Dietary imbalance refers to irregular eating habits, which can lead to diseases caused by overeating or starving. So how should we eat? In short, there are three key points for the New Year's Eve dinner: no need to be deliberate, not casual, and need to be cautious.
According to research, the incidence of gallstones is increasing, and more than 90% of patients have experienced skipping breakfast or not eating enough breakfast. Not eating breakfast or eating a light breakfast for a long time can lead to decreased bile secretion due to prolonged fasting, but the cholesterol content remains the same. Over time, a large amount of cholesterol bile in the gallbladder can cause gallstones. Traditional Chinese medicine has long recognized that dietary imbalance has a significant impact on human health. Diet is the material basis for normal human life activities and relies on substances such as qi, blood, and body fluids. However, improper diet, whether irregular, unclean, or biased, is often a cause of disease.
【Dietary Imbalance】
1. Overeating:
It refers to the inability to eat on time or long-term insufficient food intake, resulting in insufficient qi and blood supply. Over time, this can lead to weakened organ function and subsequent diseases. Insufficient intake of food leads to lack of nutrition and blood supply. Insufficient nutrition and blood supply weaken the body's resistance to diseases and make it susceptible to secondary illnesses due to insufficient vital energy.
2. Overeating:
It refers to excessive food intake or binge eating, exceeding the digestive capacity of the spleen and stomach, which can damage the qi of the spleen and stomach. If food cannot be properly digested and transformed in a timely manner, it can cause symptoms such as abdominal distension, loss of appetite, belching, acid reflux, and foul-smelling diarrhea. This type of disease is more common in children.
Overeating, binge eating, excessive intake of food that exceeds the ability of the spleen and stomach to accept, digest, absorb, and transform can cause food blockage and damage the spleen and stomach. This can lead to symptoms such as abdominal distension, belching, acid reflux, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. This type of disease is more common in children because their spleen and stomach are weaker than adults and they are more prone to dietary damage. Prolonged food blockage can lead to heat accumulation. In infants and young children, prolonged food blockage can lead to infantile malnutrition, with symptoms such as restlessness, crying, abdominal distension, yellowish complexion, and emaciation. In adults, long-term overeating can also cause symptoms such as diarrhea and rectal bleeding due to obstruction of the gastrointestinal meridian's qi and blood circulation. Irregular meal times disrupt the regular functions of the spleen and stomach, leading to functional disorders and diseases.
3. Irregular Eating:
It can damage the spleen and stomach, leading to stagnation of qi, blood stasis, phlegm obstruction, and even the occurrence of other diseases.
【Good Eating Habits】
1. Eat Less:
On the premise of ensuring nutrition, it is best to eat less and maintain a state between hunger and fullness. It is recommended to eat less for health preservation, such as "a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and a light dinner is sufficient."
The famous McKee effect has proven that eating less can prolong life. The theory of genetics has also shown that eating less can effectively slow down the shortening of telomere DNA sequences, which is the biological clock of lifespan. Eating less can also maximize the mobilization of human potential and have various effects such as strengthening the body. Eating less has a health-promoting effect because it can prevent diseases that harm human health, such as obesity, cancer, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia.
2. Eat a Variety of Foods:
Eating a variety of foods fully reflects the principle of food complementarity. Eating a variety of foods ensures a balanced nutrition intake.
3. Eat Slowly:
In countries like the United States, Japan, and Turkey, health and nutrition experts have been advocating a new dietary concept: "Want to live longer? Eat slowly." These experts even list various manifestations of "fast food syndrome" to inspire people to abandon monotonous fast food, return to rich traditional food habits and food culture, and understand the principle of "the slower you eat, the longer you live". "Chew each mouthful of food 30 times, and spend half an hour for each meal" can help with weight loss, beauty, cancer prevention, and brain health.
4. Eat Light:
Eating light means eating more vegetables and less meat. Fish induces fire, meat induces phlegm, and tofu and greens ensure safety. Excessive salt, oil, and sugar are now known as the "three harmful substances". Therefore, eating light means reducing salt, oil, and sugar intake.
5. Eat Raw:
Eating raw is considered a "positive return to nature." It is advisable to eat raw as much as possible, as it has been a tradition in China to eat raw fruits, melons, onions, and garlic. Eating certain foods raw has many benefits. Ordinary fruits and vegetables undergo high-temperature cooking, which can cause varying degrees of damage to many nutrients, including vitamins. However, this is not the case with raw food. However, raw vegetables should be fresh and properly washed.
Good and reasonable eating habits are an important aspect of health preservation, which can promote healthy growth and development of the body. Poor eating habits can disrupt the normal physiological functions of the body and lead to diseases. Conversely, appropriate diet can have a therapeutic effect on diseases and help the body recover. Therefore, even during the New Year, it is important to maintain a balanced diet.
