Everyone knows that whole grains are beneficial to health. As living standards have improved, people's diets have become too refined, causing the original nutrients to be depleted or the human digestive system to be unable to absorb them properly. Over time, this can lead to a state of sub-health. Therefore, it is recommended that people eat more whole grains to regulate their bodies and eat their way to health.
Unhealthy dietary habits and structures, such as eating too finely and consuming excessive nutrients, have trapped modern people in a state of sub-health. It is advisable to eat more whole grains, using grains and legumes for pairing. The main pairing of ingredients should be based on individual circumstances. So, how should we eat whole grains?
Whole Grains for Health Preservation
Can our daily staples like black beans, red beans, rice, and millet also promote health? As early as over 2,000 years ago, the "Huangdi Neijing·Suwen" (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon of Basic Questions) proposed the dietary principle of "five grains as nourishment, five fruits as assistance, five livestock as supplements, and five vegetables as fulfillment. When their flavors and properties are combined and consumed, they can nourish the essence and benefit the qi." This also illustrates the dominant position of whole grains in the daily diet.
Eating more whole grains daily can not only strengthen the body and preserve health but also promote detoxification and assist in treating diseases. However, the "whole grains" we commonly refer to today are somewhat different from those of the past. The "five grains" now broadly include rice, wheat, legumes, corn, and tubers. "Miscellaneous grains" refer to traditional grains like millet, buckwheat, sorghum, oats, and peanuts. On this basis, some grains that are both food and medicine are added, such as red dates, coix seed, Euryale ferox seeds, Chinese yam, lily bulbs, walnuts, and other various "miscellaneous foods" in a broad sense. Different ingredients have different effects, and you can choose and combine them according to your own needs.
3-5 Types of Combination is Most Suitable
Eating whole grains every day, how can you eat your way to health? Integrate the nutrients of whole grains into the food therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Combine whole grains with the same effects or complementary effects based on their nature, taste, and meridian tropism.
The number of combinations should not be too many; generally, 3-5 types are most suitable. Eating many different foods at the same time can also easily cause poor gastrointestinal digestion.
Whole Grain Combination Methods:
1. Beauty and Skin Care:
Coix seed, ginkgo nuts, almonds, black sesame, walnuts, Poria cocos, red dates, kudzu root can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Ginkgo nuts and almonds have a special taste. Pay attention to whether your own palate can accept them when formulating the recipe.
2. For Babies:
Chinese yam, coix seed, brown rice, black sesame, walnuts can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: For babies from 4 months to 1 year old, the formula should not be too complicated; 2-3 types are sufficient.
3. Nourishing Kidneys and Strengthening the Body:
Goji berries, Euryale ferox seeds, black beans, fleeceflower root, pumpkin seeds, black sesame, walnuts can be combined freely.
4. Strengthening the Spleen and Stimulating Appetite:
Chinese yam, Poria cocos, red dates, coix seed can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Weak spleen and stomach in children can cause loss of appetite and indigestion. Such children should eat more foods that strengthen the spleen.
5. Calming the Mind and Soothing the Spirit:
Lotus seeds, Euryale ferox seeds, Poria cocos, red dates, soybeans, black sesame can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Children should eat less Euryale ferox seeds; infants cannot eat them. People with severe constipation should eat fewer lotus seeds and Euryale ferox seeds.
6. Anemia and Blood Tonification:
Donkey-hide gelatin, red dates, goji berries, black rice, black beans, black sesame, fleeceflower root can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Can be eaten directly with Yuanyuan paste, or ground into a powder and mixed into a paste for consumption.
7. Clearing Heat and Removing Dampness:
Poria cocos, coix seed, lotus seeds can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Adding a small amount of walnuts or almonds when combining will taste better.
8. For People with High Blood Pressure, High Blood Lipids, and High Blood Sugar:
Ginkgo nuts, buckwheat, oats, black sesame, soybeans, brown rice, Poria cocos, walnuts can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: "Three highs" refer to high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and high blood sugar. Poria cocos is effective for lowering blood sugar, and ginkgo nuts are effective for lowering blood lipids.
9. Promoting Bowel Movements and Detoxification:
Oats, buckwheat, brown rice, Chinese yam, kudzu root, black sesame, walnuts can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Drink a glass of warm water upon waking up in the morning, and then eat the health paste made from the above formula for breakfast.
10. Slimming and Weight Loss:
Chinese yam, kudzu root, red beans, oats, brown rice, buckwheat, black sesame can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: Chinese yam is low in calories, nutritious, and has a good taste, making it the best choice during a weight loss period.
11. Nourishing Hair and Preventing Graying:
Fleeceflower root, black beans, walnuts, black sesame, goji berries, barley, Euryale ferox seeds can be combined freely.
Warm reminder: A classic hair nourishing formula--grind 1 jin each of fleeceflower root, black beans, walnuts, and black sesame into powder. Consume 50 grams each morning and evening as a paste. Persist for 2-3 months.