In the morning, it's common to see some office workers rushing to eat dry food like bread, pastries, or biscuits on the go. Medical experts warn that long-term consumption of such "dry food" can reduce physical and mental energy, lower the body's resistance, and make one highly susceptible to illness.
After waking up in the morning, the gastrointestinal system has not yet recovered from its nighttime inhibitory state to an excited state, and digestive function is also weak. At this time, eating "dry food" is not only difficult to swallow, but in the morning, the spleen is sluggish, the stomach fluids are not moist, and the secretion of various digestive juices is insufficient, which is unfavorable for the digestion and absorption of food. After a night of 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 morning. Breakfast should consist of water-rich foods or drinking an appropriate amount of warm liquids like warm water, soy milk, or hot milk beforehand. This can not only replenish the body's water deficiency in a timely manner and aid gastrointestinal digestion, restoring the body's metabolism to a vigorous state, but also be beneficial for work and study during the day, and effectively prevent 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 consume cold food and drinks, it will inevitably cause all systems in the body to constrict further and blood circulation to become more sluggish. Over time, you will find that you cannot absorb the essence of your food. This is what is known as damaging the "stomach qi" and damaging the body's resistance. Breakfast should consist of sufficiently hot congee, hot milk, or hot soy milk, followed by side dishes like vegetables, bread, sandwiches, fruit, or pastries.