Mr. Zhang from Shangjie District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province: I used to know that brown sugar was for postpartum women, but now I hear that brown sugar is better than white sugar. What's the difference between brown sugar and white sugar? Is it suitable for everyone to eat?
Professor Guo Shuyun, director of the Digestive Medicine Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that it is generally believed that brown sugar is suitable for women with irregular menstruation and those who have just given birth. In fact, brown sugar is more suitable for the elderly, especially for those who are old, weak, or recovering from a serious illness. This is because brown sugar is unrefined crude sugar that retains more vitamins and minerals.
Depending on the size of the crystalline particles, brown sugar is divided into brown granulated sugar, brown sugar powder, and bowl sugar. Because it is not highly refined, it retains almost all the components of sugarcane juice. In addition to its function as a sugar, it also contains vitamins and trace elements such as iron, zinc, manganese, chromium, etc., making its nutritional value much higher than that of white granulated sugar.
Every 100 grams of brown sugar contains 90 milligrams of calcium and 4 milligrams of iron, and also contains small amounts of riboflavin and carotene. Japanese researchers have also extracted a polysaccharide called "molasses" from brown sugar. Experiments have shown that it has strong antioxidant effects and plays a significant role in anti-aging.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, brown sugar is warm in nature, sweet in taste, and enters the spleen meridian. It has the effects of replenishing qi and blood, strengthening the spleen and warming the stomach, relieving pain in the middle jiao, and invigorating blood to resolve stasis. The elderly gradually reduce their intake of various trace elements and vitamins, so they should pay attention to supplementing them in their diet to maintain normal metabolic function and delay aging. Therefore, experts suggest that the elderly should choose brown sugar more often when consuming sugar.
In fact, there are many ways to eat brown sugar. For example, it can be cooked with tremella, goji berries, red dates, or with red beans to promote urination; cooked with longan and ginger juice for a mid-tonifying and blood-nourishing effect; cooked with sweet potatoes and ginger juice, it not only has health benefits but is also a unique-flavored dessert.
However, not everyone is suitable for eating brown sugar. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, brown sugar is warm in nature and is suitable for people who are sensitive to cold and have a deficient and cold constitution. In addition, people with high stomach acid, including stomach pain caused by erosive gastritis and gastric ulcers, and diabetics should not eat brown sugar. Two simple brown sugar food therapies:
Millet and Red Date Congee: When cooking millet porridge, add a dozen red dates. When the porridge is cooked soft, add brown sugar when eating. The ancients believed that the floating oil on top of millet porridge can nourish yin and benefit the kidneys, while red dates and brown sugar can nourish blood and generate blood. It is suitable for the elderly and weak who have a sallow complexion, forgetfulness, and dream-disturbed sleep.
Brown Sugar and Red Date Tea: Boil red dates in water until soft, add brown sugar, and then add a little black tea (or green tea). Drink it frequently. Drinking this tea often has the effect of replenishing qi and blood, strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, and is especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people.