Due to the decline of the functions of various tissues and organs, the elderly can show unique physiological phenomena such as weakened physical strength, low disease resistance, decreased hearing and vision, white hair loss, forgetfulness and insomnia, eating less and being afraid of cold. There are also many elderly people with different degrees of chronic geriatric diseases. Therefore, for the elderly, taking some tonics properly is really helpful to strengthen physical fitness, delay aging and prevent diseases.
When the elderly take supplements, they should distinguish between two situations. One is when they are weak and have chronic diseases. One is a tonic for disease-free health.
Make up for illness, according to the condition. It is necessary to find out whether it is qi deficiency and blood deficiency or yin deficiency and yang deficiency. People with qi deficiency can choose qi-invigorating drugs, such as ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, astragalus root, yam and so on. For patients with blood deficiency, blood-nourishing Angelica sinensis, Colla Corii Asini, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Polygoni Multiflori Radix, Fructus Lycii, Longan and animal liver are selected. Yin deficiency patients can choose drugs for nourishing yin, such as Polygonatum odoratum, Ophiopogon japonicus, Cordyceps sinensis, Ligustrum lucidum, Cornus officinalis, Lily, pear, duck, honey, etc. For yang deficiency, many aphrodisiacs are selected, such as velvet antler, placenta hominis, cistanche deserticola, epimedium, psoralea corylifolia, walnut, dog meat and mutton. Therefore, tonics have different uses and cannot be eaten casually. Famous doctors in Qing dynasty were good at attacking and supplementing. He said, "You can't just make up a disease. Once you make a mistake, you won't make it again. Why did you accidentally take the medicine? "
The tonic of disease-free health care should be based on one's physical fitness, age, sex, living environment, climate and other conditions, and choose the appropriate tonic. In terms of time and climate, it can be supplemented all year round, but how to choose the right tonic is still learned. As the climate gets warmer in spring, tonics should be used to help healthy growth. Red ginseng, American ginseng, sun-dried ginseng, Pseudostellaria heterophylla and Codonopsis pilosula can be used to replenish vitality, but the dosage should not be too large. The summer climate is hot, so tonics, such as Polygonatum odoratum, mung bean, lily and lotus seed, should be used. Autumn scenery is dry and should be moist, mainly nourishing, as well as Codonopsis pilosula, Poria cocos, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Asparagi, Radix Ophiopogonis, Radix Adenophorae, Lotus Root, Banana, Tremella and so on. You can choose; The winter climate is cold, and the human body consumes a lot of heat, so it is appropriate to use warm tonic. Ginseng Radix, Radix Panacis Quinquefolii, Fructus Lycii, Polygoni Multiflori Radix, Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata, Eucommiae Cortex, Herba Cistanches, Cordyceps, Walnut, Longan, Fructus Jujubae, Tremella, venison, dog meat and mutton can be selected.
In a word, tonic is not food after all, so you can't eat it often. It's a medicinal diet for both medicine and food. It's not good to eat more. If it's not good, it's "extremes meet." Superstitious tonic and indiscriminate use of tonic will not only fail to achieve tonic effect, but will lead to diseases and harm to health. Therefore, eating tonic should be targeted, and the right medicine can be effective and properly raised.
How do middle-aged and elderly people choose nourishing food
Reasonable selection of health food is very important for preventing and treating common diseases and frequently-occurring diseases of the elderly, strengthening physical fitness and prolonging life. But if eaten improperly, it will be counterproductive, but it will have a negative impact on the body. Therefore, the elderly should master the following principles when eating nourishing food.
(1) Adapt to individual characteristics. Because of gender, age, physical condition, physical differences and personal living habits, there will be different requirements for meals. Therefore, the choice of health food cannot be the same. The same food may be effective for some people, but it may be counterproductive for others. For example, milk is an ideal nutritious food for most people, but a few people lack lactase, which will cause discomfort and diarrhea after eating; Eating the same amount of longan meat, some people can have a good sleep, while others suffer from insomnia due to excessive internal heat. When taking food supplements, frail elderly people should pay attention to distinguish between yang deficiency and yin deficiency. For those with yang deficiency, mutton and dog meat should be used as supplements, while for those with yin deficiency, they should eat more nourishing yin foods such as turtle meat, turtle meat and clam meat.
(2) Choose food according to the nature and performance of the disease. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the principles of warming and cooling, cooling and heating, tonifying deficiency and purging excess should be followed in the process of dietotherapy. For diseases, according to their different priorities, we should follow the principle of "treating the symptoms when urgent, and treating the root cause when slow". "Target" is the clinical manifestation and symptom of the disease, and "root" is the mechanism and pathogenesis of the disease. Generally, chronic diseases usually start from the root causes, while acute diseases usually treat the symptoms first and then the root causes, or treat both the symptoms and the root causes.
(3) Pay attention to the sexual taste in the diet. The nature of food refers to four natures: cold, hot, wet and cold; The taste of food refers to five flavors: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty. General cold food has the functions of clearing away heat, purging fire, detoxifying and diminishing inflammation, and is suitable for people suffering from febrile diseases in spring and summer. This kind of food includes cereals, mung beans, red beans, pears, bananas and persimmons. Warm food has the functions of warming the middle warmer, tonifying deficiency and dispelling cold, and is suitable for people with deficiency and cold in autumn and winter. This kind of food includes glutinous rice, meat, crucian carp, eel and so on.
Different tastes of food also have different functions. The new energy San Xuan can moisten, dredge blood, run qi and blood, strengthen bones and muscles, and enhance body resistance. Commonly used foods are onion, ginger, garlic, pepper, pepper, radish and all kinds of wine. Gan can tonify and relieve pain. Commonly used foods are jujube, glutinous rice, animal liver, pear, coconut, tofu, honey and sugar. Acid has astringent effect, which is combined with sweet taste and can nourish yin and moisten dryness. Common food is vinegar. Bitter taste can drive away fire, dry dampness and strengthen yin, and cooperate with sweet taste to clear away heat and promote diuresis, eliminate dampness and detoxify, such as bitter gourd and tea; Salty foods have the functions of softening and resolving hard mass and stopping diarrhea, such as seafood, pig kidney and pigeon meat, while light foods have the functions of moistening dryness and diuresis, such as coix seed, white lentils, wax gourd, lotus root, peanuts and eggs.
(4) Choose food flexibly according to time and place. The temperature in spring, the heat in summer, the coolness in autumn, the coldness in winter, and the constant changes of the climate all year round will all have certain influences on the physiological functions of the human body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that diet can keep Yin, Yang, Qi and blood in the body in accordance with the changes of the four seasons, so as to achieve "keeping healthy qi in the interior, while evil is not dry". It is generally believed that the climate in spring is warm and everything is full of vitality, which is suitable for a light diet. You can eat more porridge, such as shepherd's purse porridge. In summer, the climate is hot, rainy and humid, so it is advisable to eat sweet and cool things, such as mung bean soup, lotus leaf porridge, mint soup, watermelon and wax gourd. In autumn, the climate turns cool and dry, so it is advisable to eat foods that can produce saliva, such as lotus root porridge. It's cold in winter, so the food should be warm. Eight-treasure rice, instant-boiled mutton, longan and jujube porridge should be eaten to warm up the body's essence. Different geographical environments also have a great influence on the food structure, and improper diet will also be unacceptable, so it should also be considered.