Archive for March, 2010

Enjoy Fruit To The Fullest And Healthiest

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While many Westerners like to have a piece of fruit as breakfast in the morning, Chinese on the other hand often eat their fruits after meal.  We all know that fruits are a healthy food choice, but are you aware that when and how you eat them can actually have their values changed?  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner explained.

Enjoy Fruit To The Fullest And Healthiest

Having Fruit First In The Morning

The level of sugar in our blood normally would be at the lowest point after a long-night sleep.  So it is better to have low GI (Glycemic Index) fruits like apple, blackberry, cherry, grape, peach, pear, and raspberry.

However, we should avoid eating acid-type fruits as they may stimulate the stomach to secrete hydrochloric acid in gastric juice and upset our stomach.  Furthermore, in order to protect our spleen and stomach, it is always good to eat something warm beforehand.

Having Fruit Between Meals

An adult should eat two portions (a portion is about the size of a fist) of fruits every day.  The best time of eating them is before meal or in between meals, especially between lunch and dinner.  It is because the level of sugar (glucose) in our blood at this time usually is relatively low; to have a piece of fruit can help replenish the blood sugar.

Having Fruit After Meal

It definitely is not an ideal timing to have fruit right after a full meal.  The reason is since the foods such as meat, grain, vegetable, etc. in our stomach need longer time to be digested compared with fruits (nutrients of fruits are easily being broken down), the fruits that we eat after the meal would be easily fermented and could impair our health.

Yet, if you really want to have fruit after meal, you better wait for two hours.  In doing so, you also avoid having your blood sugar risen sharply.

Having Acid-type Fruit And Sweet-type Fruit Together

It is a bad idea to eat acid fruit and sweet fruit together.  In fact, due to chemical reactions, when you have both types of fruits at the same time, the respective nutrients would be degraded or canceled.  As a result, you may experience indigestion, flatulence, and wear out your pancreas in the long run.

Not sure which is which?  Read on.

Acid-type Fruit: Grapefruit, green apple, kiwi, lemon, orange,  pineapple,  strawberry, etc.

Sweet-type Fruit: Banana, custard apple (sugar apple), durian, fig, honey melon, longan (dragon eye), persimmon, etc.

Sub-acid-type Fruit: Apple, apricot, cherry, mango, papaya, peach, pear, etc.

For the sub-acid fruits, they can be eaten together with acid or sweet fruits.

Having Cooked Fruit

Although the most heat-sensitive nutrients in fruits such as the water-soluble B group vitamins and vitamin C are reduced by the effects of cooking, not all nutrients are lost in the heating process.

Take apple pie as an example.  When the apple is peeled for the pie, some fiber is gone.  Also, some vitamin C is lower too during baking.  Potassium, on the other hand, is a mineral and like calcium that will not be lost in cooking.  So, an apple pie should contain the majority of nutrients as a fresh apple does.

In Chinese culture, some dishes featured cooked fruits are purposely for preserving health and easing symptoms as some kinds of folk remedies.  Double-steamed Pear With Rock Sugar Soup to moisten the lungs and eliminate phlegm; Double-Steamed Papaya With Snow Fungus Soup to moisten the lungs, preserve beauty and “Yin” are two of them.  In fact, since water-soluble vitamins tend to leach into water, so when choosing double-steamed cooking method and use the water to make soup, you won’t just throw vitamin-enriched water down the sink.

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DOs And DON’Ts To Keep Constipation At Bay

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While we digest food and change it into substances that our body can use after eating, we excrete waste from the body.  Our body cannot function well if our gastrointestinal system doesn’t.  In fact, there is always a close relationship between eating and excretion; food and constipation.

In general, four to five hours after eating, food will have been digested and enter small intestines from the stomach.  Afterwards, the waste will pass through the large intestine and excrete from the body as fast as six to seven hours and as slow as 24 hours.  “Although most of us take around one day to complete the process of digesting food, assimilating nutrients, and excreting wastes, healthy transit time can range anywhere between 24 to 48 hours,” Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner said.

DOs And DON'Ts To Keep Constipation At BayHowever, the longer the waste or stool stays in the GI tract, the more fluid is re-absorbed into the body and the stool becomes harder and dryer.  As a result, the stools are even more difficult to be passed and can lead to constipation.

“If you have a problem with constipation, steer clear of products that claim to help relieve constipation as many of them contain artificial ingredients,” TCM Practitioner said.  “It is best to stick to all-natural methods of keeping you from experiencing constipation.”

The following are some DOs and DON’Ts of preventing constipation suggested by TCM Practitioner.

DOs

Eat Natural Laxative Foods

When we eat something, the acid in our stomach breaks it down into two parts: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.  The soluble part quickly absorbs water and turns into gel-like sponge.  As it enters the bowel, it helps in softening the stool resulting in better and easier bowel movement.  Natural laxative foods are those rich in soluble fiber and bring the same result.  They include avocado, almond, aloe vera, cabbage, coconut, date, dried apricot, fig, grape, hot tea with lemon, mango, olive, papaya, peach/apricot, pear, pineapple, plum, prune/prune juice, soybean, walnut, etc.

Include Proper Amount Of Oil In Meals

Some health conscious people on one hand eat great amount of high-fiber food, but on the other hand stringently control their oil and fat intake or even cut them out.  “Unfortunately, this only makes defecation difficult,” TCM Practitioner said.  “The fact is, our intestinal canal does need some oil as a lubricant and we shouldn’t abstain from.”  The rule of thumb is to have total fat intake (mainly unsaturated fat) at 25–35 percent of our total calories each day.

Be Physically Active Every Day

“Regular physical exercise is important to a healthy excretory system,” TCM Practitioner said.  “If you are not physically active each day, you should have your lifestyle modified.”  Nonetheless, being physically active doesn’t mean you must hit the gym; alternatively, you can walk to work, park your car farther away, or get off the train/bus one or two stops early, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator to increase your daily steps.

“In addition, there are two acupuncture spots that actually can facilitate the intestinal peristalsis,” TCM Practitioner said.  The first pair is Tian Shu Point, which is located two inches from the center of the navel on both sides.  The other one is Guan Yuan Point that locates three inches below the navel.  “To press both pair/point 30 times once a day with your thumb or index finger helps promote healthy bowel movements,” TCM Practitioner added.

DON’T

Eat Too Much Fiber

It may sound conflicting to us.  Are we supposed to have lots of fiber to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal system?  “Of course dietary fiber is very important to a healthy diet, but a balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral salts, and fiber AND in the correct proportions,” TCM Practitioner said.  “If you eat large amount of high-fiber foods in particular insoluble fiber but fail to drink enough water, you only increase the chance of developing constipation or worsening the condition.”

Over Consume Drug/Medicine

Even though they are legal and governed, some drugs/medicines do cause considerable side effects—constipation is one of them.  In fact, some slimming pills contain laxatives which lead to diarrhea.  Due to water loss through the stools, constant diarrhea not only disturbs the digestive process but also causes dehydration.  Some laxatives are even so strong that destroy the normal bowel movements.  If taken over a long period of time, slimming pills can prevent the ability to produce normal stools.  “Another medicine that can induce constipation is codeine based cough syrup,” TCM Practitioner said.  “In addition to relieving coughs, this kind of cough syrup also may make your body dependent on it with prolonged use, making your constipation a chronic problem.”

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Comb—Your Palm—To Your Health

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According to the Meridian Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are hundreds of acupuncture points and 20 meridians (channels) connecting most of them in our body.  Among these 20 meridians, there are the most important 12 Standard Meridians with each meridian corresponding to each organ.

Comb---Your Palm---To Your Health

While the 12 Standard Meridians go along the hands and the legs, six are related to hands connecting 23 relevant acupuncture points.  Moreover, there are additional 72 acupuncture points not connected by the 12 Standard Meridians.  “That is to say, our hands have 99 acupuncture points in total; to rub or press these points almost can improve any health condition,” TCM Practitioner said.

Followings are some acupuncture points that you can easily manage to promote health anytime, anywhere.

Laogong Point

It locates between the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal bones, proximal to the metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP), in a depression at the radial side of the third metacarpal bone.  It is the spot where the tip of your middle finger lands when you make a fist.  To massage this Laogong Point can treat epilepsy, vomiting, bad breath, hiccup, etc.

Yuji Point

You can find Yuji Point at the radial side of the midpoint of the first metacarpal bone, at the junction of the red and white skin, in the depression close to the first metacarpophalangeal joint.  To massage this point can treat sore throat, loss of voice, cough, hemoptysis; and relieve headache and fever.

Shaofu Point

It is located between the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones when your palm faces upward.  And when you make a fist, the point is where your tip of the little finger rests.  It can treat palpitations, chest pain, enuresis, and dysuria when Shaofu Point is being massaged.

“You shall use either your thumb or index finger when massaging the acupuncture points on your palm gently and slowly in circle motion,” TCM Practitioner said.  “However, if soreness, pain, or swelling occurs after the first massage, it indicates that you applied excessive force and should cut it down the next time.”

Since there are many acupuncture points on our hands as mentioned above, aside from massaging one or some points for specific health conditions with your finger, you actually can use a comb to “comb” your palm to overall enhance your health.  All you need to do is to prepare a round-teeth comb, and apply some body cream or lubricant on your palm.  First comb your palm from top to bottom, next from left to right, then clockwise.  Subsequently, do it from bottom to top, right to left, and finally anti-clockwise.

“Try to make this exercise as a daily habit.  After a period of time, you shall notice the results of having both your energy and health improved,” TCM Practitioner added.

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