Fruits are available all year round, but eating too many is not good for your health. Have you noticed your stomach feeling a bit uncomfortable after eating? It is recommended that people with "chronic stomach problems" should eat less of three types of fruit. Kiwi helps with constipation but can cause "heartburn".
Kiwi can relieve constipation and is rich in vitamin C, earning it the title "king of fruits." However, Zhu Xinyi, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine at the Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, reminds us that kiwi is considered a cold-natured fruit. Excessive consumption can damage the spleen and stomach's yang energy, leading to symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Additionally, the large amount of vitamin C and pectin in kiwi can increase stomach acid and burden the stomach, causing symptoms like abdominal pain, acid reflux, and heartburn. These symptoms can worsen in cold weather. During the current cold season, patients with stomach problems (spleen and stomach yang deficiency) should eat less or even avoid kiwi.
Fresh jujubes are tasty but their skins can irritate the stomach.
Winter jujubes are known as a natural "vitamin pill." Wang Xingguo, Director of the Nutrition Department at Dalian Central Hospital in Liaoning Province, cautions that eating too many fresh jujubes can harm the digestive system.
This is because jujubes are very high in dietary fiber. A large intake at once can irritate the stomach and intestines, causing gastrointestinal discomfort. Most of the dietary fiber is found in the jujube skin, which is thin, hard, and has sharp edges. If the gastric mucosa is inflamed or has an ulcer, this can aggravate the pain and discomfort.
Hawthorn stimulates the appetite but can easily lead to stones.
Many people find hawthorn a great appetite stimulant because it's sweet and sour, and it's easy to overindulge. However, Li Bin, Deputy Director of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, suggests that people with a weak digestive system should eat less hawthorn, as excessive consumption can lead to stomach stones.
This is because hawthorn is high in pectin and tannic acid. When it comes into contact with stomach acid, it can easily coagulate into an insoluble precipitate, which then binds with food residue to form stomach stones. These stones can cause gastric ulcers, gastric bleeding, and even gastric wall necrosis and perforation. However, cooking hawthorn can reduce the effects of tannic acid.