend for people to stuff themselves with a lot of meat, ignoring its negative impact on their health, experts said.

People forget to include vegetables and other lighter edibles on the menu which results in constipation and other complaints like high blood pressure. The doctors concluded that even the meat was not cooked in a healthy manner.

Dr Astori said just to add more flavour to barbeque meat, people sprinkle raw salt along with other spices, which results in high blood pressure and heartburn.

Another health expert said that the number of people complaining of gastrointestinal diseases could grow in number after they started using the stored meat in the coming months. “Stocking meat in refrigerators and then using it after months could result in such problems,” he said.

Similarly, food poisoning has become common among people who consumed unhygienic meat.

Dr Samreen Faheem said on the third day of Eid, the emergency ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences received around 10 to 12 patients complaining of heat burn and diarrhea during six hours of her shift. “Most of them were middle aged females,” she said.

Moreover, Dr Rizwan Taj, a senior psychiatrist, said there are some people who on this Eid avoid eating meat of sacrificial animals.

“The whole procedure of slaughtering the animal affects these people psychologically,” he added.The reaction of this is reflected through nausea or lack of appetite.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.