In the TCM outpatient clinic, it is common to hear patients asking about the request to avoid eating. Some patients understand the taboos, but do not strictly implement them, causing the recurrence of the old disease; Some only know one but don't know the other, and the taboo is not in place; Some people simply think that it is okay to eat foods that need to be avoided, which eventually leads to the aggravation of the disease. So, what exactly is the taboo in Chinese medicine? How should I avoid eating during the period of taking Chinese medicine? This article provides you with a detailed answer.

Why taboo

In a broad sense, the taboos often mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine include all dietary content and methods that are not conducive to disease, treatment, and health preservation, and in a narrow sense, it refers to dietary taboos during the period of taking medicine. The background of the idea of taboo in traditional Chinese medicine is very complex, including the accumulation of experience from primitive gathering, fishing and hunting, agricultural and animal husbandry production, the elucidation of traditional Chinese medicine theories, and the summary of clinical experience. The theories of TCM include the holistic view of the unity of nature and man, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, the theory of food performance, and the idea of syndrome differentiation and treatment in TCM.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that most of the diet is peaceful in taste, but there is also a bias of cold, heat, yin and yang. Normal people have a diverse diet, the performance of foods is neutralized by each other, coupled with the self-regulation function of the human body, even if you eat biased food, it is not a big problem. However, if the patient's visceral self-regulation function is poor, and he eats food that is not suitable for his physique and is not conducive to the disease during the illness, it may hinder the treatment or aggravate the condition, so there is a requirement to avoid eating.

What are the foods to avoid?

For different diseases, the degree of food and drink are different. For example, patients with gastrointestinal diseases are the least suitable to eat raw and cold food; Greasy food is harmful to the function of the spleen and stomach, and patients with gastrointestinal diseases, jaundice, and colds should avoid eating it; Spicy and irritating foods are easy to produce phlegm and fire, disperse qi and consume blood, and patients with strong liver fire are the most unsuitable. Here are five types of foods that are commonly avoided during illness:

"Raw and cold" refers to food that has not been heat treated, which is divided into two categories: one is food that does not need heat treatment, such as fruits, some vegetables, etc.; The second is foods that need heat treatment, but can be eaten without heat treatment, such as sashimi, raw pickles, etc. "Cold" refers to foods with low temperatures, such as cold drinks, ice cream, cold boils, etc.; The second refers to the nature of the food is cold or cool, such as bitter gourd, mung bean, winter melon, etc. It is not difficult to see that raw things are mostly cold, and cold things are not necessarily raw. For example, winter melon and bitter gourd have a slight decrease in coldness after cooking, but heat treatment does not change them from cold to hot.

Greasy, sticky Greasy refers to foods that are high in fat and cholesterol, such as fried foods, lard, fatty meat, etc. Sticky and sweet often "go hand in hand", referring to foods that are high in sugar, high in fat, high in calories, difficult to digest and easy to accumulate, such as desserts, chocolate, salad dressings, fried cakes, milk tea, tahini/paste, etc.

Fishy meat refers to meat with a strong smell, such as fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish and other seafood, animal offal, blood products, beef, mutton, venison, etc.

Spicy refers to foods with a spicy taste or smell, such as chili peppers, green peppers, garlic, garlic, onions, leeks, toons, green onions, mustard, etc., as well as various alcoholic beverages such as beer and liquor.

Processed Foods Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the holistic concept of the unity of nature and man, and the diet should conform to the time and local conditions, and should eat less non-seasonal, non-local, non-natural mature foods, as well as processed foods such as canned foods, snacks, and beverages.

Sick and vigilant "appetite recovery"

In the disease, the spleen and stomach function is often poor and the appetite is reduced, so the patient should not be forced to eat more. If you are reluctant to eat, or eat food that is not easy to digest and absorb, it is not conducive to recovery. For example, overeating during a cold can cause abdominal fullness, indigestion, increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, prevent the body from defending against external evils, and may even aggravate the condition. It is recommended to pay attention to the quality and quantity of food during the sick diet, and at the same time to have three regular meals a day.

At the beginning of recovery, the function of the spleen and stomach has not been fully recovered, and the evil qi has not been completely eliminated, if the diet is not modest, eating too much and eating food that is not easy to digest too early may lead to the recurrence of the disease, this situation is called "food recovery". Many people feel that the illness is just right, and they should eat a lot to try to make up for the nutrients. As everyone knows, the type and quantity of food after illness should be controlled, the intake should be from less to more, the texture of food should be from thin to thick, and the type of food should start from easy to digest and gradually transition to a normal diet.

In short, when determining whether and what to avoid eating, it is necessary to distinguish the pathology, syndrome, and course of the disease; It is necessary to take into account the taboos between food and medicine, food and food; It is also necessary to consider factors such as the patient's physique, age, gender, and eating habits. During the period of taking Chinese medicine, it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's advice and pay attention to the choice of food, so as to be more conducive to the exertion of the efficacy of the medicine and the recovery of diseases.

According to the Wuhan Evening News