In Spain we celebrate the beginning of the New Year by eating the traditional 12 lucky grapes. A ritual that began to become popular at the beginning of the 20th century, although ABC has found older references in the newspaper archive. The habit of eating them at the rhythm of the bells has a danger and that is the risk of choking or suffocation. For this reason, the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (SEORL-CCC) warns that children under five years of age should not eat them to welcome the year 2025, and they should not be replaced by nuts, popcorn, candies or chocolate dragees.
Grapes, due to their size, slippery skin and juice inside, can be swallowed without chewing and cause blockage of the airways, preventing the child from breathing, reminds the SEORL-CCC. Otorhinolaryngologists advise that children under five years of age not ingest them. In the case of older children, the recommendation is offer them without skin or seeds and cut into pieces (avoiding cutting them into slices).
Nuts, hard candies, popcorn or chocolate sprinkles are also not a good alternative for the little ones, since the hard fragments that come off when biting them can obstruct the airways. In fact, in the case of nuts, they should be offered ground to children under five years of age.
The people over 65 years and patients with dysphagia should also be careful with grapes. The incidence of asphyxiation is seven times higher in elderly people than in children aged 1 to 4 years, according to a review published in the journal ‘Geriatrics’.
Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that affects more than 2.5 million Spaniards, of which 90% are undiagnosed. Although it affects people of any age, it is more common after the age of 65, when almost a third of the elderly population suffers from it.
#ENT #warning #grapes #Years #Eve #eat
