Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease, in recent years, the global overweight and obesity rates are rapidly increasing, and it has become a serious threat to human health.
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According to the “Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)”, the overweight rate and obesity rate of Chinese residents aged 18 and above are 34.3% and 16.4% respectively. Among residents aged 18-44, 45-59, and 60 and above, the obesity rates are 16.4%, 18.3%, and 13.6% respectively. The obesity rate among Chinese residents is on the rise.
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Obesity not only leads to a higher risk of premature death but is also associated with the occurrence of various chronic non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, respiratory diseases, osteoarthritis, and gallstones, among others. Obesity is even associated with the occurrence of various cancers. Therefore, obesity prevention and control are urgent.
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01 Understanding and Typing of Obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine ENSHI CENTE HOSPITAL
Traditional Chinese medicine categorizes obesity as “fat person,” “greasy person,” “obese person,” and other categories, recorded earliest in the “Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon.” The causes of obesity are often related to age, constitution, diet, emotions, and lifestyle factors. According to Chinese medicine, obesity belongs to the category of deficiency syndrome with excess signs, and the differentiation involves pathological factors such as phlegm, dampness, heat, often combined with phlegm-dampness, blood stasis, qi stagnation, among other excess signs. The disease location often resides in the spleen and stomach, closely related to kidney qi deficiency, and may involve the five viscera. The “Adult Obesity Dietary Guidelines” classifies obesity differentiation as stomach heat and fire stagnation, phlegm-dampness internal stagnation, qi stagnation blood stasis, spleen deficiency failure in transportation, and spleen-kidney yang deficiency.
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02 Principles and Suggestions for Adult Obesity Diet ENSHI CENTE HOSPITAL
Based on the characteristics of obesity and the differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine, dietary principles and suggestions are provided, detailing food choices for adult obesity patients, recommended food and medicinal substances for different types of differentiation, as well as sample recipes for different regions and seasons, and common food exchange tables, among other tools. Each region and season list three energy levels of recipes (including food and medicinal substances).
Adult Obesity Dietary Guidelines (2024 Edition)
Balance nutrition Scientific formulation
Dietary balance Reasonable diet
Appropriate exercise Regular rest
03 Food Choices for Adult Obesity Patients ENSHI CENTE HOSPITAL
Cereal
√ Select foods such as steamed and cooked mixed rice, mixed grain noodles, etc.
≠Limit foods like refined rice noodles, vermicelli, rice cakes, etc.
× Avoid foods like fried and processed grain and potato products, such as fried dough sticks, fried potato strips, instant noodles, dry noodles, spicy snacks made from noodles, etc.; pastries with added sugar, butter, and cream, such as cream cakes, butter bread, cream popcorn, etc.
Vegetable
√ Choose leafy vegetables, melons and eggplants, fresh legumes, flower buds, algae, etc.
≠Limit starchy vegetables, such as lotus root, etc.
× Avoid vegetables cooked and processed with high oil, salt, and sugar content, such as fried lotus root, eggplant in oil, fried fruit and vegetable crisps, etc.
Fruits
√ Opt for most berries, core fruits, melons and fruits, such as grapefruits, blueberries, strawberries, apples, cherries, etc.
≠Limit fruits with high sugar content, such as Chinese dates, hawthorns, durians, bananas, litchis, sugarcane, longans, mangoes, etc.
× Avoid canned fruits and preserved fruits containing high sugar content.
Livestock and Poultry
√ Choose parts of livestock with low fat content, such as tenderloin, tendon meat, etc.; lean poultry, such as chicken breast, skinless chicken thigh, etc.
≠Limit parts of livestock with relatively high fat content, such as beef steak, small ribs, shoulder meat, etc.; poultry with skin; livestock and poultry cooked and processed with more oil, salt, sugar.
× Avoid parts of livestock with high fat content, such as fatty meat, pork belly, pig’s feet, beef brisket, etc.; fatty offal, such as large intestine, foie gras, etc.; livestock and poultry cooked and processed with high oil, salt, sugar.
Seafood
√ Opt for mostly steamed or boiled seafood
≠Limit seafood cooked with more oil, salt, sugar, such as pan-fried belt fish, sweet and sour fish, etc.
≠Limit seafood parts rich in fat and cholesterol, such as crab roe and/or crab butter; fried, pickled seafood and their products
Peas and Beans
√ Select soybeans and mixed beans products, such as tofu, unsweetened soymilk, etc.
≠Limit bean products with a small amount of sugar and/or oil added.
≠Limit processed bean products with high oil, salt, sugar content, such as orchid beans, fried tofu, soy sauce tofu, bean-based spicy snacks.
Egg Milk Class
√ Opt for steamed eggs, skimmed and low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk, unsweetened yogurt.
≠Limit eggs with little oil, dairy products with a small amount of added sugar.
≠Limit dairy products with a large amount of added sugar.
Beverages
√ Choose plain water, light tea water, etc.
≠Limit fresh squeezed fruit juices without added sugar.
≠Limit sweetened and flavored beverages, milk tea with plant-based creamer or sugar, fruit juice drinks.
Nuts
√ Opt for plain nuts without added oil, salt, sugar.
≠Limit nuts seasoned with a small amount of oil, salt, sugar.
≠Limit nuts seasoned with a large amount of oil, salt, sugar.
04 Recommended Food and Medicinal Substances for Different Types of Differentiation ENSHI CENTE HOSPITAL
Stomach Heat and Fire Stagnation Pattern
Clinical manifestations include obesity, good appetite, feeling of fullness after eating, dry and hard stools, yellow urine, dry mouth, bitterness in the mouth, thirst, red tongue, yellow coating, and rapid pulse.
Food and Medicinal Substances: Iron pattern stone orchid, malt, fresh reed root, lotus leaf
Phlegm Dampness Internal Stagnation Pattern
Clinical manifestations are obesity with a heavy body, fatigue in limbs, fullness in the stomach, possible dizziness, dry mouth without desire to drink, sticky stools, liking for greasy and sweet drinks, preference for rest and laziness, pale or enlarged tongue, white and greasy or slippery coating, and slippery pulse.
Food and Medicinal Substances: Amomum, coix seed, codonopsis, white lentils, poria, Chinese yam, lotus seeds, Job’s tears
Qi Stagnation Blood Stasis Pattern
Clinical manifestations include stagnant obesity, preferring to sigh, chest stuffiness, dark complexion, lack of fresh color in limb ends, even bluish or purple, possible dry stools, insomnia, decreased libido in men, menstrual irregularities or scanty periods or amenorrhea in women, dark or clotted menstrual blood, dark tongue body with stasis spots, thin coating, and string-like or rough pulse.
Food and Medicinal Substances: Angelica, peach kernel, citrus, amomum, hawthorn
Spleen Deficiency Failure in Transportation Pattern
Clinical manifestations include swollen and obese body, fatigue, heavy feeling in the body, stuffiness in the epigastrium, slight edema in limbs, morning lightness and evening heaviness, aggravated with exertion, normal or reduced appetite, a history of overeating, poor urination, loose stools or constipation, pale and swollen tongue with teeth marks on the edges, thin white or white and greasy coating, and slippery thin pulse.
Food and Medicinal Substances: Chinese yam, lotus seeds, white lentils, astragalus, malt, amomum, poria, papaya, jujube
Spleen-Kidney Yang Deficiency Pattern
Clinical manifestations include obesity, fatigue, limbs not feeling warm, even limb coldness, liking for hot drinks, copious clear urine, pale and swollen tongue, thin white coating, and deep thin pulse
Food and Medicinal Substances: Chinese yam, astragalus, cinnamon, dried ginger
Warm/Care/Prompt/Note:
1. Use as food and medicinal substances within the specified range and dose;
2. Consult professional personnel such as doctors and nutrition guidance personnel for eating methods;
3. Use only as condiments and seasonings.
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A balanced diet and increasing exercise to create a negative energy balance in the body is the basis for medical weight loss. Other weight loss methods such as medication or surgery should only be considered when lifestyle changes do not yield satisfactory weight loss results, and must be conducted under the professional guidance of medical personnel. Obese individuals should not sacrifice their health in pursuit of weight loss and should never blindly pursue weight reduction at the expense of their health.
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Source | Pharmacy Department Zhou Kai
Graphic editing | Shu Yi Xu Tiantian
Content review | Peng Zhenghong
Review and release | Ruan Zhenyi
Distribution department | Publicity Department
