Morning Salt Water, Evening Honey Water: Not Suitable for Everyone
The popular internet advice of "morning salt water and evening honey water" claims to clear old feces and detoxify the body for better health. Is it really that effective? Probably not, as it depends on an individual's physical condition and environment. Modern people often eat out, and combined with the cold winter, they tend to consume more meat, which can easily lead to constipation for many. There has always been a saying online that drinking a cup of salt water in the morning and some honey water before bed can help detoxify and clear old feces, a health method passed down since ancient times. For modern people with insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, is this simple method really effective?
Drinking salt water is unnecessary unless you sweat profusely
First, the role of water is undeniable; the human body needs it. But is salt water necessary? The concept of drinking salt water for health originates from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which believes salt can brighten the eyes, calm the mind, and clear stomach heat. Bian Huawei, Deputy Director of the Nutrition Department at the Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, says whether drinking salt water is necessary depends on the actual situation and cannot be generalized. Ancient people believed drinking salt water was beneficial because they often worked hard in the fields, needing to replenish minerals with salt water to maintain their physical strength. Furthermore, salt was hard to come by in ancient times and was considered a precious food.
Modern people mostly sit in cars and stay in air-conditioned rooms, with very little physical activity and sweating. Therefore, drinking extra salt water is often unnecessary. Moreover, modern people already get more than enough salt from their daily meals and snacks, far exceeding the nutritional association's standard of no more than 6 grams of salt per person per day. A recently released "Guangdong Provincial Resident Dietary Nutrition Survey" found that the average daily salt intake for people in Guangzhou reached 8.7 grams. Excessive salt intake increases the risk of diseases like high blood pressure. It seems that controlling salt intake is currently more necessary than promoting drinking salt water. Unless you have special needs, such as needing to drink light salt water to replenish electrolytes due to diarrhea, or engaging in strenuous physical activity or heavy exercise that causes profuse sweating to prevent the body from depleting too many minerals.
Therefore, the "morning salt" advice depends on the person, their living environment, and their individual condition; it should not be promoted without前提. It is certainly beneficial for the human body to drink water, as the body needs it. For most urban office workers, drinking salt water is unnecessary. Instead, it's important to ensure daily water intake is adequate. Drinking warm water in the morning is greatly beneficial for the stomach and metabolism.
Honey for bowel regularity isn't time-bound
After analyzing "morning salt," let's talk about "evening honey." Bian Huawei says that honey does indeed have a laxative and bowel-moistening effect. However, constipation is of two types. One type involves poorly formed stools that lack sufficient pressure to be expelled. For these people, eating more fiber-rich vegetables and fruits, and drinking more water or honey water, can help improve constipation.
For others, the constipation problem lies not in the stool's form but in weak intestinal motility, common in the elderly or young women who have been on long-term weight-loss medication. For these individuals, eating fiber-rich foods or drinking honey water not only fails to improve their constipation but can also加重 the intestinal burden, making the problem worse. The improvement for such patients should focus on increasing intestinal motility, suggesting more exercise, and if necessary, using enemas to solve the "big problem."
So, you need to distinguish the type of constipation you have. If it's due to eating too much meat recently, you can drink honey water to moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements; this isn't limited to morning or evening, as it works either way. However, if your bowel movements are like squeezing toothpaste—you feel the urge but can't go—and drinking water, honey water, or eating fruits and vegetables doesn't help, you should see a doctor to determine the cause of your constipation and receive appropriate medical treatment.
Conclusion: "Morning Salt Water, Evening Honey Water" is not for everyone
In conclusion, the idea of "morning salt water and evening honey water for detoxification" is not scientific and must be considered based on the environment and physical condition. It should not be a one-size-fits-all recommendation for everyone. Furthermore, many beauty books often mention the concept of "detoxification." Bian Huawei believes that the human body's balancing function is actually very good, and this concept of "detoxification" is debatable.