During autumn and winter, due to the effects of cold temperatures on the human body, various physiological functions and appetite undergo various changes. To keep the body as healthy as in other seasons and to prevent it from feeling cold, I recommend a food ingredient that combines health-preserving dietary therapy with medicinal effects: red beans.
Benefit One: Nourishes the Heart and Tonifies the Blood
The ancient herbalist Li Shizhen called red beans "the grain of the heart," emphasizing its heart-nourishing properties. Red beans can clear heart fire and also tonify heart blood. They are rich in crude fiber, which clinically helps lower blood lipids, reduce blood pressure, and improve cardiac function. At the same time, they are rich in iron, which promotes the circulation of Qi and blood, making them very suitable for nourishing the heart. They can prevent your hands and feet from feeling cold in the winter.
Benefit Two: Strengthens the Spleen and Stomach
The digestive and absorptive functions of the spleen and stomach are relatively strong. Therefore, people who are physically weak should focus on replenishing their nutrition in the winter to build reserves for the coming year, ensuring they will have more energy, greater strength, and avoid getting sick. In traditional Chinese medicine, red beans are known as "Chi Xiaodou" and also have a significant effect on strengthening the spleen and stomach.
Benefit Three: Reduces Edema
In addition to being rich in potassium, the saponins in the skin of red beans have a strong diuretic effect, which can effectively improve swelling in the face and feet caused by beriberi and kidney function decline. Therefore, red beans are a must-have for treating edema.
Benefit Four: Expels Dampness and Clears Heat
When bodily fluids cannot flow along with Qi and blood and stagnate between cells, the body can swell rapidly. Red beans are rich in B vitamins and iron, as well as protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, and niacin, and have the effects of clearing heat, promoting urination, expelling dampness, and detoxifying.
Benefit Five: The Weight Loss Effect of Red Beans
Red beans are not only a delicious food but also a wonderful medicinal remedy for treating illnesses. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that their nature is descending, allowing them to pass through the small intestine, promote urination, and reduce swelling. Nowadays, at least five or six out of ten people are overweight, which is also a form of swelling, called a bloated body type. In the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, whether it is obesity or edema, it indicates the presence of dampness in the body. Substances with strong dampness-expelling properties can remove these retained fluids, thereby reducing swelling.
Eating more red beans can prevent and treat foot swelling and has a weight loss effect. Its saponin components can increase intestinal peristalsis, reduce constipation, promote urination, and eliminate swelling caused by heart or kidney problems. For those looking to lose weight, especially in the legs and waist, consuming red beans for weight loss can have a remarkable effect of creating slender and well-defined curves in your thighs and waist.