Wellness is a topic that each of us should pay attention to, and it is the basic knowledge that each of us should know and master. For middle-aged and elderly people, health preservation is more important, because their body functions have gradually declined, and if they do not pay attention to health preservation, they are easy to suffer from various diseases.
A good example of this is our famous old Chinese medicine doctor, Kuang Hui Tao, who is 74 years old but still in good spirits and in good health. The regimen she shares is very valuable for each of us.
Kuang Hui Tao old Chinese medicine told us that the most important thing is to achieve "five suitable and five less" diet.
First, the diet should be light, and eat less fatty and sweet foods.
Fatty and sweet foods usually refer to greasy, spicy, sweet and other high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar foods, although these foods taste good, but long-term consumption will bring many negative effects to our body.
Therefore, we should eat a light diet and eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other foods rich in fiber and vitamins.
Second, the food should be warm and soft, and eat less sticky, hard, raw and cold food.
Sticky and cold foods include glutinous rice, glutinous rice balls, ice cream and other foods, which are not conducive to digestion and absorption, and can easily cause stomach discomfort.
For example, middle-aged and elderly people with spleen and stomach deficiency should pay attention not to eat fruits on an empty stomach when eating them, and they can heat up the fruits before eating, or eat some warm food before eating.
For hard foods, older people can break or grind the food and eat it. For rice cakes, glutinous rice balls and other sticky foods, especially the elderly who have difficulty chewing, it is best to eat less or not eat.
Therefore, we should eat mainly warm and eat more foods that are easy to digest and absorb. At the same time, the food should also be soft and tasty, not too hard so as not to affect the taste and digestion.
Third, three meals should be reasonable, and less overeating.
Eating properly means that we should arrange the timing and portion of our meals reasonably, and not be overly hungry or overly full.
It is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people eat three meals a day on time, follow the principle of small meals and frequent meals when they are sick, and add a small snack between meals. For normal people, it is advisable to "eat a good breakfast, eat a full lunch, and eat less dinner".
Overeating can easily lead to overburdening the gastrointestinal tract and causing stomach problems and other diseases. Therefore, we should eat in moderation and not overdo or undereat in our diet.
Fourth, it is advisable to chew slowly and swallow less wolfing.
Kuang Hui Tao's old Chinese medicine doctor suggested chewing slowly. Chewing and swallowing slowly helps to fully chew and digest food, reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, and prevent the occurrence of obesity and other diseases. In addition, chewing slowly also helps to promote saliva secretion, which contains amylase, which can break down starch and aid digestion and absorption.
Fifth, the five flavors should be harmonized and less partial.
The five flavors of food refer to the five tastes of sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the five flavors correspond to the five internal organs, and different flavors have different effects.
For example, sour taste can astringent liver qi and enhance liver function, bitter taste can dissipate heat and dampness, sweet taste can nourish the spleen and stomach and reconcile qi and blood, pungent taste can diverge and promote qi, and salty taste can nourish yin and soft and firm. However, if the five flavors are too heavy, it will have an adverse effect on the five internal organs and cause various diseases.
Therefore, the diet should be a harmony of the five flavors, but the emphasis is on one taste.
To sum up, the dietary principle of "five suitable and five less" proposed by Kuanghui Tao old Chinese medicine is an important part of the way of health preservation. Only by following these principles can we maintain good health, slow down aging, and improve the quality of life.
About Kuang Hui Tao
Kuang Hui Tao is the President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chief Physician of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, as well as a doctoral supervisor and professor.
She graduated from Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where she was a student of Professor Zhang Haiqing, a veteran Chinese medicine practitioner, and later pursued a postgraduate study specializing in the treatment of rheumatic diseases based on the theory of "Jin Kui Yaolu".
Professor Kuang Huitao has made great achievements in the field of rheumatism and won the honor of the fifth batch of famous old Chinese medicine experts in China.