Losing weight and slimming down has always been a topic of concern for many people. During the spring and summer seasons, there is often more rain, leading to excessive dampness in the body and the possibility of water retention. So, can getting rid of dampness help with weight loss?
Can getting rid of dampness help with weight loss?
Yes, it can.
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, obese individuals tend to have phlegm-dampness and qi deficiency. They also have excessive dampness in the body and a preference for heavy flavors, often consuming high-fat, high-salt, and high-oil foods, leading to nutritional excess and an imbalance in the body's acid-base levels. To lose weight, it is necessary to get rid of dampness to improve the spleen and stomach, facilitate detoxification, and reduce water retention in order to achieve the goal of slimming down.
How to get rid of dampness for weight loss
Exercise to get rid of dampness for weight loss
The first step in getting rid of dampness is to eliminate excess water from the body. Exercise can cause a significant amount of sweating, helping to eliminate excess water and toxins from the body. Exercise also burns fat, leading to weight loss and slimming down. Running, swimming, and yoga are all ideal exercise methods for getting rid of dampness and losing weight.
Diet therapy to get rid of dampness for weight loss
In daily diet, it is recommended to consume foods that have diuretic, spleen-strengthening, and dampness-relieving properties, such as coix seed, red bean, Chinese yam, winter melon, kelp, etc. Although watermelon has good diuretic effects, it has a cold nature, so it is not suitable for people with a cold and damp constitution to consume it excessively.
Dampness-relieving and weight loss recipes
Winter Melon and Kelp Soup
Ingredients: 100g winter melon, 100g kelp.
Instructions: Wash and slice the winter melon and soaked kelp. Put the kelp into a pot with an appropriate amount of water. When the water boils, remove any impurities, then add the winter melon. Cook until the ingredients are thoroughly cooked, season with salt, and serve.
Coix Seed and Red Bean Porridge
Ingredients: 50g coix seed, 100g red bean.
Instructions: Wash the coix seed and red bean and soak them in advance. Put the coix seed and red bean in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. After the soup boils, add red dates. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the red beans are soft. Serve and consume.
How to determine if there is excessive dampness in the body
Look at the tongue coating: If the tongue coating is thick and appears smooth and moist, it indicates that there is cold-dampness in the body. If the tongue coating is rough, yellowish, and greasy, it indicates that there is damp-heat in the body.
Look at the stool: Loose and shapeless stools that are difficult to pass and cannot be wiped clean with toilet paper are also signs of excessive dampness in the body.
