According to the principles of traditional health preservation, one should eat more fruits in the autumn to enhance liver function and resist the invasion of excessive lung Qi. However, not all fruits are suitable for everyone. So, how should one eat various fruits to maintain health?
Liu Shukun, a physician from the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at Beijing Hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department, has provided a comprehensive analysis of eating fruits in autumn from a TCM perspective. Physician Liu Shukun stated that from the perspective of traditional health preservation, the main characteristics of autumn are "dryness" and "aridity," so the body often exhibits symptoms such as dry skin, a dry mouth and chapped lips, and a sore throat. Therefore, in the autumn, one must eat less of pungent foods like scallions, ginger, garlic, chives, and peppers to prevent excessive lung Qi. Eating fruits that promote saliva production, quench thirst, moisten the throat, and relieve dryness will make a person feel refreshed and comfortable. "The most suitable fruits to eat in autumn are pears and sugarcane," emphasized Dr. Liu. Although pears and sugarcane are good, they are not suitable for everyone. Pear functions
TCM believes that pears are sweet, cold, and moistening, with functions such as promoting saliva production to quench thirst, stopping coughs and resolving phlegm, clearing heat and reducing fire, and moistening the lungs to relieve dryness. Most suitable groups
More suitable for conditions such as lung-heat cough, pediatric wind-heat, dry throat and sore throat, and dry constipation. It is very beneficial for patients with hypertension, cardiopulmonary diseases, hepatitis, and cirrhosis to eat pears often. For hepatitis patients, eating pears can protect the liver, aid digestion, and increase appetite. Not suitable groups
Because pears are cold in nature, patients with stomach-cold vomiting, cold cough, spleen-deficiency diarrhea, loose stools, postpartum women, children after chickenpox, or those with golden sores should eat them with caution or avoid them. Sugarcane functions
Sweet and cool in nature, it has the effects of clearing heat and moistening the intestines, resolving phlegm, and replenishing fluids. It is juicy, sweet, and nutritious.
It has a certain therapeutic effect on conditions such as dry stools, difficult urination, nausea and vomiting, deficiency-heat cough, and high fever with thirst. For people who are overworked or feel dizzy from hunger, eating two sections of sugarcane can restore their spirits. Not suitable groups
Sugarcane is cold in nature and is not suitable for patients with stomach cold, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, or excessive phlegm.
Choose fruits based on your own constitution
Dr. Liu told reporters that one should choose fruits according to their own body constitution. From a TCM perspective, a person's constitution is generally divided into two types: cold-deficient and excess-heat. For people with these two different constitutions, the fruits they choose should be different. Cold-deficient constitution characteristics
Afraid of cold. Dislikes touching cold things, including entering air-conditioned rooms, and easily develops diarrhea after eating raw or cold foods. Suitable fruits
One should choose some fruits with a warm and nature, such as lychee, longan, pomegranate, cherry, durian, apricot, chestnuts, and walnuts. Excess-heat constitution characteristics
Metabolism is vigorous, producing a lot of heat, with the sympathetic nervous system dominant. Prone to fever, often with a flushed face, thirst with a dry tongue, a liking for cold drinks, irritability, and often constipation. Suitable fruits
One should choose some cold-natured foods, such as watermelon, pear, banana, kiwi, lotus root, tomato, persimmon, melon, cucumber, and pomelo. Any constitution
Apples belong to the neutral category of fruits and can be eaten by people of any constitution.
Eating fruit after a meal is a bad habit
Dr. Liu said that many people like to eat some fruit right after a meal to freshen their breath, but this is actually an incorrect eating habit.
Harm of eating fruit immediately after a meal: Because food must go through a digestive process of one to two hours after entering the stomach before it can be slowly excreted. If people eat fruit immediately after a meal, it will be blocked in the stomach by the food that arrived earlier, preventing the fruit from being digested normally in the stomach. If it stays in the stomach for too long, it can cause symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.
In addition, fruits are high in sugar. After a meal, the body has already obtained enough energy. Eating fruit on top of that will only add extra calories.
Correct time to eat fruit: It is best to eat fruit 1-2 hours after a meal or 1 hour before a meal.
Choosing to eat fruit in the morning is most beneficial for the body and can better exert its nutritional value, producing substances that are beneficial to human health. This is because after a night's sleep, the function of the gastrointestinal tract is still being activated, the digestive function is not strong, yet the body needs to supplement a sufficient variety of nutrients.