Dietary taboos and recipes

There are no uniform dietary taboos that are suitable for everyone, and there is no universal recipe. All taboos and dietary plans must be adjusted based on your physique, underlying diseases, and even your current living conditions. Don’t be bound by the messy “health rules” on the Internet.

Don't tell me, my grandma really believed in the saying that "mung bean cures hundreds of medicines" for more than half a year. She didn't even dare to touch mung bean cake while taking antihypertensive drugs. Later, when she went to the endocrinology department for a follow-up consultation, she asked the doctor. They laughed and said that unless you drink more than two liters of thick mung bean soup at a time, you should normally drink less than half a bowl or eat two pieces of mung bean cake. The ingredients will not affect the efficacy of the medicine at all, and there is no need to wrong yourself. There is also the saying that "eating shrimp and vitamin C together is equivalent to eating arsenic". The last time I ate a plate of boiled shrimp, I opened a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. Nothing happened. To reach the toxic dose, you would have to eat dozens of kilograms of shrimp and swallow dozens of medicinal VC tablets at one time. How can a normal person have such an appetite? Nine out of ten of these widely circulated taboos are pseudo-concepts that talk about toxicity regardless of dosage, so don’t take it seriously.

Of course, not all dietary taboos are groundless. If we really want to be honest, there are indeed differences in opinions in different fields, and there is no need to argue about right or wrong. For example, Chinese medicine often says that people with cold body should eat less iced watermelon and drink less iced drinks. A friend of mine with spleen and stomach deficiency has personally tested this method. In the summer, I ate half an iced watermelon and had diarrhea all day long. ； But for a young man who has been working out for five or six years, he is so hot that he is sweating after training. If he eats a quarter of iced watermelon to replenish water and carbohydrates, nothing will happen. Modern nutrition science will only say that the glycemic index of watermelon is high, and it is perfectly fine for people with normal blood sugar to eat in moderation. At this time, you don’t have to worry about who to listen to. You can eat at your own comfort and follow your own pace. It’s better than any expert advice. Oh, by the way, there is also the often asked question "Can patients with nodules eat soy products?" One school of traditional Chinese medicine says that soy products are hair-raising substances and may stimulate the growth of nodules. Modern nutrition believes that soy isoflavones are phytoestrogens, which are good for regulating human hormone levels. The current clinical consensus is also very clear: as long as there is no abnormal thyroid function that requires iodine restriction, it is absolutely fine to drink soy milk and eat tofu normally. My best friend has a grade 3 breast nodule. She drank a cup of soy milk every day for almost a year, and the nodules shrunk a little during the last review.

There are actually not that many taboos that you really need to keep in mind. Most of them are tied to your own physical condition: for example, if you have a clear food allergy, the bottom line is not to touch allergens. My colleague is allergic to mangoes. Last time he was greedy and ate half a piece, and his face was swollen like a bun. It took three days to get rid of it.； Those with underlying diseases should follow the doctor's advice. Gout patients should avoid high-purine foods such as thick broth and shelled seafood. People with diabetes should control their intake of refined sugar and high-glycemic foods. These are supported by clinical data, but you don't need to be an ascetic. If your blood uric acid is well controlled, you can eat two occasionally to satisfy your cravings. I used to follow the so-called "anti-inflammatory diet" for Sanyue, and even dared to drink sugar-free milk tea. As a result, I was in a terrible mood during that period. I went to review various indicators, but there was no change. Later, my friend in the nutrition department told me that I did not have chronic inflammation problems, so there was no need to shackle myself. An occasional cup of full-sugar milk tea would not cause any problems. Now I drink it regularly once a week. I am happy and my indicators are more stable.

Now that I have figured out what pitfalls I should avoid, I don’t have to look at those "lose 10 pounds in a week" and "universal health meals" online when choosing recipes. I have been exploring for several years and have saved several recipes that are suitable for different groups of people. They have all been tried without being misleading. Ordinary office workers get off work late, so don’t always order takeout. Fried chicken breasts with garlic and broccoli can be cooked in about ten minutes. Marinate the chicken breasts with light soy sauce and black pepper for 10 minutes in advance. Spray some olive oil when frying. Blanch the broccoli for a minute, take it out, add minced garlic soy sauce and mix it. Served with half a bowl of brown rice, it is not greasy after eating. If you are free on weekends, you can stew lamb chops with radish. Choose lamb chops with a little fat. When stewing, throw in two slices of ginger. Cut the radish into hob cubes and leave it for the last half hour. You don’t need to add too many seasonings. It is so fresh that you can drink two bowls of soup in a row. Drinking it will keep you warm in winter. If you have children at home who don’t like vegetables, you can chop carrots and mushrooms and mix them with chicken breast stuffing to make meatballs. They will be soft and squishy. My little nephew can eat five or six at a time, and he no longer has to chase after the vegetables. And my must-have recovery meal after staying up late is glutinous millet porridge with two boiled eggs and a small plate of delicious dried radish. It is much more comfortable than eating barbecued crayfish. I don’t have a bloated stomach or a headache the next day.

To be honest, eating is half for health and half for happiness. There is no need to eat in front of a dense list of taboos, and there is no need to chew on so-called "healthy meals" that you don't like. If you are comfortable eating and have no problem with your body parameters, then that is the diet plan that is most suitable for you, and it is more reliable than any standard answer.