Many women desire fairer skin, but nutrition experts will tell you that the darker the food, the better. Winter is the best season for nourishment, and nourishing the kidneys is particularly important. Black foods correspond to the kidneys, so to care for their kidneys, women should eat more black foods.
Black rice, black wheat, black beans, black sesame seeds, black fungus, black jujubes, Silkie chicken, and other foods are all excellent choices for nourishing the kidneys. What are the best black foods for kidney nourishment in daily life?
Red Date and Black Rice Porridge
The Best Rice - Black Rice
Black rice, with its jet-black appearance and rich nutritional value, is hailed as the "black pearl" and the "king of rice in the world." Traditional Chinese medicine considers black rice to be neutral in nature and sweet in taste. It has the effects of nourishing yin and kidneys, replenishing qi and activating blood, warming the liver, and improving eyesight, making it the best food for kidney nourishment.
Black rice is rich in nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and more. It also has various physiological functions, such as scavenging free radicals, improving iron-deficiency anemia, resisting stress, and regulating the immune system.
The outer bran layer of black rice contains anthocyanins, chlorophyll, and flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants that can help women delay aging.
Black Rice Selection Tips
1. Look at the color and appearance. Generally, high-quality black rice has a lustrous sheen, evenly sized grains, few broken or cracked kernels, no insects, and no impurities. Inferior black rice has a dull color, unevenly sized grains, poor fullness, many broken kernels, insects, or clumps.
2. Smell the rice. Take a small amount of black rice, breathe hot air on it, and then immediately smell it. High-quality black rice has a fresh aroma without any other odors. Inferior black rice may have a slight异味 (abnormal smell), musty smell, sour smell, or rancid odor.
3. Taste the rice. You can take a small amount of black rice, chew it slowly, or grind it before tasting. High-quality black rice tastes good, slightly sweet, and without any off-flavors. Inferior black rice may be tasteless, have a slight off-flavor, or taste sour, bitter, or have other unpleasant flavors.
Recommended Recipe: Red Date and Black Rice Porridge
Ingredients: Black rice, tremella (snow fungus), red dates, peanuts rock sugar
Instructions:
1. Prepare the black rice; soak it for two hours, or longer if time permits.
2. Combine the soaked black rice with other ingredients.
3. Wash them, add rock sugar, and add plenty of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid slightly ajar for two hours.
4. After cooking, add sugar to taste and enjoy while hot.
Nutritious Black Bean Soy Milk
Black Bean Selection Tips
First, look at the appearance. Real black beans have a small white spot in the center; if they are dyed, this spot will also change color.
Second, look at the seed coat. Because the seed coat is very thin, the dye from dyed black beans will penetrate the inner layer. If you peel the seed coat and the inside is white, it is a real black bean.
Third, rub the surface. Real black beans, when rubbed vigorously on white paper, will not lose color, whereas dyed black beans will leave marks. When purchasing, you can rub the black beans in your palm to see if they lose color.
Surface: Authentic black beans are not uniform in size, some large and some small, and their color is not entirely black; some are jet black while others have a reddish tint. Counterfeit black beans that have been dyed are generally uniform in size and have a solid jet-black color.
Recommended Recipe: Black Bean Soy Milk
Ingredients: Black beans, sugar, water
Instructions:
1. Wash the black beans and soak them in warm water for 7-8 hours. The water should be two to three times the height of the beans.
2. Once the black beans are soft, discard the soaking water. Place the black beans in a soy milk maker (or blender). Add an appropriate amount of beans according to your machine's capacity, ensuring the water level does not exceed the maximum mark.
3. Use the soy milk maker for over ten minutes to cook and boil, and fresh black soy milk is ready. If using a blender, the result will be raw soy milk, which must be thoroughly cooked before drinking.
4. Add sugar to your liking for a better taste.
Benefits Review:
Black bean soy milk is rich in protein, iron, fat, carbohydrates, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, niacin, vitamin E, anthocyanins, isoflavones, and other nutrients. Isoflavones can promote calcium absorption and also help improve osteoporosis.
However, do not drink soy milk on an empty stomach, as it can hinder the absorption of nutrients.
The Nutrient Warehouse - Black Jujube
Black jujube is a dried product of the fresh jujube, rich in nutrients containing protein, fat, sugar, and various vitamins.
The most common red dates are known for their effect of replenishing qi and blood, while black jujube is a superb remedy for nourishing the kidneys. Black jujube is sweet and astringent in taste, and cold in nature. It contains protein, fat, sugar, and various vitamins, and has the effects of calming the stomach and strengthening the spleen, replenishing qi and promoting body fluids, nourishing the heart and calming the mind, and nourishing blood and supporting yin.
Black jujube is known as the "nutrient warehouse." Regular consumption can help women replenish qi and nourish blood, maintain epithelial tissue, warm the stomach and intestines, improve eyesight and activate blood, promote urination and detoxify. It is an excellent product for moisturizing the skin, darkening hair, and is very helpful for delaying aging, enhancing the body's vitality, and improving beauty.
Black Jujube Selection Tips
Color: Good black jujubes have a shiny, glossy, jet-black skin with a reddish tint; those with a dull black color are of lower quality; those that are black with a yellowish tinge are even worse; and those that are reddish-brown are inferior.
Appearance: Good black jujubes are large and uniform in size, short, plump, and round with few wrinkles, light marks, thin skin, and a small pit with thick and firm flesh. If there are many wrinkles, deep marks, or a shriveled shape, it means the flesh is poor or the jujube was unripe. If the stem is perforated or has coffee-colored or dark brown powder, it means it has worms.
Feel: Squeeze a handful of jujubes. If they feel smooth and not soft or spongy, it indicates they are fine, firm, dry, and have small pits. If they feel soft, the quality is poor. If they are wet, soft, and sticky, it means the jujubes are damp and prone to mold and spoilage.
Recommended Recipe: Black Jujube and Chicken Stew
Ingredients: 1 free-range chicken leg, 1/2 pound of pork ribs, 20 black jujubes, 6 cups of water, 2 small spoons of salt, 1 cup of rice wine
Instructions:
1. Wash the chicken leg and cut it into pieces. Blanch the pork ribs in hot water, then lift them out and rinse with clean water. Wash and drain the black jujubes.
2. Place all ingredients and seasonings in a pot, seal with plastic wrap, and steam in an electric rice cooker (with 2 cups of water in the outer pot) until cooked.
Cold-dressed Black Fungus
Moisturizing and Nourishing - Black Fungus
Black fungus has the effects of clearing the lungs and replenishing qi, activating blood and benefiting the stomach, moisturizing and nourishing the body. The colloid in black fungus has strong adsorption power and can cleanse the intestines and stomach. It also contains nucleic acids and lecithin, which have the effects of fitness, beauty, and delaying aging.
Black fungus is rich in protein, with a protein content comparable to animal foods, hence it is known as the "meat among vegetables." In addition, its vitamin E content is very high, making it an excellent product for whitening the skin.
Most importantly, it has the highest iron content. When it comes to iron supplementation, people often think of spinach, lean meat, and animal livers. In fact, among all foods, black fungus has the highest iron content—more than 20 times that of spinach and over 7 times that of pork liver. Therefore, it is an excellent food source for nourishing the complexion and replenishing blood, preventing iron-deficiency anemia.
Black Fungus Selection Tips
Look: High-quality black fungus is jet black, the ear flaps are slightly spread out, the surface is glossy black, and the back is dark gray without clumps. Those that are slightly smaller or of moderate size, with slightly curled ear flaps and a black but non-glossy surface, are of medium quality. The lowest quality are those that are small and fragmented, with curled, thick, or stiff ear flaps, and a gray or brown color.
Squeeze: Regardless of color, high-quality fungus has very low moisture content. It feels light in the hand and is brittle when pinched.
Smell: Fresh black fungus has no sour or foul odor. After a long time, it will have a sour smell or other odors due to the denaturation of protein and fat. If there is a musty smell, it means it has been dampened and spoiled.
Taste: Pure fungus has no off-flavor when lightly licked. Some unscrupulous merchants may soak fungus in alum water, lye, or sugar water to increase its weight.
Recommended Recipe: Cold-dressed Black Fungus
Ingredients: Dried black fungus, cucumber, carrot, green and red bell peppers, white sesame seeds
1. Soak the black fungus until soft, wash it clean, remove the tough stems, and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, which is more than enough.
2. Remove the black fungus, soak it in ice water until cool, then take it out and tear it into small pieces by hand.
3. Cut the cucumber, carrot, and green and red bell peppers into thin shreds, add them to the black fungus, add toasted white sesame seeds, 2 grams of salt, 1 gram of chicken powder, 10 grams of sesame oil, and 5-10 grams of white vinegar. Mix well.
Black Sesame and Walnut Paste
Benefiting the Kidneys and Nourishing Beauty - Black Sesame
Black sesame has many benefits, including making hair dark and lustrous, nourishing blood and beautifying the skin, improving eyesight, nourishing the liver, expelling wind, moistening the intestines, promoting body fluids, and nourishing hair. Its rich unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, calcium, and other elements can keep the skin soft, delicate, and smooth when consumed regularly.
Black sesame is very rich in vitamin E, which can delay aging. At the same time, it can scavenge free radicals in the body and has significant antioxidant effects.
Recommended Recipe: Black Sesame Paste
Main Ingredient: Black sesame
Ingredients: Black Sesame: 100g Glutinous rice flour: 50g Granulated sugar: 10g
1. Wash the black sesame seeds, drain the water, and let them dry. Then, toast them in a flat-bottomed pan until fragrant, let them cool, and then grind them into a fine powder in a food processor.
2. Toast the glutinous rice flour in a flat-bottomed pan over low heat until golden yellow, then sift it through a fine sieve.
3. Mix the toasted glutinous rice flour with the ground black sesame powder, add granulated sugar, and mix well.
4. When eating, take an appropriate amount into a bowl, add boiling water, and stir to mix.
Black fungus salad
Nutritional black bean milk
Red dates and black rice porridge
Sydney's ass drink