This report (by reporter Xia Wen) January 22nd was "Laba Festival", a day in China when people traditionally eat Laba congee. International Registered Nutritionist Zou Chunlei stated that the ingredients of Laba congee are rich in various nutrients, making it a high-protein, low-fat food suitable for all ages. However, for people of different ages, constitutions, or with different health conditions, the ingredients should be appropriately adjusted.
Children
When making traditional Laba congee, people generally use main ingredients like rice, Job's tears, japonica rice, millet, black rice, red beans, cowpeas, mung beans, peas, and broad beans, supplemented by peanuts, pine nuts, raisins, walnut kernels, lotus seeds, and chestnuts. As children have weaker digestive systems, ingredients like red dates, lotus seeds, Chinese yam, and Job's tears that strengthen the spleen and replenish Qi can be added. If a child has indigestion, fresh hawthorn, which aids digestion, can be added. Since Job's tears, peanuts, oats, etc., can easily cause allergies in children, they should not be included if the child is under one year old.
Diabetics
Diabetics often worry that congee is more easily absorbed, causing blood sugar to rise after consumption. Experts remind that diabetic patients and those with cardiovascular diseases can solve this problem by adding oats and Chinese yam to their Laba congee. Eating oats can slow the rise in blood sugar, and ingredients like Chinese yam that benefit the spleen and replenish Qi can also be added. However, avoid ingredients high in sugar like red dates and preserved persimmons, and do not add sugar when eating the congee. If you want something sweet, you can use a sweetener. Additionally, diabetic patients should reduce their intake of staple foods when eating congee.
Patients with Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases
Job's tears has diuretic, spleen-strengthening, lung-nourishing, and heat-clearing effects, and adding it to the congee can help lower blood pressure. Red beans have diuretic and blood-nourishing effects. Soybeans are rich in protein, crude fiber, and trace elements, and mung beans can help lower blood pressure, making them all suitable for patients with hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Additionally, young people can add more starch-rich nuts like chestnuts and lotus seeds to their Laba congee. For overweight individuals, adding more oats, buckwheat, and legumes like soybeans and peas is recommended. Laba congee for the elderly should be a mix of coarse and fine grains to promote intestinal peristalsis. For beauty-conscious women, black rice, black beans, walnut kernels, and pine nuts can be added to the congee.