In the morning, you can always see some office workers holding dry food like bread, pastries, or biscuits, rushing and eating on the go. Medical experts remind people that long-term consumption of such "dry food" can reduce physical and mental stamina, lower the body's resistance, and make one highly susceptible to illness.
After waking up in the early morning, the gastrointestinal function has not yet recovered from the inhibited state of the night to an excited state, and the digestive function is also weak. At this time, eating some "dry food" is not only difficult to swallow, but in the morning, the spleen is sluggish, the stomach fluid is not moistened, and the secretion of various digestive juices is insufficient, which is unfavorable for the digestion and absorption of food. After a night's sleep, the body has lost a large amount of water and nutrients through urine, skin, and respiration, and is in a state of semi-dehydration in the early morning. Breakfast should include foods rich in moisture or drinking an appropriate amount of warm liquids like warm water, soy milk, or hot milk before the meal. This can not only replenish the body's water deficiency in a timely manner, but also be beneficial for gastrointestinal digestion, restore the body's metabolism to a vigorous state, and is also conducive to work and study during the day, while effectively preventing the occurrence of certain cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Nutritionists recommend that breakfast should be "hot food" to protect what Traditional Chinese Medicine calls the "stomach qi." Stomach qi does not simply refer to the "stomach" organ; it includes the digestive and absorption capacity of the spleen and stomach, acquired immunity, and muscle function. In the morning, the yin energy from the night has not yet dissipated, the temperature of the earth has not yet risen, and the body's muscles, nerves, and blood vessels are still in a state of contraction. If you then consume cold food and drinks, it will inevitably cause the body's various systems to become more constricted and the blood circulation to become more sluggish. Over time, you will find that you cannot absorb the essence of food. This is what is known as damaging the "stomach qi" and damaging the body's resistance. Breakfast should consist of sufficient hot congee, hot milk, hot soy milk, and then paired with vegetables, bread, sandwiches, fruits, and pastries.