Simmer Porridge Before Bed, Eat It for Breakfast
How to Prepare Health-Preserving Porridge
More breast cancer cases are appearing recently. Prevention involves maintaining a cheerful mood and moderate eating—avoid overindulgence in rich, greasy foods.
For me, seeing seven or eight dozen patients daily, performing surgeries lasting seven or eight hours, and handling other duties leaves me busy. How do I manage? By finding joy in work and nourishing my body through diet—simple and inexpensive. Every morning, I drink a bowl of porridge I simmered the night before.
Before sleeping, plug in a small electric pot to cook soup or porridge—today it’s lotus root, tomorrow dates and lotus seeds, also corn, coix seed, mung beans, rotating ingredients. By morning, it’s ready for breakfast.
Naturally, the ingredients vary by season. In summer, mung bean porridge clears heat and detoxifies. Now, it’s spring—the time of flourishing life. According to TCM, human yang energy rises with spring. It’s best to eat more dates, peanuts, etc.—so I often eat date porridge.
Food Supplementation Beats Medicinal Supplements – You Might Try It
I’ve maintained this porridge habit for two years, never consuming market-bought health supplements.
Some take ginseng despite yang deficiency; others take red ginseng despite yin deficiency—this not only fails to nourish but may harm. If truly weak, supplementation should be guided by a doctor. Those in good health might try my method—believe your constitution will improve. Those with deficiencies can select porridge ingredients based on their own constitution.
For Spleen Deficiency: Eat More Lotus Seeds and White Kidney Beans
Spleen-deficient individuals suffer from poor appetite, indigestion, loose stools, frequent bowel movements. Increase intake of lotus seeds, white kidney beans, coix seed, jujubes, glutinous rice, yam—try recipes like yam-lotus seed porridge or eight-ingredient glutinous rice porridge.
For Blood Deficiency: Eat More Jujubes and Carrots
Blood-deficient individuals have pale lips, feel weak limbs, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Consume more jujubes, red beans, longan flesh, carrots—try longan porridge. Also, mulberry, spinach help replenish blood.
For Yin Deficiency: Eat More Lily Bulbs and Sesame Seeds
Yin-deficient individuals exhibit facial flushing, hot palms and soles, night sweats, restlessness, insomnia. Eat more lily bulbs, silver ear fungus, sesame seeds, black beans. Lily bulbs relieve anxiety—when feeling irritable, lily is best (also, bananas can boost mood—last Friday, renowned TCM expert Qiu Changlin advised in this column: if down, eat a few bananas).
For Yang Deficiency: Eat More Lamb and Walnut Meat
Yang-deficient individuals show pale, swollen tongue with tooth marks, pale complexion, low energy. Consume more walnuts, lamb, etc.