Introduction: Generation after generation of working people, in accordance with the changes of seasons and regional products, have condensed numerous proverbs, idioms, and sayings about diet from their daily culinary lives. These dietary proverbs can vividly describe the characteristics and functions of certain foods; some reflect healthy and correct eating habits; others teach us how to maintain health and wellness at the right time... In short, these proverbs are catchy, concise, vivid, easy to understand, and easy to remember—they are the crystallization of wisdom born from "eating." Here, I have selected some proverbs related to diet and health to share with you.
I. One date a day keeps old age away.
The jujube, also known as the red date, has been listed as one of the "Five Fruits" (peach, plum, apricot, jujube, and apricot) since ancient times, with a long history. Jujubes can enhance human immunity and inhibit cancer cells. The "Bencao Beiyao" describes the red date as "tonifying the middle jiao, replenishing qi, nourishing the spleen and stomach, moistening the heart and lungs, opening the nine orifices, and harmonizing with all medicines," and it is effective for a weak spleen and stomach, insufficient qi and blood, poor appetite, and neurasthenia. People who often eat fresh jujubes rarely suffer from gallstones, because the rich vitamin C in fresh jujubes converts excess cholesterol in the body into bile acid. Jujubes are rich in calcium and iron, which are beneficial for osteoporosis and anemia. Jujubes also have the effects of calming the mind, nourishing the brain, and delaying skin aging, making them an ideal natural health food for young people, the elderly, and women.
II. For longevity, eat donkey meat; for health, drink donkey soup.
There is a folk saying, "Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on earth," to praise the deliciousness of donkey meat. The history of Chinese people eating donkey meat is long. The ancient book "Qimin Yaoshu" contains the phrase, "Donkey, horse, and pork are all edible." The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: Donkey meat "nourishes blood and qi, treats old wear and tear, and drinking its decoction on an empty stomach is beneficial." The protein content of donkey meat is higher than that of beef and pork, while its fat content is lower, making it a typical high-protein, low-fat food that can be braised, marinated, or made into soup. Donkey meat also has the dual effect of replenishing qi and blood, making it an excellent food therapy for those with long-term exhaustion, recovering from a long illness, deficient qi and blood, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite. Regular consumption of donkey meat can strengthen the body and increase energy, which is why there is another folk saying, "Eat donkey liver and lungs, and you'll live to be a hundred." Famous snacks like Hejian Donkey Burger and Guangrao Braised Donkey Meat are renowned nationwide, and the famous Shandong "Three Treasures" item, Ejiao, is made from donkey hide. However, people with chronic enteritis or diarrhea should avoid eating donkey meat.
III. Eat the right onions and garlic, and you'll cut your ailments in half.
Onions and garlic are essential items in the daily kitchen and indispensable seasonings in cooking. In northern China, large onions are predominant and often eaten raw; in the south, small onions are more common and are usually cooked. Onions can not only be used as a seasoning but also to prevent and treat diseases. They contain prostaglandin A, which can relax blood vessels, promote blood circulation, lower cholesterol, and prevent various cancers. Garlic is often hailed as a "natural antibiotic." The "allicin" it contains has a good killing effect on pathogens and parasites and can prevent the flu and treat wound infections. Garlic has a significant protective effect on the liver, lowers blood lipids, and prevents coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Regular consumption of garlic can delay aging and prevent lead poisoning. However, people with eye diseases or "heatiness" (a concept in traditional Chinese medicine) should eat less onions and garlic.
IV. Rather go without meat than without soup.
Most Chinese families make soup every day, and the types and flavors of soup are countless. Classified by ingredients, there are meat soups and vegetable soups; by cooking method, there are clear soups and creamy soups; and by flavor, they can be salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and umami. Soup is nutritious and easy to digest, but there is a proper way to drink it. You should drink it before a meal. "Drinking soup before a meal is better than any good prescription." Drinking soup before a meal lubricates the mouth and esophagus, which can prevent hard and dry food from irritating the digestive tract mucosa and helps to mix and dilute the food, thus promoting digestion and absorption. Because the calorie content of soup is lower than that of other dishes, drinking it will not cause obesity. Soup is also the best food for those with poor digestion or stomach problems. With a wide variety of soups, one should choose according to individual needs: the elderly can drink bone soup; infants can drink millet soup; women benefit from red date and lotus seed soup; and young people can drink more kelp soup, and so on.
V. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
The apple is sweet and sour, nutritious, and a fruit suitable for all ages. Its nutritional and medical value is very high, and it is increasingly being called "the first medicine of doctors," which is why there is the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples are a protector of the cardiovascular system and a healthy fruit for heart patients because they contain no saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium. Apple juice has a powerful effect in killing infectious viruses. People who eat more apples have a much lower chance of catching a cold than those who do not eat or eat few apples, so some scientists and doctors call apples "all-around healthy fruits" and "general practitioners." According to traditional Chinese medicine, apples are sweet and cool in nature, with effects such as promoting the production of body fluids to quench thirst, moistening the lungs to relieve dryness, strengthening the spleen and stomach, nourishing the heart and qi, moistening the intestines, stopping diarrhea, relieving summer heat, and sobering up. Many Americans now consider apples essential for weight loss; they fast one day a week, eating only apples on that day, which is called "Apple Day."
VI. A hundred vegetables are not as good as cabbage, and cabbage keeps you safe all year round.
Cabbage, called "Song" in ancient times, is a leafy vegetable that has the effects of clearing heat and relieving vexation, smoothing the intestines, aiding digestion, and nourishing the stomach. It is mainly used to treat lung heat, cough with a sore throat, and constipation. In autumn and winter, the air is dry, and the cold wind can cause significant damage to the skin. Cabbage is rich in vitamins, and eating more of it can have a very good effect on skin care and beauty. Cabbage is nutritious, delicious and crisp, and has both medicinal, edible, and health-preserving value. It contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, and various vitamins, as well as trace elements like niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. It can be used as a main or auxiliary ingredient and can be cooked by stir-frying, quick-frying, braising, stewing, simmering, hot pot, cold salad, and pickling, among other methods, to make delicious dishes. There is also a common saying in folklore: "Pork is the best among meats, and cabbage is the freshest among vegetables," "Cabbage is as delicious as bamboo shoots in winter," and "Fish causes fire, meat causes phlegm, but cabbage keeps you safe all year round."
VII. When winter comes, the dog meat is fat; if the dog meat is boiled three times, even a god can't stand the temptation.
As people's living standards improve, dog meat has become increasingly appealing. What was once not served at banquets has now become a delicacy. Dog meat is not only high in protein but also of excellent quality, especially with a high proportion of globulin, which has a significant effect on enhancing the body's disease resistance, cell vitality, and organ function. Eating dog meat can strengthen a person's physique, improve digestion, promote blood circulation, and enhance sexual function. Dog meat can also be used for the weakness of the elderly, such as cold limbs and listlessness. Eating it often in winter can help the elderly resist the cold. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dog meat has the effects of warming the kidneys to assist yang, strengthening qi, and nourishing the blood. In Pei County, Jiangsu, there is a famous delicacy called "Yuanzhi Dog Meat," which has been famous for its fresh and delicious soup, rich aroma, lean but tender meat, and perfectly balanced flavors for over two thousand years.
Dog meat is a "heaty" food and should not be eaten in summer, nor should one eat too much at a time. People suffering from coughs, colds, fever, diarrhea, or yin-deficiency fire-excess syndromes should not eat it.
VIII. In winter, eat radishes; in summer, eat ginger; and you won't need a doctor to write prescriptions.
China is the hometown of the radish, which was called "Laifu" in ancient times. Its cultivation and consumption history is long, and there are records of it in the "Book of Songs" as early as that. Radishes can be eaten raw as a fruit or used to make dishes. They are excellent whether stir-fried, boiled, cold-dressed, or pickled. Radishes are rich in vitamins C, A, and B, as well as calcium, iron, phosphorus, protein, and various enzymes. Traditional Chinese medicine considers radishes to be cool in nature with a pungent, sweet, and slightly bitter taste, affecting the lung and stomach meridians. They can eliminate food stagnation, resolve phlegm-heat, and have multiple effects such as strengthening the stomach to aid digestion, promoting the production of body fluids to quench thirst, clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting urination. Hence the saying, "A radish after autumn is better than ginseng." It also has a辅助 therapeutic effect on common winter ailments such as indigestion, wind-heat colds, cough with excessive phlegm, and sore throat.