Heart Problems? Limit Watermelon Consumption
Summer is approaching, and fresh fruits are gradually becoming available. For elderly people, eating fruits in moderation is beneficial for health. However, elderly individuals should not eat fruits casually.
Dr. Nie Youzhi, Director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital and a senior physician, stated that foods produce "cold, hot, warm, or cool" effects after entering the human body. Dr. Nie recommends that elderly people choose fruits based on their constitution. Elderly individuals with a cold constitution, who appear paler than average, rarely feel thirsty, and dislike cold things, should opt for warm or hot fruits, such as oranges, kiwifruit, lychee, pomegranate, chestnuts, cherries, and coconut juice. Conversely, those with a real-heat constitution generate more internal heat, often experiencing red face, dry mouth, constipation, and should eat more cooling fruits like pears, watermelons, bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, sweet melons, and pomelos. Other fruits with neutral properties—such as apples, grapes, pineapples, papayas, and olives—are suitable for all elderly people.
Dr. Guo Xiaobin, attending physician in the geriatric internal medicine department at Peking University Third Hospital, advises that elderly people with diabetes or nephritis should avoid eating apples, pears, and bananas, which contain large amounts of fructose. Those prone to gastric acid should avoid hawthorns, lemons, and other fruits high in organic acids. Elderly individuals with heart disease or edema should avoid watermelons and coconuts, which have high water content, as they may increase cardiac burden and worsen edema. Elderly people with nephritis or edema should also avoid bananas and honeydew melons, which are high in potassium salts. Additionally, pineapples contain bromelain, and frequent consumption may cause pineapple allergy in some elderly individuals. Persimmons contain large amounts of tannins, and overconsumption may worsen constipation.
Elderly people have aging internal organs and weakened physiological functions. Therefore, they should not eat large quantities of fruit at once. Instead, they should eat small portions frequently, ideally 1 hour before meals or 2–3 hours after meals.