Dietary causes of illness in middle-aged men and seasonal tonic principles

Human life activities, movement, and development all require a certain amount of nutrition to maintain. A reasonable diet can help people live a long and healthy life, delay aging, and prevent the occurrence of diseases.

Most middle-aged men do not pay attention to a balanced diet and instead consume large amounts of meat, sugar, and salt, which leads to illness. Many middle-aged and elderly people also like to eat smoked, fried, and greasy foods or overeat, which can also lead to illness and even endanger lifespan.

This shows that middle-aged men still have many shortcomings in their diet, mainly manifested in the following aspects:

(1) Excessive or insufficient calorie intake

Most middle-aged men frequently attend social events and eat out often. However, due to a lack of understanding of the nutritional value of food, they tend to prefer fried foods, animal meats, and seafood. These middle-aged men often dislike vegetables and fruits and are reluctant to exercise, resulting in excessive fat intake in their diets, leading to overweight and obesity, and consequently increasing the incidence of diseases such as gout, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

Some middle-aged people experience changes in their digestive function due to busy work schedules and intense competition, leading to decreased appetite and overly simple daily meals. This results in an imbalance of various nutrients in the body, causing weight loss, decreased immunity, and even symptoms such as anemia and malnutrition.

(2) Overly refined diet

Insufficient intake of vegetables and fruits leads to a lack of vitamins and minerals, resulting in weakened gastrointestinal function and deficiencies in elements such as iron, calcium, and zinc. Our staple foods are mainly rice and wheat flour, and many middle-aged people mistakenly believe that the more refined the rice and flour, the better, resulting in a significant loss of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many middle-aged men around us dislike eating vegetables and fruits; they don't pay attention to a balanced diet, resulting in various diseases caused by insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals, such as osteoporosis, loose or missing teeth, and difficulty chewing.

(3) Unreasonable dietary structure

A limited variety of foods consumed daily, with insufficient intake of dairy and soy products, is also a current health threat to middle-aged men.

(4) Unbalanced intake of three meals

Middle-aged men often skip breakfast or eat very little, making it difficult to meet their body's energy requirements. Conversely, they often overeat at dinner, which can contribute to health problems. Generally speaking, breakfast should account for 30% of the total daily energy intake, lunch 40%, and dinner 30%. Some experts even suggest a 40% ratio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

(5) Excessive smoking and drinking

Excessive smoking and drinking among middle-aged men is also a significant factor that seriously affects their health and longevity.

In short, a scientific, reasonable, and balanced diet is the key to ensuring the health and longevity of middle-aged men.

As men reach middle age, they should pay even closer attention to the dietary principles of seasonal nourishment. The four seasons-spring warmth, summer heat, autumn dryness, and winter cold-are a universal law of nature. "Man and nature correspond," and those who adapt prosper, while those who defy it perish. Climate change affects human physiological functions and metabolism, requiring adaptation. Nourishment should also follow this law. Nourishment includes both medicinal and dietary supplements; traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the concept of "medicine and food sharing the same origin."

(1) Springtime Nourishment Principles

In spring, the ice and snow melt, all hibernating creatures awaken, and plants sprout. The human body also undergoes corresponding changes. At this time, tonifying the body should involve choosing sweet and neutral foods and herbs to strengthen the spleen and stomach, ensuring the body's absorption of nutrients. In addition to nourishing the spleen, it's also important to increase the intake of foods and herbs that soothe liver qi, such as jujubes, carrots, spinach, shepherd's purse, celery, water chestnuts, chrysanthemum leaves, goji berries, chrysanthemum, codonopsis, and astragalus. Traditional Chinese medicine preparations such as Xiangsha Liujun Wan, Buzhong Yiqi Wan, and Renshen Jianpi Wan are also suitable.

(2) Summer Nourishment Rules

Summer's scorching sun and oppressive heat can impair digestion, making it unsuitable to consume rich, nourishing, or oily foods. Summer also brings high humidity, which can weaken the spleen; therefore, in addition to choosing cooling foods, it's important to focus on dispelling dampness and strengthening the spleen. Suitable summer foods include corn, Job's tears, mung beans, watermelon, cucumber, loofah, winter melon, and eggplant. Medicinal herbs include American ginseng, lotus seeds, lycium bark, honeysuckle, and poria. Traditional Chinese medicine preparations include Shenling Baizhu Powder, Honeysuckle Dew, and Dioscorea Pills.

(3) Autumn Nourishment Rules

In autumn, the temperature gradually cools and the climate becomes dry. Autumn dryness easily damages the lungs, depleting lung yin and causing symptoms such as dry mouth and tongue, cough with little phlegm, and constipation. Therefore, it is important to choose foods and medicines that nourish yin, moisten dryness, and replenish lung qi. Suitable foods and medicines include pears, persimmons, apricots, mulberries, sugarcane, black fungus, bananas, peanuts, longan, honey, lilies, asparagus root, ophiopogon root, sand ginseng, white fungus, ginseng and wolfberry paste, ginseng oral liquid, and ginseng tonic pills.

(4) Winter Nourishment Rules

In winter, the weather is freezing cold. Overwintering plants have absorbed sufficient nutrients through their roots, and many animals store up thick layers of fat. Humans should also adapt to the cold environment and store enough energy to survive the winter. Because of the low winter temperatures, blood vessels in the skin constrict, making people prone to an excess of yin and a deficiency of yang. Therefore, the principle of tonifying the body should be warming and nourishing. Winter tonics include glutinous rice, walnuts, dog meat, longan, shrimp, black beans, ginseng, and deer antler. Medications such as Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan and Ren Shen Lu Rong Wan can also be used.

Health Class

Nutritionists suggest drinking more honey and eating less ginger in winter. Why is this? Because the main characteristic of winter weather is dryness; the air lacks moisture, and so does the human body. To adapt to this dryness, the body must frequently replenish its fluids to alleviate the harmful effects of the dry climate.

The main components of honey are glucose and fructose, which together make up about 70% of its content. It also contains protein, amino acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin D. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that honey has five functions: clearing heat, tonifying the middle jiao (spleen and stomach), detoxifying, moisturizing dryness, and relieving pain. Modern medicine has also proven that honey is effective in treating neurasthenia, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and lung diseases. Regular consumption of honey in autumn not only benefits the recovery from these ailments but also helps prevent the harmful effects of autumn dryness, thus nourishing and moisturizing the lungs.