Kidney deficiency has a significant impact on the human body, whether it is men or women. So what should you eat to nourish your kidneys? Let's take a look together.
What is Kidney Deficiency?
Kidney deficiency is a comprehensive concept referring to various symptoms caused by insufficient kidney essence, yin, and yang, such as fatigue, dizziness, forgetfulness, hair loss, soreness and weakness in the waist and back, nocturnal emission, impotence, male infertility, female infertility, and menopausal syndrome. The formation of kidney deficiency can be attributed to two factors: congenital insufficiency and acquired factors.
Kidney deficiency with lower back pain is often manifested as continuous and aching pain, which worsens with exertion and can recur. If it is kidney yang deficiency, it is accompanied by pale complexion, dry hands and feet, pale tongue, and deep and thin pulse. If it is kidney yin deficiency, it is accompanied by irritability, insomnia, dry mouth and throat, flushed complexion, hot hands and feet, red tongue, and thin and rapid pulse. Dietary regulation can achieve good results in treating kidney deficiency with lower back pain.
What to Eat for Kidney Yin Deficiency
Kidney deficiency can be divided into kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, and the methods to regulate these two different conditions are also different. For kidney yin deficiency, it is advisable to eat more black foods such as black rice, black sesame, and black beans. According to traditional Chinese five-element theory, the kidney is associated with the color black, so eating black foods is beneficial for warming the kidneys and replenishing yang. However, the cool black fungus is not suitable for those with kidney yin deficiency.
Stewed black-bone chicken and braised perch are two common dishes that are beneficial for kidney nourishment. Black-bone chicken is warm in nature and nourishes blood, showing remarkable effects in nourishing the kidneys. Perch is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, which can nourish the liver and kidneys and benefit the spleen and stomach. Regular consumption can regulate kidney deficiency and strengthen essence and yang.
Goji berries and pig liver are also common ingredients for nourishing the liver and kidneys and replenishing essence and blood. When they are cooked together to make goji berry and pig liver porridge, the effect is multiplied, which can greatly nourish kidney yin and replenish kidney yang. It is particularly effective for lumbar and knee soreness and weakness in the legs and feet caused by imbalances between yin and yang.
What to Eat for Kidney Yang Deficiency
Peanut, red date, and corn porridge is a thick and nutritious porridge that not only has a beautifying effect for women but also warms the kidneys and spleen and nourishes qi when consumed by men. Li Shizhen once recorded that corn is the "grain for the kidneys" and is suitable for consumption by people with kidney diseases. Cooking it into porridge can nourish the kidney essence and supplement deficiencies. However, it is not advisable for those with kidney yin deficiency to eat too much cool corn fungus.
Danggui ginger lamb bone soup is also a good dish for regulating kidney yang deficiency. Danggui is a common Chinese medicinal herb with the function of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys. Ginger can dispel internal cold, warm yang, nourish blood, and invigorate qi and spleen. Lamb bone is a long-standing food for kidney nourishment. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that lamb bone can "nourish bone deficiency and open the Ren meridian" and is most suitable for those with weak waist and knees, cold stomach, and joint pain.
Huai shan yam, peeled and stewed with pig brain in a clay pot, is suitable for those with dizziness caused by kidney deficiency. It is also particularly suitable for those with pale complexion, impotence and premature ejaculation, palpitations and cough caused by kidney deficiency. Huai shan yam has excellent conditioning effects on the spleen and stomach, and when combined with pig brain, it can nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang.
Recommended Kidney Nourishing Foods for Winter
1. Peanut and Red Date Soup
Ingredients: 200g peanuts with skin, 30-50g red dates.
Method: Cook red dates and peanuts together in a pot with an appropriate amount of water until the peanuts are tender.
Function: Invigorates the spleen and nourishes the kidneys. Red dates have a sweet and warm nature and can invigorate the middle and replenish qi, nourish blood, and calm the mind. Peanuts can invigorate the spleen and stomach, and diuretic effects. This soup can be used for blood and qi deficiency, various types of bleeding disorders, dizziness, fatigue, memory decline, and other symptoms.
2. Black Bean and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: 50g black beans, 200g pork ribs.
Method: It is best to soak the black beans in water overnight beforehand. Wash and cut the pork ribs into pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pork ribs. Cook on high heat for about 30 minutes, skimming off any foam. Add the black beans and simmer for another 2 hours. Finally, add salt to taste.
Function: According to traditional Chinese medicine, black beans have a neutral and sweet taste and can activate blood circulation, clear heat, and nourish deficiencies, including promoting hair growth. Pork ribs also have high nutritional value and can nourish yin and yang, replenish essence, and nourish blood. Therefore, regularly drinking this black bean and pork rib soup can nourish the kidneys and hair.
3. Ginseng, Goji Berry, and Lamb Soup
Ingredients: 1000g lamb, 20g Codonopsis pilosula (dangshen), 10g goji berries, 10g dodder seed (tu si zi), 5g amomum fruit (sha ren), 15g achyranthes root (niu xi).
Method: Except for the lamb, put all the ingredients in a clay pot and cook for 30 minutes. Pour out the broth. Cut the lamb into small pieces and marinate it with soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, spring onion, ginger, monosodium glutamate, and other seasonings. Put it in a pot, add the broth and an appropriate amount of water, boil it, and simmer over low heat until the lamb is tender and ready to eat.
Function: This soup is suitable for those with yang deficiency and qi and blood deficiency, with symptoms such as pale complexion, physical weakness, shortness of breath, poor appetite, wheezing, coughing, sore and weak waist and knees, dizziness, and tinnitus.
4. Chestnut Porridge
Ingredients: 50g chestnuts, 100g glutinous rice.
Method: Cook the porridge and eat it.
Function: It can be used as a staple food. Chestnuts can invigorate the spleen and stomach when cooked with glutinous rice, increase appetite, and strengthen the kidneys and bones. It is especially suitable for the elderly with poor digestion, sore and weak waist and knees, and unsteady gait caused by degenerative functions. However, raw chestnuts are difficult to digest, and cooked chestnuts can cause stagnation in the stomach and intestines, so it is not advisable to eat too many at once, as it may damage the spleen and stomach.
5. Astragalus and Red Date Lamb Bone Porridge
Ingredients: About 1000g lamb bones, 30g astragalus root (huang qi), 10 red dates, 100g glutinous rice.
Method: Crush the lamb bones, astragalus root, and red dates in a clay pot, add water to make a broth, then use the broth to cook the porridge. When the porridge is almost done, add fine salt, ginger, and spring onion for seasoning and cook a little longer. Eat it warm on an empty stomach. One course of treatment lasts for 10-15 days.
Function: Nourishes the kidneys, strengthens the bones, invigorates the spleen, and replenishes qi. Astragalus has the effects of benefiting qi, stabilizing the exterior, astringing sweat, and stopping leakage. Red dates can invigorate the middle and replenish qi, nourish the blood, and calm the mind. Lamb bones have a sweet and warm nature and can nourish the kidneys and strengthen the bones. This porridge is suitable for those with physical weakness, fatigue, poor appetite, shortness of breath, lumbar and knee weakness, muscle and bone cramps, prolonged diarrhea, and prolonged dysentery caused by deficiency.
