Elderly people have various physical functions that deteriorate, weak organs, and insufficient Qi and blood. Their physiology, pathology, and conditions are different from those of young and middle-aged adults. If their diet is not taken care of, they can easily become ill. Therefore, we need to pay careful attention to diet and medicinal food therapy in our daily life. Even when they are already ill, diet therapy or medicinal food is an important aspect of treatment. Let's take a look at some principles that should be followed for the health of elderly patients through medicinal food therapy.
1. Appropriate Quantity and Variety
The book "Qian Jin Yi Fang" states: "The way to nourish the elderly is to avoid excessive variety in food. If the food is too diverse, the flavors will conflict with each other, causing continuous consumption and harm to the body. Therefore, fresh and rare foods should be consumed in moderation, and the diet should be frugal. If there is a surplus of flavors, it will harm the thin intestines and stomach of the elderly. Excessive consumption will lead to indigestion, shortness of breath, and even dysentery." These words explain the principle that food should not be excessive or too diverse in one meal. However, it should be noted that this refers to one meal. It is not advisable to have a long-term deficiency or biased diet, which can lead to inadequate or incomplete nutrition, and thereby affect the healing of diseases and overall health.
In summary, medicinal food should be appropriate. The quantity and variety of one meal should not be too much, but the diet should be diversified to ensure adequate nutrition, which is beneficial for the recovery from illness.
2. Stick to Regular Eating
Medicinal food and daily diet should be consumed at regular times and the amount should be stable. It should not be irregular, with hunger and fullness occurring randomly. Otherwise, it can disrupt bodily functions, especially the functions of the spleen and stomach, and even cause diseases or worsen the condition. This is particularly important for the elderly due to the gradual decline of their organs.
The variety of medicinal food should be considered for diversification, but it should also maintain relative regularity and avoid frequent changes, so that the spleen and stomach can adapt. In addition, it is best to maintain a certain regularity in the eating environment and activities after eating. As the ancients said, "Diet should be moderate," which includes the moderation, control, and rhythm of diet.
3. Protect the Functions of the Spleen and Stomach
The spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal life, the source of Qi for all other organs. When food enters the stomach, it relies on the digestion and absorption of the spleen and stomach to generate Qi and blood to nourish the five organs. Improper diet can first harm the spleen and stomach, and then affect the whole body. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the functions of the spleen and stomach, especially for the elderly whose spleen and stomach are weakened and need special attention in their diet for maintenance.
Generally, fatty, fried, hard, raw, sticky, and difficult-to-digest foods should be consumed less or avoided to protect the spleen and stomach. In addition, for elderly people with loose or missing teeth and difficulty chewing, food should be soft and juicy. When treating patients, it is common to use ingredients such as jujube, foxnut, lotus seed, mung bean, coix seed, Chinese yam, and lily to cook porridge, which helps the spleen and stomach function.
4. Pay Attention to Nourishing Kidney Qi
The process of growth, development, and aging in humans is a process of weakening and then declining of kidney Qi. Various signs of aging and the occurrence or gradual aggravation of many geriatric diseases are mainly caused by the weakening of kidney Qi. Therefore, nourishing kidney Qi is the key to preventing aging and treating diseases. Both meat, poultry, milk, and eggs in food can nourish the kidneys. In seafood, scallops, oysters, clams, shrimp, crabs, sea cucumber, and abalone are all good for nourishing the kidneys.
Dried and fresh fruits such as mulberry, sesame, chestnut, walnut, and lotus seed can also nourish the kidneys. They are mild and can be cooked into porridge or decoction for consumption. Long-term use will bring benefits. In addition, salt can harm blood and kidneys. For the elderly, a light diet is preferred in medicinal food therapy, and excessive salt should be avoided to prevent damage to kidney Qi.
5. Emphasize Differentiation in Dietary Therapy
Differentiation of syndromes is a basic principle in traditional Chinese medicine. It means analyzing and identifying different "syndromes" based on various factors such as the patient's mental state, constitution, and environment, and then applying appropriate treatment based on the different "syndromes" in order to achieve the goal of curing the disease. This principle should also be applied in the dietary therapy for geriatric diseases.
The ability to differentiate syndromes and apply dietary therapy correctly is the key to whether a disease can be cured or improved, or whether it tends to worsen. The essence of differentiation-based dietary therapy lies in following the treatment principles of "nourishing for deficiency," "clearing for excess," "warming for cold," and "cooling for heat" based on the yin and yang, Qi and blood, deficiency and excess, cold and heat of the syndromes, and applying different medicinal food treatments accordingly.
From the above aspects, it can be seen that regardless of the type of geriatric disease, the treatment methods should be different from those of other age groups. It is important not to treat all diseases in the same way. In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, the key is differentiation-based dietary therapy, placing more emphasis on nourishing rather than treating!
