Dietary care is particularly important for those with phlegm-damp constitution, especially in autumn. Here are some suitable foods and dietary recommendations for individuals with phlegm-damp constitution:
### Dietary Recommendations
1. Red Bean Carp Soup: Use a fresh carp, cook it with red beans, tangerine peel, a small amount of chili, and grass fruit, seasoned with cooking wine, ginger, and spring onion, then steam it. This soup helps invigorate the spleen, dispel dampness, improve symptoms like fatigue, poor appetite, and chest tightness.
2. Pearl Barley Pork Meatballs: Chop lean pork into meatballs, coat them with pearl barley and minced ginger, then steam and season. This dish invigorates the spleen, removes dampness, and has a lipid-lowering and body-lightening effect.
3. Astragalus, Chinese Yam, Coix Seed Congee: Slow-cook astragalus, Chinese yam, Ophiopogon, and coix seeds into congee, not only nourishing qi and nourishing yin but also invigorating the spleen, transforming phlegm, calming the mind, and aiding sleep.
4. Chrysanthemum Coix Seed Congee: Boil loquat leaves, chrysanthemums, coix seeds, and rice together, clearing heat, detoxifying, transforming phlegm, and stopping cough, suitable for those with damp-heat in the body.
5. Atractylodes, Tangerine Peel, Pig Stomach Soup: Use atractylodes, tangerine peel, pig stomach, and Amomum to cook, invigorating the spleen, stimulating appetite, suitable for those with poor digestion.
6. Four-Grain Moth Bean Congee: Cook a congee with Job’s tears, adzuki beans, white hyacinth beans, almonds, and amomi fructus, beneficial for invigorating the spleen, expelling dampness, moistening the intestines, and promoting bowel movements.
7. Lotus Leaf Lotus Root Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts: Quickly stir-fry lotus leaves, lotus seeds, shredded lotus roots, and green bean sprouts, tonifying the spleen and kidneys, dispelling dampness, and aiding weight loss.
### Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulation
Individuals with phlegm-damp constitution often have symptoms like cough, asthma, and are prone to chronic diseases. Regulation can be done through warm dryness-phlegm-transforming medications, such as poria cocos alba powder, chuan xia liu jun pill, or using Chinese herbal formulations like gentian scute combination, skullcap root, and Baikal skullcap root. In addition, maintaining a light diet, reducing intake of salty and cold foods, avoiding alcohol and cold drinks, and eating more vegetables, fruits, and high-fiber foods can help improve the constitution.
The above dietary and medicinal recommendations should be selected and adjusted based on individual constitution and under the guidance of a physician to achieve the best regulatory effect.
