The meridians of the human body are the protective umbrella of the body. If the meridians are blocked, illness will occur. Nowadays, many people suffer from lower back pain, leg cramps, fatigue, sleepiness, and low spirits. Apart from the common causes like sedentary lifestyle and high mental stress, our unhealthy eating habits also play a significant role. For instance, skipping breakfast, having a diet with heavy flavors, and overeating can affect the digestion, leading to stagnation of qi and blood, blockage of meridians, and causing discomfort. Therefore, to keep the meridians clear, the first step is to give up unhealthy eating habits.
1. Overeating:
Overeating can greatly harm the spleen and stomach. Consuming a large amount of food in a short period can overload the digestive system. This can lead to damage to the spleen and stomach, affecting digestion and absorption, disrupting the circulation of qi and blood in the meridians. Moreover, overeating can also cause acute gastric dilatation, triggering diseases like acute gastroenteritis. Hence, it is important to maintain a regular eating schedule, chew food slowly, and avoid overeating.
2. Heavy Flavors:
Studies have shown that excessive salt intake can lead to water retention in the body, affecting the circulation of qi and blood and meridian flow, increasing the risk of developing hypertension. The daily salt intake for a healthy individual should not exceed 6 grams. Additionally, having a misconception that heavy flavors only relate to salt is incorrect. It is not just about salt but also about the excessive consumption of high-sugar, high-fat, and greasy foods. This habit is closely related to conditions like hypertension.
3. Inadequate Hydration:
Adequate water intake is crucial for normal metabolism, promoting circulation of qi and blood, ensuring clear meridians without blockages. Insufficient water intake can affect the circulation of qi and blood, making the blood thicker and slower, leading to blood stasis, drowsiness, and potentially causing cardiovascular diseases and impacting kidney function. Therefore, the importance of staying hydrated should not be underestimated in daily diet, drink plenty of water, and make frequent visits to the restroom.
4. Excessive Alcohol Consumption:
Moderate alcohol consumption can invigorate the blood and dispel stasis, promoting blood circulation. However, excessive or frequent intake of alcohol or strong spirits can be detrimental to health. Prolonged heavy drinking can irritate the gastric mucosa, leading to indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, and causing damage to the liver, lungs, and nervous system, increasing the risk of hypertension, stroke, and other diseases.
5. Skipping Breakfast:
Many people have the habit of skipping breakfast, which can lead to gallstones. Skipping breakfast results in prolonged fasting periods, reducing bile secretion, leading to cholesterol stones and affecting bile metabolism, causing bile accumulation, obstructing the gallbladder meridian, and thereby affecting the flow of liver, spleen, and stomach meridians.
Food has always been a fundamental aspect of human life. Eating is our basic guarantee for survival. Therefore, knowing what to eat and what foods are beneficial for our bodies is essential. What kinds of foods can help nourish our qi and blood?
1. Glutinous Rice:
Glutinous rice has a sweet and bitter taste, neutral properties, benefits the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It has the effects of warming the middle, supplementing qi, harmonizing the stomach, stopping diarrhea, strengthening tendons and bones, and promoting blood circulation. Glutinous rice is an indispensable staple in our lives and can be cooked as porridge to prevent qi and blood deficiency.
2. Oats:
Oats have a sweet taste, neutral properties, and benefit the liver, spleen, and stomach meridians. Research has shown that oats are rich in protein, soluble dietary fiber, B vitamins, and other nutrients. Oats offer various benefits such as antioxidant properties, delaying skin aging, whitening and moisturizing, anti-allergic effects, improving blood circulation, promoting wound healing, preventing constipation, diabetes, and fatty liver. Incorporating oats into our daily diet is beneficial for promoting blood circulation and unblocking meridians.
3. Adzuki Beans:
Adzuki beans have a sweet taste and possess functions like nourishing blood, moistening the intestines, regulating blood pressure. It is important to note that adzuki beans differ in appearance from red beans. To achieve the dispersal of stasis and unblocking of meridians, it is crucial to choose adzuki beans instead of red beans.
4. Sweet Potatoes:
Sweet potatoes have a sweet taste, neutral properties, enter the stomach and large intestine meridians. They have the effects of cooling the blood, promoting blood circulation, supplementing qi, generating fluid, broadening the intestines, and aiding bowel movements. Sweet potatoes can be used for heart protection, beauty enhancement, weight loss, and prevention of diseases like diabetes and pulmonary emphysema.
