People go through different stages of growth and development in their lives, and their physical constitution and diet also vary at different stages. So what are the dietary taboos for the elderly?
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal life and are responsible for the digestion and absorption of food and drink." It means that the digestion and absorption of nutrients rely on the strong and healthy function of the spleen and stomach. If the function of the spleen and stomach weakens with age, it will lead to symptoms such as poor digestion, absorption disorders, deficiency of qi and blood, weak constitution, and functional decline.
At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine also believes that "the kidneys are the foundation of innate life", "the kidneys govern the bones, teeth are the surplus of the bones; the bones give birth to the brain, and the kidneys open up to the ears, with its luster in the hair", "the pupils belong to the kidneys; the waist is the residence of the kidneys". The aging process of the human body is essentially the gradual decline of kidney qi. Therefore, after entering old age, the deficiency of kidney qi leads to a series of phenomena such as osteoporosis, easy bone fractures, loose teeth, brain atrophy, memory loss, hearing loss, blurry vision, gray and thinning hair, back pain, and hunchback. Therefore, the primary principle of diet for the elderly is to consume foods that have the functions of "nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the waist, nourishing the essence and marrow, and anti-aging".
Therefore, the elderly should eat more foods that have the functions of strengthening the spleen and stomach, nourishing qi and blood. They should also eat characteristic foods that are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, such as Chinese yam, medlar, and walnut, which are both nutritious and easy to digest and absorb. In addition, the elderly should avoid eating all raw and cold foods, hard and difficult to chew foods, high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, as well as excessively salty or heavily salted foods and spicy and stimulating foods.
There is a proper way to eat a mixed diet, and every meal should avoid being too mixed. Sun Sizhen, a famous Chinese physician, pointed out in his book "Qian Jin Yi Fang - Diet Therapy for Aging" that "the way to care for aging lies in eating properly. Although there are numerous kinds of food from land and sea, every meal should avoid being too mixed. If it is too mixed, the five flavors will disturb each other, causing harm to the body. Therefore, the consumption of fresh food should be reduced, and meals should be frugal. If one is greedy for taste, it will result in excessive harm. The intestines and stomach of the elderly are thin, and excessive consumption will lead to indigestion and even cholera."
This explains in detail the reason why every meal should avoid being too mixed. Many people believe that the more mixed the diet, the better for the body to absorb rich and comprehensive nutrition. Therefore, they eat a variety of foods indiscriminately, regardless of coarse grains, meat and poultry, vegetables, beans, and so on. However, this does not achieve the purpose of absorbing nutrients from these foods, but instead burdens the intestines and stomach, and even causes indigestion, which is the same as what modern nutrition science calls "nutrient antagonism". If too many different types of food are consumed in a meal, the nutrients will inhibit or counteract each other. For example, cellulose inhibits the absorption of certain trace elements, which leads to a deficiency of trace elements in the body. Eating too mixed foods also increases the burden on the spleen and stomach, affecting the absorption of nutrients. In general, it is impossible for the human digestive system to simultaneously digest two types of high-concentration foods, which will eventually lead to digestive dysfunction over time.
"There is a proper way to eat a mixed diet" is the best way to absorb nutrition from a mixed diet. The same food can be eaten in different forms, and the variety of food should be changed every day. It should be less but refined, without bias in diet, light and suitable in taste, and the cooking should be meticulous. There should be an appropriate combination of meat and vegetables, and the total amount of vegetables should be more than twice that of meat. This way, the purpose of "nutritional complementarity" can be achieved, and the disadvantages of "nutrient antagonism" after eating too mixed can be avoided.
The diet should be light. The sense of taste deteriorates in the elderly, and what they feel is appropriate is actually already heavy in their mouth. A light diet not only refers to a light taste, but also includes lightness in meal planning and ingredient selection. Eating too much fatty and greasy food can increase blood lipids, accelerate arteriosclerosis, and make the elderly's spleen and stomach more deficient, affecting digestion and absorption. Therefore, whether it is seasoning, ingredient selection, or meal planning, attention should be paid to lightness.
Eat small meals and beware of overeating. The elderly have weak digestion, so each meal should be small in quantity. Therefore, multiple meals are needed to make up for the deficiency, but the overall amount should not be too large. In addition, it is necessary to have regular meal times.
In the later years, porridge is suitable. Porridge is not only nutritious, easy to digest, and absorb, but also can replenish the insufficient body fluids of the elderly. Some people have called porridge the "number one tonic in the world". The elderly can have porridge twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening, and should not eat too much. Because the gastric emptying rate will decrease if they eat too much porridge, leading to accumulation and discomfort in the stomach.
