Red dates are a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions and are also a daily food used to make home-cooked meals. Many women, after childbirth or during their menstrual period, like to prepare red date water to nourish their bodies. Are red dates truly a "godsend" for women's nourishment? The editor will tell you about the actual effects of red dates and which women should not drink red date water.
Many women like to drink red date water to nourish their bodies and help restore energy and vitality. Especially women who have given birth, during their postpartum confinement, like to drink red date water to help restore energy and vitality. Therefore, some people believe that drinking red date water during menstruation can replenish blood and strengthen the body. Red dates seem to have become a "godsend" for women's nourishment. However, others hold the opposite view, believing that women should not drink red date water at this time as it can increase menstrual flow, which is actually harmful to the body. So, should one eat red dates during menstruation?
Traditional Chinese medicine indicates that red dates are warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, harmonizing medicinal properties, nourishing blood, and calming the spirit. They are a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. Boiled red date water is helpful for women who suffer from anemia caused by excessive menstrual flow, as it can improve symptoms of aversion to cold, paleness, and cold hands and feet. Moreover, red dates are mild in nature and can be consumed both before and after menstruation.
Those with eye or foot swelling should not drink it
During menstruation, some women experience swollen eyes or feet. This is actually a sign of excessive dampness, and these individuals are not suitable for consuming red dates because red dates are sweet, and eating too many can easily lead to the production of phlegm and dampness. When dampness and water accumulate in the body, the swelling condition can become more severe.
If you have abdominal bloating, you should also avoid drinking red date water, as it may generate dampness and stagnation, making the bloating worse.
Those with a "heaty" constitution are also not suitable for drinking red date water during their menstrual period, as it may cause excessive menstrual flow.
A common health food in daily diets
Red dates are also a widely consumed type of jujube and can be used to make home-cooked dishes. Cooking red dates with other foods can nourish the body. For example, boiling red dates with peanuts can be beneficial for those with beriberi; red date and lotus root soup can replenish blood and give the skin a healthy glow. Additionally, red dates made into cakes are a food that moisturizes and nourishes the complexion.
Red dates can be prepared in various ways: boiled, steamed, eaten raw, made into sweet soups, or included in various tonics and medicinal soups. Red date and red bean congee, and red date and glutinous rice congee, have been recuperative and health-preserving diets for the elderly and the weak since ancient times. Red dates and celery boiled together can help lower cholesterol and soften blood vessels. Some people like to add American ginseng to red dates to strengthen the spleen and stomach and clear "heat."
Excessive consumption can impair digestion
Red dates can be eaten regularly, but not excessively, otherwise it can impair digestive function and lead to constipation. Furthermore, red dates are rich in sugar, especially when made into snacks, and are not suitable for diabetics to avoid raising blood sugar and worsening the condition.
If you eat too many red dates without drinking enough water, it can easily lead to cavities.
Besides red dates, there are also southern dates and black dates. Southern dates have the effects of tonifying the middle burner, benefiting blood, moistening the lungs, and promoting the production of body fluids. Like red dates, they can strengthen stomach energy and fortify the spleen and kidneys, making them a very good health food.
Black dates were often used in ancient formulas. For some more "drying" or "arid" medicinal herbs, if they are decocted with black dates, it can moderate the medicinal properties, preventing adverse reactions after consumption. Black dates have a moistening and nourishing effect on the blood. Although their effects are mild, long-term consumption can also be quite effective.