Introduction: Vigorous blood and vital energy are essential for rosy, peach-like cheeks. Sufficient blood and vital energy contribute to a ruddy and healthy complexion. Many women suffer from a deficiency of blood and vital energy due to issues like anemia, a cold body constitution, and irregular menstruation. This leads to a sallow, tired, and aged appearance, which conceals their natural beauty and causes considerable distress. So, what should one eat to replenish the blood? Here are 10 recommended foods to help you replenish your blood starting now.
1. Black Fungus
Black fungus, also known as black vegetable, mulberry ear, native fungus, tree chicken, wood moth, or wood velvet, gets its name from its ear-like shape and dark brown color. As a fungus of the Auriculariaceae family, it has a neutral nature and a sweet flavor, affecting the stomach and large intestine meridians. It is known for its nourishing, moisturizing, blood-enriching, stomach-benefiting, blood-activating, blood-stanching, lung-moisturizing, and bowel-lubricating properties.历代医学家对于黑木耳的药效都有详细的记载，如明代李时珍在《本草纲目》中记载："木耳生于朽木之上，性甘干，主治益气不饥，轻身强志，并有治疗痔疮、血痢下血等作用。"我国医学历来认为黑木耳有滋润强壮，清肺益气，补血活血，镇静止痛等功效。
Moreover, black fungus can nourish the blood to preserve youth, making the skin ruddy and radiant. It can also prevent and treat iron-deficiency anemia. Therefore, cold-dressed black fungus, stir-fried black fungus, and black fungus soup are all excellent blood-enriching foods. However, some people are picky eaters and do not like black fungus. It is advisable to overcome this habit and gradually accept this nutritious food.
Stir-fried Black Fungus with Meat Dregs
2. Pork Liver
The liver is a vital organ in animals for storing nutrients and detoxification, rich in nutritional substances with health benefits, making it one of the most ideal blood-enriching foods. Pork liver is rich in iron and phosphorus, which are essential raw materials for blood production. It is also abundant in protein, lecithin, and trace elements, which are beneficial for children's intellectual and physical development. Pork liver is rich in vitamin A, and regular consumption can gradually alleviate certain eye conditions. According to modern medical research, pork liver contains various anti-cancer substances such as vitamin C and selenium. The liver also has a strong ability to suppress cancer and contains special substances that combat fatigue. The liver is an organ for storing nutrients and also for detoxification, continuously performing its detoxifying function. After metabolism by the liver, toxic substances and detoxification byproducts can be excreted from the body with bile secretion. Therefore, a normal liver itself is non-toxic and can be consumed with confidence.
Boiled Pork Liver
3. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are widely distributed across the globe, most abundantly in forest leaf litter zones. Edible mushrooms are an ideal natural or multifunctional food. Straw mushrooms are high in vitamin C, which can promote human metabolism and boost immune function. They have a detoxifying effect; for instance, when lead, arsenic, or benzene enter the body, they can combine with them to form ascorbic acid, which is then excreted in urine. They can slow down the body's absorption of carbohydrates, making them an excellent food choice for diabetics. Straw mushrooms can also aid digestion, clear heat, nourish yin and strengthen yang, increase lactation, prevent scurvy, promote wound healing, protect the liver, and strengthen the stomach, making them an excellent nutritional health food that is both edible and medicinal.
Stir-fried Mushrooms with Broccoli
4. Lean Meat
Generally, pork, beef, and mutton contain higher levels of saturated fat, while poultry, chicken, and rabbit meat contain less. They are also rich in inorganic salts, especially iron (in red lean meat), phosphorus, potassium, and sodium, but contain little calcium. Lean meat is also a good source of vitamins B1, B2, B12, and PP. The vitamin B1 content in lean pork is particularly high, though it contains little vitamin A and almost no vitamin C. There is a common saying that "meat sustains for three days, and soup for a week," implying that the nutritional value of meat soup is higher than that of the meat itself. This view needs correction. Meat soup contains some water-soluble substances from the lean meat, such as inorganic salts and water-soluble vitamins, as well as a small amount of water-soluble proteins and hydrolyzed products like peptides and some amino acids.
Soup with Lean Pork, Lily, and Prince Ginseng
5. Black Beans
Black beans are nutritious, containing various nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and trace elements, along with multiple bioactive substances like black bean pigment, black bean polysaccharide, and isoflavones. Research has found that black bean skin extract can improve the body's absorption of iron, and consuming black beans with their skin on can help alleviate anemia symptoms. The blood-enriching effect of black bean skin extract works by acting on "hepcidin" in the human body. Hepcidin is a regulatory molecule produced by the liver and is a key substance in regulating the body's iron homeostasis and metabolism. Overactive hepcidin can cause an excessive decrease in iron levels in the blood, thereby limiting red blood cell synthesis and is one of the causes of anemia. There are many ways to eat black beans. For better blood enrichment, consider cooking black beans with Silkie chicken.
Black Beans with Beef Brisket in Soy Sauce
Cream of meat
Tomato fried eggs
Eggs and seameat
Fried rice
Peachy roasted peanut rice