As the autumn fades away, the cold winter has quietly arrived. Winter easily brings about various problems, such as dry skin and decreased bodily functions. Especially for the elderly, if they want to safely pass through the cold winter, they should pay attention to winter health care.
To help the elderly safely pass through the cold winter, experts suggest the following: drinking porridge for breakfast and dinner, drinking soup for lunch, and drinking a cup of milk or soy milk before bedtime. These are good methods for the elderly to resist the cold and maintain their health during winter.
Drinking milk or soy milk before bedtime: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that milk has the functions of nourishing deficiencies, benefiting the kidneys, moisturizing the lungs, and replenishing qi and blood. It is especially suitable for the elderly to consume. If milk is not suitable or not preferred, soy milk can be consumed instead. According to traditional Chinese medicine, soy milk has the functions of nourishing deficiencies, moistening the intestines and stomach, clearing lung heat, and resolving phlegm. Soy milk not only replenishes a large amount of water in the body, but also provides abundant nutrition. It only contains protein and no cholesterol, which is very beneficial for middle-aged and elderly people with high blood lipids and hypertension.
Drinking soup for lunch: Drinking different soups can have various health benefits, increase nutrition, strengthen the body, promote metabolism, and enhance immune function. Cooking soup with radish can promote digestion, resolve phlegm, and relieve coughing; cooking soup with winter melon can clear heat, promote urination, and reduce obesity; cooking soup with tomatoes can quench thirst, stimulate appetite, and aid digestion; cooking soup with seaweed and laver can lower blood pressure, reduce blood lipids, and have anticancer effects.
Drinking porridge for breakfast and dinner: Porridge is a semi-liquid and light diet. When cooking porridge, it is important to emphasize that it should be "thin and sticky", neither too watery nor too thick like rice.
Adding ginseng to the porridge can replenish vitality, nourish the five viscera, and have anti-aging effects; ginger porridge can warm the spleen and stomach and dispel wind and cold; adding white lentils can dispel summer heat, nourish the spleen and stomach; adding Chinese yam can invigorate the spleen and stomach, nourish the lungs and kidneys; adding lily can moisturize the lungs and calm the mind; adding mutton can nourish qi and blood, tonify the kidneys, and warm the spleen and stomach; adding sesame can nourish the liver and kidneys, and moisturize the five viscera; adding adzuki beans can invigorate the spleen, promote diuresis, nourish qi, and aid weight loss; adding walnuts can tonify the kidneys, nourish the lungs, and moisturize the intestines.
Experts remind that the elderly should drink less tea in winter. If they want to drink tea, it is advisable to add some red dates.
Drinking tea also varies with seasons. In winter, it is best for the elderly, especially those who are already sensitive to the cold, to drink less tea. Although Pu'er and other black teas are warm in nature and can to some extent warm the stomach and aid digestion in the elderly, drinking too much black tea can also disrupt the balance of yin and yang in the body, causing unnecessary troubles. Whether it is jasmine, chrysanthemum, or green teas like Longjing and Biluochun, they are all cool in nature and contain substances that can take away some heat from the body during the evaporating process, thereby causing a decrease in body temperature. If consumed for a long time in winter, it can worsen the already fragile gastrointestinal tract of the elderly and exacerbate various diseases. In addition, since the body temperature of the elderly is generally lower than that of young people, they should consume more foods with high calorie content in their diet during winter, such as lamb, chicken, vegetable porridge, jujube porridge, meat porridge, meat soup, and shrimp and egg soup, to resist the cold and keep warm. Therefore, experts suggest that the elderly should drink less tea in winter. If they must drink, they can add some red tea. Red dates and ginger, which are warm in nature, can increase heat production. Therefore, when drinking floral or green teas, it is best to add one or two red dates and a few slices of ginger to offset their cool nature.
