New Discoveries in Traditional Chinese Medicine Dietary Health Care
1. When to eat is more important than what to eat. Scientific research has shown that consuming 2,000 calories in one meal at breakfast has little effect on body weight, whereas the same amount consumed at dinner leads to weight gain. Two groups of people ate identical foods—one group ate at 7 a.m., the other at 5:30 p.m. (only one meal per day). Those who ate in the morning generally lost weight, while those who ate in the evening continued to gain weight, regardless of individual constitution. This proves that timing of meals matters more than food choice. Obese middle-aged and elderly individuals should eat more at breakfast and less at dinner.
2. Multiple daily meals are more important than fewer meals. Research shows that meal frequency and timing significantly affect serum cholesterol levels. The same amount of cholesterol-rich food consumed in several smaller meals results in lower cholesterol levels than in one large meal. Many people busy with work consume most of their daily calories—up to 70%—in dinner, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, etc., causing sudden spikes in blood lipids, increasing the risk of vascular hardening and coronary heart disease.
3. Food disinfection is more important than dietary supplementation. Recent studies suggest that in dietary health care, food disinfection should take priority over nutritional supplementation. Industrial waste emissions and pesticide/fertilizer use contaminate air, soil, and water, leading to trace toxins in grains, fruits, vegetables, and even air. These toxins accumulate in the body through ingestion or inhalation, potentially causing chronic poisoning; excessive intake may even be life-threatening. How to disinfect? First, maintain regular physical exercise to promote circulation, enhance resistance to toxins, and accelerate toxin elimination. Second, adopt scientific nutrition with balanced diet, increase intake of fiber-rich foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to keep bowel movements regular and expel waste and toxins promptly. Third, choose non-contaminated or minimally contaminated foods, wash and soak thoroughly before consumption, peel when necessary, and minimize toxin intake; also quit smoking and limit alcohol. Fourth, consume foods with anti-pollution, detoxifying, and blood-cleansing properties such as pig blood, fungi, mung beans, seaweed, sea snails, celery, fresh fruit juice, green tea, etc. Additionally, drinking plenty of water helps accelerate toxin excretion.