"While Eating Holiday Food"... Remember Only 'This' for a Healthy Seollal Holiday

Food-Related Accidents More Frequent During Holidays
Learn Prevention Methods in Advance to Avoid Major Incidents

Sitting around with family and relatives, sharing food and conversation, is one of the joys of the holidays. However, unexpected accidents such as indigestion or stomach upset from overeating or eating unfamiliar foods often occur. Since there is a risk of these incidents leading to serious accidents, it is good to learn how to handle them in advance.

Holiday staple food 'Tteok'... What to do if it gets stuck in the throat

Accidents where tteok (rice cake) gets stuck in the throat and blocks the airway are common during holidays. If tteok gets stuck, the Heimlich maneuver should be performed by wrapping the patient from behind and pushing the abdomen upward. First, wrap your arms around the patient from behind, make one hand into a fist, and cover the fist with the other hand. Then place the fist between the patient's sternum and navel and push upward as if pulling. Repeat this process until the food is expelled, and if the patient loses consciousness, immediately switch to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The method is slightly different for infants under 1 year old. First, position the baby's head lower than the chest and lay the baby face down on your thigh, then firmly tap the center of the baby's back with your palm. Next, turn the baby over so the head remains lower than the chest, and use two fingers to press about 4 cm deep just below both nipples quickly and strongly. Repeat this process until the food is expelled.

How to store leftover holiday food

During the holiday break, there is usually more food than usual, so leftovers are common. Leftover food should be stored by carefully following the consumption period and storage methods to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

According to the "Report on Setting Consumption Periods by Food Type" on the Food Safety Korea website of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the reference consumption period for normally packaged garaetteok (cylindrical rice cake) is 3 days. The consumption period is the time during which the food is considered safe if consumers follow storage conditions. It is generally slightly longer than the expiration date. From this year, foods will display consumption periods instead of expiration dates. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has currently disclosed consumption periods for 430 items across 34 food types.

For garaetteok, products left at room temperature for more than 3 days should not be eaten, and if there are leftovers, it is best to freeze them before the consumption period expires. Ssukjeolpyeon (mugwort rice cake) also has a 3-day expiration and room temperature consumption period. For refrigerated dumplings, two items have an expiration date of 7 days, but the experimentally suggested consumption period ranges from 9 to 11 days. Refrigerated dumpling wrappers can be consumed up to 16 days, one day longer than the expiration date (15 days).

As such, even foods of the same type have different consumption periods depending on ingredients and packaging, so consumers need to be cautious. When purchasing products, always follow the indicated date and storage instructions, and it is best not to consume products past their consumption period.

What to do if you get burned while cooking... Cool with lukewarm water

Burns while preparing holiday food are also common. The key to burn accidents is to provide accurate first aid immediately. Minimizing secondary bacterial infections and potential scarring is important. When burned, first cool the area thoroughly with lukewarm water. Cool the burn area with running water or saline until the burning sensation disappears. Do not apply ice packs as they can worsen the wound.

After cooling the burn area, it is best to apply a burn-specific moist dressing for first aid. If the burn is severe, visit a hospital immediately after first aid.

What to do if you have a stomach upset... Know which hospitals are open

Even if you are careful about food intake, it is easy to get stomach upset during holidays due to eating unfamiliar foods or overeating. If symptoms are mild, medication may suffice, but if the condition is serious, call 119 or know in advance which medical institutions are open during the holiday to respond appropriately. Learning simple first aid techniques is also helpful.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, 525 emergency rooms nationwide operate 24 hours a day. Additionally, public medical institutions including health centers open on the holiday itself, the 22nd, with 235 locations open, averaging 261 medical facilities open daily during the holiday. Private medical institutions average 2,823 open daily, pharmacies 4,560, screening clinics 360, and temporary screening clinics 40. Hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and screening clinics open during the holiday can be checked through the 129, 119, and 120 call centers, the Emergency Medical Portal, the Ministry of Health and Welfare website, and emergency medical information apps.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.