Soup is a reflection of our country's food and medicine culture, especially in the southern region where people prefer drinking soup due to the damp weather. In terms of physique, the choice of soup should vary according to individual needs. So how should people with different physiques drink soup?
Choosing different health soups for different physiques
1. Balanced physique
They are strong and energetic.
When choosing ingredients for soup or medicinal meals, there is a wide variety to choose from.
Liu Jihong suggests that people with this physique can follow the principle of "nourishing Yin in autumn and winter" and choose ingredients that nourish Yin, such as dendrobium and bamboo shoots old duck soup.
2. Qi deficiency physique
They have less energy and feel tired, among other symptoms.
When selecting ingredients, they should be nutritious but not too greasy. Ingredients for soup can include carrots, mushrooms, tofu, potatoes, and Chinese yam.
Medicinal soups should focus on nourishing Qi, and ingredients like ginseng, codonopsis, and astragalus can be chosen. Additionally, adding some Qi-regulating herbs like tangerine peel can be beneficial.
3. Yang deficiency physique
They have cold hands and feet and are sensitive to cold.
Soup ingredients can include lamb, chicken, mackerel, pork stomach, walnuts, chestnuts, and shrimp. Medicinal soups should focus on warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney yang, so ingredients like cinnamon and dried ginger can be chosen.
4. Yin deficiency physique
They have dryness in the body, such as dry mouth and dry eyes.
Soup ingredients can include oysters, clams, duck meat, pig skin, turtle, and soft-shelled turtle, and spicy and dry ingredients should be used in moderation.
Medicinal soups should focus on nourishing Yin and tonifying the liver and kidneys, so ingredients like sand ginseng, lily, and goji berries can be chosen.
5. Blood stasis physique
They have a dull complexion, body aches, and the symptoms worsen at night.
Soup ingredients can include black fungus, black beans, hawthorn, and mushrooms.
Medicinal soups should focus on promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, so ingredients like angelica, chuanxiong, raw hawthorn, and salvia can be chosen. Adding some Qi-regulating herbs like tangerine peel and nutmeg can help enhance the blood circulation and removing blood stasis effects.
6. Damp-heat physique
They have acne, mouth ulcers, irritability, and easy anger.
Soup ingredients can include mung beans, winter melon, lotus root, and tofu. Medicinal soups should focus on being light and clearing heat, so ingredients like coix seed, lotus seeds, and poria can be chosen.
Spicy and dry ingredients like dog and lamb meat should be avoided.
7. Phlegm-damp physique
They have a bloated abdomen, chest tightness, excessive phlegm, and a heavy body.
Soup ingredients can include radishes, water chestnuts, onions, winter melon, seaweed, and kelp.
Medicinal soups should focus on invigorating the spleen, resolving dampness, and promoting the smooth flow of the Triple Burner, so ingredients like Chinese yam, codonopsis, coix seed, and red beans can be chosen.
The soup should not be too greasy and should have a light taste.
8. Qi stagnation physique
They feel melancholic and easily depressed.
Soup ingredients can include radishes, onions, bottle gourds, and mushrooms.
Medicinal soups should focus on promoting Qi circulation, invigorating the spleen, and nourishing the stomach, so ingredients like tangerine peel, codonopsis, and Buddha's hand can be chosen. In addition to drinking soup, daily emotional regulation is also important.
9. Allergic physique
They mainly experience allergies, such as allergic rhinitis and urticaria.
In addition to avoiding allergens as much as possible, they should also avoid consuming raw and cold, spicy, greasy, and sweet foods. They should also refrain from eating various "hot" foods, such as shrimp and crab.
