Recently, many regions have experienced heavy rain or storms, leading to high humidity. Excessive internal dampness can cause drowsiness, heavy limbs, loss of appetite, skin eczema or rashes, and even gastroenteritis. So, how can one remove internal dampness? Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that regularly consuming foods with dampness-removing and health-preserving effects can be helpful. Below, we recommend 10 dampness-removing and detoxifying foods for you to check out.
1. Oats
Oats are nutritious. According to a comprehensive analysis by the Hygiene Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chinese naked oats contain up to 15.6% crude protein and 8.5% fat, along with starch-releasing heat and elements like phosphorus, iron, and calcium, ranking among the top when compared to eight other grains. The water-soluble dietary fiber in oats is 4.7 times that of wheat and 7.7 times that of corn. Oats can also promote bowel movements by increasing stool volume and moisture, working with fiber to boost intestinal peristalsis and aid in detoxification. Blending steamed oats into a juice is a great option; you can add other ingredients like apples or raisins to make it more nutritious and effective for promoting bowel movements!
Moreover, in addition to its natural health benefits, oats also have significant cosmetic value. People have long used oats to treat dry and itchy skin. According to archaeological experts, ancient Egyptian imperial consorts had the habit of bathing in oat water.
Corn and Oat Paste
2. Job's Tears
Job's Tears is a common traditional Chinese medicine and a widely consumed food. It has a sweet, bland, and slightly cool nature, with effects of promoting urination to reduce swelling, strengthening the spleen to remove dampness, relaxing muscles to relieve arthralgia, and clearing heat to expel pus. It is a commonly used diuretic and dampness-draining herb that helps improve edema-type obesity. Job's Tears water is a good detoxification method. Simply boil Job's Tears until tender, add a little sugar to taste, and it becomes a natural skincare product for skin whitening. Furthermore, Job's Tears is a beauty food; regular consumption can maintain skin gloss and fineness, and eliminate acne, freckles, age spots, chloasma, and butterfly rash. It is also effective for treating desquamation, acne, chapped skin, and rough skin.
Burdock and Job's Tears Pork Rib Soup
3. Millet
Millet is highly nutritious, rich in protein, fat, and vitamins. It is not only for consumption but also for medicinal use, with effects such as clearing heat, relieving thirst, nourishing yin, tonifying the spleen, kidneys, and stomach, promoting urination, and treating diarrhea. It can also be used to make wine. Moreover, millet is gluten-free and does not irritate the intestinal wall, making it a relatively mild fiber that is easy to digest. Therefore, it is suitable for pairing with detox meals. Millet porridge is great for detoxification, with the effects of clearing heat and promoting urination. It is nutritious and also helps with skin whitening.
There are many ways to eat millet; millet porridge is a healthy food. It can be boiled alone or with ingredients like red dates, red beans, sweet potatoes, lotus seeds, or lilies to create nutritious porridges with different flavors. When ground into flour, millet can be used to make delicious pastries. The sprouts of millet, like malt, contain a large amount of enzymes and are a traditional Chinese medicine for strengthening the stomach and aiding digestion. Millet porridge also has a calming effect.
Millet and Vegetable Soup
4. Red Beans
Red beans are slightly cool in nature, sweet in taste, and contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, B vitamins, potassium, iron, and phosphorus. Red beans can activate the cardiovascular system; people who are sensitive to cold, have low blood pressure, or often feel tired can improve these conditions by eating red beans regularly. Additionally, red beans have the effects of strengthening the stomach, promoting fluid production, removing dampness, and replenishing qi, making them a good medicinal and health food. Red beans also have diuretic, detoxifying, and heart-strengthening effects, which can effectively reduce edema, expel toxins, and remove dampness. Therefore, you can drink more red bean soup in the summer, or cook it with Job's Tears. You can also add red dates or lilies, but be careful not to add rice, as it will affect the dampness-removing effect.
Honeyed Red Beans
5. Carrots
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, carrots are considered warm and sweet in nature. Carrots have the effects of strengthening the spleen and aiding digestion, nourishing the liver and improving eyesight, clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting measles eruption, and lowering qi to relieve cough. Carrots are rich in carotene, which nourishes the liver and improves eyesight and can treat night blindness. Carrots also have the benefit of relaxing the diaphragm and widening the intestines because they contain plant fiber with strong water absorption, which easily expands in the intestines, acting as a "bulking agent" to enhance intestinal peristalsis, thus promoting bowel movements and preventing cancer. Furthermore, fresh carrots have good detoxifying effects because they can clear heat and detoxify, moisten the intestines, and promote bowel movements. Blending them into a juice with honey and lemon juice is not only delicious and thirst-quenching but also beneficial for detoxification.
Stir-fried Tofu Skin with Carrot and Lettuce
Lazy pork chops
Poongullion soup
Rumco dry cake
Meat and rice
Tomato fried rice