As the festive season gets under way, health experts suggest that people with chronic diseases should be more careful about what they eat, also warning healthy people to check their diet when they feast.

Dashain, the Hindu celebration of victory of good over evil, is celebrated with various unhealthy food items while alcohol is becoming a must for many to cheer at the annual family reunion.

According to health experts, issues like high blood pressure, rise in uric acid level, along with sugar and cholesterol, are common in individuals due to unhealthy diets during the month-long festivities.Speaking to the Post, Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Sandeep Raj Kunwar of Norvic International Hospital said, “People suffering from chronic disease like diabetes, gastritis or liver problems have a high chance of worsening their health due to unhealthy food consumption as their body is already weak.”

Extra oil and spices used in food are the major contributors to ill-health. “It’s not about what people eat but how they cook. Even a single instance of negligence on a day can affect the health of an individual,” added Dr Kunwar.

Health experts suggest cooking food properly and refrigerating leftovers to prevent contamination. People are advised to eat cooked food within 24 hours and to re-cook stored food well before consumption.

“If food is not cooked well and stored in a clean place, it has a high chance of getting infected with bacteria and affecting people consequently. Sweets, which are mostly exposed outside, have higher chance of getting infected,” said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief medical officer at the Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku.

According to gastroenterologists, vomiting, gastritis, stomach ache, food poisoning, diarrhoea and common cold are among the most common cases during and after the festive season.Doctors have also urged people to check their alcohol intake. People with liver ailments are cautioned to avoid even minimum levels of alcohol.

“People without traces of such diseases also run health risks if they consume alcohol regularly for nearly a month. Sometimes, hepatic encephalopathy [an altered level of consciousness as a result of liver failure] may occur, which may even lead people to coma,” Gastroenterologist Dr Vivek Sharma of Grande International Hospital told the Post.

“In healthy people, over consumption of alcohol leads to aspiration pneumonia or alcohol hepatitis and vomiting may cause small tears of the inner lining of the oesophagus as well,” he added.

Aspiration pneumonia is a situation in which food, saliva, liquids, or vomit are breathed into the lungs or airways leading to the lungs, instead of oesophagus and stomach whereas alcohol hepatitis leads to excessive bleeding or liver failure. When children consume similar extra oil and deep fried items, they may experience diarrhoea or vomiting.