Sweet potatoes contain 8% dietary fiber, most of which is soluble fiber, making them very effective for relieving constipation.
The cholesterol-lowering effect of sweet potatoes is ten times stronger than that of other foods.
However, sweet potatoes should not be eaten raw, as the cell membranes remain intact without high temperatures, making starch difficult to digest; they also contain “gasification enzymes,” which can cause discomfort such as bloating, heartburn, and belching if consumed in excess. Therefore, they should be steamed or baked, preferably paired with corn for health benefits.
Potatoes contain 15% to 25% carbohydrates, more than any other vegetable, and they also have a higher protein content than most vegetables, making them a common staple in Europe due to their high caloric value.
Potatoes are rich in vitamin C, sodium, potassium, and iron, with potassium being particularly abundant at 502 mg per 100 grams, making them one of the few high-potassium vegetables. Patients with heart disease, especially those with heart failure, often experience varying degrees of edema and may take diuretics that can lead to potassium loss, resulting in a tendency for hypokalemia.
Thus, regularly consuming potatoes can replenish potassium, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins.
Elderly individuals suffering from back and leg pain can eat two raw chestnuts each morning and evening. Chewing them thoroughly until they become a paste before swallowing can effectively alleviate pain.
Chestnuts can treat kidney deficiency and weakness in the lower back and legs; they help tonify the kidneys and boost qi, but raw chestnuts are hard to digest, and cooked ones can cause qi stagnation, so they should not be consumed in excess.
As the saying goes, “When radishes are in season, doctors go to the countryside,” and “Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer, and you won’t need a doctor’s prescription.” Radishes contain active substances that have anti-tumor and anti-viral properties, significantly inhibiting esophageal, gastric, nasal, and cervical cancer cells.
To achieve the best effects, radishes should be eaten raw and chewed well, and no other food should be consumed within half an hour of eating radishes. Radishes help reduce qi; drinking a little radish juice at the onset of a cough can suppress it. If you feel weak, avoid eating too many radishes. Additionally, radishes should not be eaten with ginseng. If radishes feel too cooling, they can be paired with a bit of ginger.
Peanuts are known as “longevity fruits.” If elderly individuals have a poor appetite, they can chew a few raw peanuts thoroughly before swallowing.
Soaking raw peanuts in vinegar has excellent digestive benefits. When buying peanuts, ensure they are fresh, clean, and free from mold or sprouting, as moldy or sprouted peanuts can easily be contaminated with aflatoxins.
Rapeseed can both reduce swelling and resolve stasis. The famous Tang dynasty physician Sun Simiao once had a painful swelling on his head and used crushed rapeseed leaves as a poultice, which quickly alleviated the pain and healed the condition. This method has since been emulated for treating conditions like carbuncles, mastitis, sores, and other unnamed swellings.
Rapeseed is cool in nature and pungent in flavor, entering the liver, lung, and spleen meridians. It is rich in dietary fiber, promoting lipid excretion, reducing fat absorption, and enhancing intestinal motility, which helps prevent constipation and is beneficial for preventing colorectal cancer. Rapeseed also has a nourishing effect on oral ulcers and gum bleeding caused by excessive heat in the upper body.
Elderly individuals suffering from constipation can benefit from eating more spinach, which has a lubricating effect that aids in bowel movements.
Spinach protects the retina, and middle-aged and elderly individuals who consume spinach 2 to 4 times a week can lower their risk of retinal degeneration.
Regular consumption of spinach can also enhance resistance to infectious diseases and promote growth and development in children. It is effective in preventing angular cheilitis, cheilitis, glossitis, dermatitis, and scrotal inflammation.
In the mid-18th century, a medicinal liquid known as “Buhal syrup” was made from cauliflower juice mixed with honey, which was highly effective in treating tuberculosis and cough, saving many poor lives, hence the name “poor man’s doctor” for cauliflower.
Cauliflower not only replenishes selenium and vitamin C but also provides abundant carotenoids, preventing precancerous lesions and inhibiting tumor growth, making it effective in preventing and treating gastric and breast cancers. Breast cancer patients or those looking to prevent breast cancer should consume more cauliflower.
Constipation is a persistent problem; every morning on an empty stomach, mix a spoonful of honey with ten drops of aged vinegar and drink it with a cup of warm water. You should see results in about a week.
Shandong, the birthplace of Confucius and Mencius, is known for its consumption of scallions and garlic, which are natural penicillin. In spring, the locals also enjoy a seasonal dish called “little tofu.”
Wealthy people use tofu, while those with less money use tofu dregs mixed with various wild vegetables, including dandelion, Houttuynia cordata (a traditional Chinese medicine particularly effective for treating lung infections), shepherd’s purse (which ancient texts say “eating shepherd’s purse in spring is like taking an elixir”), and bitter herbs. This explains why the people of Shandong were less affected by SARS.
People who eat quickly tend to gain weight. Why? If you eat slowly, as you chew a piece of steamed bun, the amylase in your saliva breaks down the starch into glucose, making the bun taste sweeter the more you chew. Once glucose is absorbed, blood sugar levels rise, signaling the brain’s appetite center that “you are full!” Quick eaters often consume more before their brains register fullness, leading to obesity.
Premier Zhou Enlai once advised university students that each meal should take no less than 15 minutes. If food is swallowed without thorough chewing, the stomach bears a heavy burden, requiring more gastric juice for digestion, which can harm the digestive system.
In ancient times, there was a simple method for treating stomach issues: chew each bite of food 50 times before swallowing. This is not easy to achieve. I have tried it a few times, and if I can manage to chew a bite 20 times, it is already quite fine. If one can truly manage to chew 50 times, those with stomach issues will see significant improvement in a month.
In 2005, Harvard University published a study observing 12,000 children aged 9 to 14, finding that the more milk children consumed, the fatter they became. A 225 ml bag of whole milk contains 150 kcal, low-fat milk has 100 kcal, and skim milk has 85 kcal.
