Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends 12 health-preserving ingredients to help seniors prevent diseases and stay healthy in winter!

How to practice traditional Chinese medicine longevity diet? According to Dr. Wu Jianshe, a senior Chinese medicine practitioner, the diet for seniors should focus on grains and should be well-balanced to ensure proper nutrition. Grains provide comprehensive nutrients and abundant carbohydrates, supplying energy to the body. Dr. Wu recommends 1 porridge and 2 soup dishes, which are most suitable for the health of seniors.

Seniors should eat more vegetables, fruits, dairy, and legumes to prevent digestive tumors and supplement calcium.

Seniors should consume more vegetables, fruits, and potatoes. Fruits are rich in glucose, fructose, citric acid, pectin, and dietary fiber. They accelerate intestinal peristalsis, prevent carcinogens from affecting the intestinal mucosa, and prevent digestive tumors. Seniors are prone to calcium deficiency, so they should eat more dairy products, legumes, and soy products, which are rich in calcium and can supplement calcium for seniors.

Diet should be light, and daily routines should be regular.

For senior health, the diet should be light, with less oil, salt, and sugar. Emphasize grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and fish, which can ensure nutrition and promote digestion. Additionally, seniors should engage in physical exercise, participate in outdoor activities, and enhance physical fitness. Maintain regular routines, such as going to bed and waking up early to ensure sufficient sleep. Finally, enrich spiritual and cultural life, maintain a happy and peaceful mood.

Recommended health-preserving ingredients for seniors

Medicated diet is different from general Chinese herbal formulas or regular diets. It combines the medicinal effects of herbs with the deliciousness of food. Especially for seniors, it allows them to enjoy delicious food while nourishing the body, preventing, and treating diseases. Seniors should pay attention to regulating the spleen and stomach to invigorate the middle burner and ensure the smooth flow of body fluids. Angelica, Poria, Ginseng, Atractylodes, Chenpi, Ginger, and Xiangfuzi all have such effects. The following ingredients also provide assistance for seniors.

Fish Maw: Nourishes tendons and channels, treats kidney deficiency causing seminal emissions.

Lotus Seeds: Nourishes and tonifies deficiency, strengthens the heart, and calms the mind.

Poria: Strengthens the spleen, aids digestion, and enhances immunity.

Soft-shelled Turtle (Trionychidae): Clears heat, nourishes yin, soothes the liver, and extinguishes wind.

Privet Fruit: Helps improve dizziness and tinnitus, alleviates lumbar and knee weakness.

Gastrodia: Aids in relieving headaches, dizziness, and neurosis.

1 Porridge, 2 Soups for disease prevention and health preservation

Poria, Jujube, and Millet Porridge

Effect: Strengthens the spleen, aids digestion, enhances immunity, and promotes beauty.

Ingredients: Poria 10g, Coix seed 10g, Jujube 15g, Millet 50g.

Method: Prepare all ingredients, wash them, and put them into a pot together. Add an appropriate amount of water and simmer over low heat until cooked.

Jujube helps calm the mind, nourish the heart, enhance intelligence, and stimulate appetite. Poria has the effects of promoting diuresis, eliminating dampness, and strengthening the spleen. Millet has the functions of invigorating the spleen, nourishing the kidneys, and promoting blood circulation. Adjusting the spleen and stomach can prevent disease and preserve health. This porridge is suitable for people of all ages and can be adjusted based on different constitutions and symptoms.

Gouqi Berry and Soft-shelled Turtle Soup

Effect: Nourishes yin, clears heat, tonifies the kidneys and bones, invigorates the blood, and stops bleeding.

Ingredients: Soft-shelled turtle 1, Gouqi berries 10g, Privet fruit 10g, Scallion, Salt, all in appropriate amounts.

Method:

1. Clean and process the soft-shelled turtle, remove the internal organs, and wash it. Separate the head, neck, and limbs.
2. Wash Gouqi berries and Privet fruit, and put them into a clay pot together with the soft-shelled turtle. Add water and scallion, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
3. Add salt to taste before serving.

Soft-shelled turtle not only has delicious and nutritious meat but also has the effects of clearing heat, nourishing yin, calming the liver, and extinguishing wind. Privet fruit can tonify the liver and kidneys and strengthen the waist and knees. This medicated diet is suitable for those with weakness in the limbs and lower back due to liver and kidney deficiency. In addition, since soft-shelled turtle is rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, moderate consumption by seniors can accelerate metabolism and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is not suitable for seniors with abnormal digestive function to eat soft-shelled turtle, as it may cause metabolic disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and lead to diseases. Women during menstruation and patients with hepatitis are not suitable for eating soft-shelled turtle.

Gastrodia and Fish Head Soup

Effect: Delays aging, nourishes the brain, and strengthens the body.

Ingredients: Fish head 1, Gastrodia 20g, Gouqi berries 15g, Ginger slices, Rice wine, Salt, all in appropriate amounts.

Method:

1. Clean the fish head, remove the internal organs, and wash it. Make two cuts on both sides of the neck meat, rub with salt and rice wine to marinate.
2. Soak Gastrodia and Gouqi berries in warm water for 10 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pot, add ginger slices and fish head. Fry the fish head until both sides are golden brown.
4. Add an appropriate amount of water, Gastrodia, and Gouqi berries. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
5. Finally, add salt to taste.

Gastrodia is a precious Chinese herbal medicine with effective results in relieving