Beauty and skincare are not just about cosmetics; more importantly, they rely on internal conditioning. A proper diet can improve your body's health, and eating more foods that nourish the blood and Qi can help women maintain a good complexion.
Foods to Nourish Blood and Qi
1. Longan Pulp
Longan pulp is also known as dried longan. Fresh longans are available every summer. Longans contain vitamins A and B, glucose, sucrose, and are rich in iron. Dishes like longan soup and longan wine are highly recommended for pregnant and postpartum women as they are excellent blood-nourishing foods!
2. Black Sesame
There's a simple secret: black and red foods often have blood-nourishing properties. Black foods benefit the kidneys, helping them store essence and Qi. The kidneys store essence, essence generates marrow, and marrow transforms into blood, so the root of blood lies in the kidneys. As for how red foods nourish blood, the theory comes from "like nourishes like."
Sesame enters the liver, kidney, lung, and spleen meridians, with the effects of nourishing blood and brightening the eyes, promoting sperm production and milk secretion, and benefiting the liver and nourishing hair. Eating sesame can promote the functions of the kidneys in producing blood, the liver in storing blood, and the spleen in regulating blood.
3. Carrot
Commonly known as carrot, the Japanese call it "ginseng." Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a nutrient that is extremely beneficial for blood nourishment. You can often use carrots to make soup, turning your post-meal soup into a blood-nourishing soup that you can drink anytime!
Shredded Carrot and Egg
Extended Reading: A Complete Guide to Eating Carrots
4. Pumpkin
Praised by the famous Qing Dynasty doctor Chen Xiuyuan as a "marvelous product for blood nourishment," pumpkin is rich in plant-based protein, carotene, vitamins, essential amino acids, calcium, zinc, iron, cobalt, phosphorus, and more. Among these, cobalt is an important component of vitamin B12, which helps red blood cells function properly; zinc directly affects the function of mature red blood cells; and iron is a fundamental trace element for making hemoglobin. All of these are excellent nutrients for blood nourishment.
5. Grape
Grapes are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, and various vitamins and amino acids, making them a great tonic for the elderly, women, those with weak constitutions and anemia, and people who are overly fatigued. Pregnant women are also advised to eat more grapes, as they are beneficial to the fetus's nutrition and can also give the mother a rosy complexion and improve blood circulation! If you can't find grapes sometimes, raisins are a good alternative too!
6. Sugarcane
Among winter fruits, the much-loved sugarcane is also rich in trace elements, including iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, and more. It has the highest iron content among fruits, reaching up to nine milligrams per kilogram, earning it the name "blood-nourishing fruit." However, from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, sugarcane is considered "cold" in nature, so people with a weak spleen and stomach should consume it in moderation.
P Mantou (Steamed Bun)
Extended Reading: A Complete Guide to Eating Pumpkin
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