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Aunt Li has just turned 60 this year, and it stands to reason that this is the time to enjoy retirement, but lately she has always felt that something is not right with her body. Every night, her stomach is always uncomfortably swollen, and occasionally she refluxes acid, often tossing so that she can't sleep at night. She muttered in her heart: "I usually don't eat much, is it that when I get older, my body has begun to 'strike'?" ”
Aunt Li's son, Xiao Liu, is a programmer working in a foreign company, and he is usually as busy as a spinning top, although he knows that his mother's health is not very good, but he doesn't care too much. Until one day, Aunt Li had a severe stomach pain in the middle of the night and almost fainted. Xiao Liu panicked and hurriedly sent her to the hospital. The doctor did a series of tests on her, from a blood routine to a gastroscopy, and even an abdominal ultrasound.
After the examination, the doctor frowned, looked at the report and said, "Aunt Li, your problem can be said to be caused by improper diet. What have you been eating for dinner lately? Aunt Li thought about it for a while, and replied hesitantly: "I usually eat some snacks or convenient things at night, such as barbecue, cold vegetables, etc......."
The doctor's brow furrowed even tighter: "You really have to eat less of these things, especially at night." Most of your current stomach problems are caused by eating things you shouldn't eat at night. ”
The doctor's words made Aunt Li's heart tighten. She didn't understand, she just ate some barbecue and cold vegetables, why did she eat her stomach problems?
The "barbecue" mentioned by the doctor is actually the most neglected dietary problem for many people, especially middle-aged and elderly people like Aunt Li who are retired at home. Barbecue looks fragrant and crispy, especially at night when you don't have much appetite, eating a few skewers of meat and drinking a little wine not only satisfies the appetite, but also feels relaxed.
Herein lies the problem. Grilled ingredients are grilled at high temperatures, which produce large amounts of harmful substances, such as benzopyrene and heterocyclic amines, which have been widely proven to be carcinogenic. Young people may not see the problem for a while, but for older people, this food is like a time bomb. In the case of decreased digestion, the self-repair ability of the gastrointestinal tract is also greatly reduced, and high-fat, high-calorie barbecue food is like a fire, which continues to stimulate the gastric mucosa, making it uncomfortable, and over time it is easy to cause gastritis, gastric ulcers, and even the hidden danger of gastric cancer.
The doctor helplessly explained to Aunt Li: "You are old now, and your gastrointestinal function is much worse than when you were young, and your stomach can't stand it at all if you eat these things at night." The oils and seasonings of barbecue will cause strong irritation to the gastric mucosa, and even cause chronic inflammation, which will not only affect the stomach but also other body functions over time. ”
Aunt Li's face turned pale with fright, and she nodded again and again: "I understand, I will definitely pay attention to dinner in the future." ”
In addition to barbecue, Aunt Li also likes to eat cold dishes at night. She finds coleslaw light and refreshing, especially in summer, and it tastes neither hot nor adds too many calories, making it a perfect dinner choice.
But the doctor told her that the coleslaw was not as healthy as she thought. Especially if it is not handled properly or left for too long, cold vegetables can easily breed bacteria and even produce harmful substances such as nitrite. Although nitrite does not cause fatal effects in a short period of time, long-term intake can increase the risk of stomach cancer and bowel cancer. Elderly people like Aunt Li generally have a general decline in immunity, and their defense against external bacteria and viruses is also weak, and the hidden dangers of cold vegetables are especially obvious for them.
"You may think that coleslaw is healthy, but it has a lot of hidden dangers. Especially when eating cold vegetables at night, cold food stimulates the stomach more than hot food, and stomach problems will naturally come to your door after a long time. The doctor patiently explained.
Aunt Li was stunned when she heard this, she had never thought that these seemingly ordinary foods would have such a big hidden danger. She regretted a little that she had eaten her body in order to save trouble.
Seeing that Aunt Li was listening carefully, the doctor went on to give her a few suggestions: "At your age, you can have a simple dinner, and you would rather just drink some vegetable soup than eat those greasy, spicy, and cold things." Although the vegetable soup may seem light, it is actually rich in vitamins and fiber, which not only promotes digestion, but also helps the body absorb nutrients without burdening the stomach. ”
Aunt Li nodded, and secretly made up her mind that she must pay attention to the choice of dinner in the future, and she can't make do with it casually anymore.
There are not a few people like Aunt Li. Many elderly people feel that they are old and have a bad appetite, and they don't want to eat too much for dinner, so they just make do with it and even eat some convenient but unhealthy food. These "make-do" dinners are the worst enemy of health.
Why do doctors emphasize the importance of dinner? It has a lot to do with our biological clock. At night, when the body is ready to rest, the function of the digestive system will also be weakened. If you eat indigestible food at night, the gastrointestinal tract will have to work overtime and will not be able to rest and repair in time, and in the long run, it will naturally be prone to various problems.
Especially for middle-aged and elderly people, with the increase of age, gastrointestinal function gradually weakens, the digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas decrease, and the self-repair ability of the gastric mucosa also decreases.
As the doctor said to Aunt Li: "You are now old, and the self-repair ability of your stomach and intestines is not as good as before, and if you don't eat the right thing at night, your stomach will become very fragile, and it may even cause more serious health problems." ”
It is worth mentioning that the choice of dinner not only affects the digestive system, but also has a close relationship with emotions. As they get older, many elderly people have less activity after dinner, and their lives are relatively monotonous and their mood swings are great. Problems such as food indigestion, bloating and acid reflux can easily trigger emotional upset, which in turn can further affect the health of the gastrointestinal tract. This vicious circle makes many elderly people suffer from stomach problems that cannot be cured for a long time.
The doctor told Aunt Li: "Eat lighter at night, your stomach is comfortable, you sleep well, and your mood will naturally be better." Aunt Li was greatly inspired by these words, and it turned out that the stomach and emotions are also inseparable!
The doctor's advice is actually quite simple: when you are older, you would rather drink a light vegetable soup for dinner than eat barbecue and cold salad. Vegetable soup is a very good choice for the elderly, and a light vegetable soup not only helps digestion, but also replenishes water and vitamins without increasing the burden on the stomach.
Vegetable soup is rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent constipation, which is one of the common problems of the elderly. Moreover, vegetable soup is low in calories, which does not make people feel hungry and provides enough nutrients to the body. The doctor suggested that Aunt Li try to make soup with broccoli, carrots, spinach and other vitamin-rich vegetables, which is not only light and easy to digest, but also replenishes the trace elements needed by the body to help enhance immunity.
After listening to the doctor's advice, Aunt Li's heart suddenly brightened. She realized that her previous dinner habits were the culprit of her stomach problems. After returning home from the hospital, she began to adjust her diet strictly according to the doctor's advice, and her dinner became simple and light, her stomach was no longer uncomfortably swollen, and she was able to sleep well at night.
In addition to barbecue and coleslaw, the doctor also reminded Auntie Li that the following types of food should also be avoided at night:
Fried food: Fried food is rich in trans fatty acids, which is not only difficult to digest, but also easy to cause problems such as elevated cholesterol and arteriosclerosis, especially for the elderly, the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases will increase significantly.
Sweets: Although sweets can bring short-term pleasure, consuming too much sugar can affect blood sugar levels, which can easily lead to problems such as diabetes and obesity in the long run. Eating sweets at night can also disrupt sleep and affect the quality of sleep.
Spicy food: Spicy food can irritate the gastric mucosa, leading to excessive gastric acid secretion, causing symptoms such as acid reflux and heartburn. For older people with weak stomach function, this is undoubtedly worse.
Caffeinated beverages: Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea can stimulate the nervous system, leading to high spirits and affecting sleep quality. Older people have difficulty falling asleep and should avoid these drinks at night.
Many middle-aged and elderly people like Aunt Li usually don't care too much about the choice of dinner, and feel that it is okay to eat less and eat simply. As everyone knows, with age, various functions of the body are gradually degrading, and if you don't pay attention to dinner, it is easy to cause gastrointestinal problems and even bury health risks.
Doctors often warn that when you are older, you would rather drink vegetable soup for dinner than eat unhealthy foods such as barbecue and coleslaw in the evening. Because only by paying more attention to diet can the body suffer a little less toss and make life healthier and more comfortable in old age.
I hope you can learn some healthy habits from Aunt Li's story, and don't wait until the problem is serious to regret it. There is only one body, and only by taking care of it can you have a good life.
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(The story in the article is purely fictional, if there is any similarity is purely coincidental, if the body is not well, seek medical help in time)