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Veliko ljudi obožuje sveže sadje in solato. Pogosto nas prepričujejo, da bi morali jesti več hrane rastlinskega izvora. S tem se delno strinjam. Podpiram, da v našo prehrano vključimo čim več blago kuhanega sadja in zelenjave. To velja tudi za solato, kumare, paradižnik ipd. Kot izvajalka tradicionalne kitajske medicine svojim strankam vedno svetujem, naj se IZOGIBAJO kakršnikoli surovi hrani, še posebno v primeru, če imajo težave s prebavnim sistemom, plodnostjo, ali pa imajo alergije. Tu je razlog.
Hranila so v našem sistemu šele, ko so prebavljena, absorbirana in dostavljena
Mnogi verjamejo, da iz hrane z visoko hranilno vrednostjo dobimo največ hranil in da ima največjo hranilno vrednost surova hrana, saj so vsi vitamini in encimi nepoškodovani.
Ampak ste se kdaj vprašali kako izmerijo hranilno vrednost hrane? Hranilne vrednosti opisujejo osnovno sestavo, kot so beljakovine, maščobe, minerali, vitamini itd.
Do vseh teh informacij se pride v laboratoriju, kjer so vse sestavine izolirane v epruvetah, to je IZVEN človeškega telesa.
Naše telo pa je zapleten sistem z raznimi homeostazami in interakcijami med celicami ter substancami. Dokler naše telo na prebavi hranil, so to le številke na embalaži hrane.
Želodec – najpomembnejši lonec
Tradicionalna kitajska medicina razume kaj se s hrano dogaja ZNOTRAJ naših teles. Učinki hrane so bili razdeljeni v kategorije glede na njihovo naravo: hrana lahko hladi, segreva, sprošča, prebuja, tonificira itd. Da bi uspešno dobili energijo in hranila iz živil, potrebujemo dobro delujoč prebavni sistem. Prvi in najpomembnejši organ je želodec.
Naloga želodca je, da sprejema hrano in tekočino. Primerljiv je z loncem, ki hrano “prekuha” in absorbira hranila. Ta proces je odvisen od njegove sposobnosti, da hrano prebavlja, za kar je pomembna energija, ki jo imenujemo Qi energija – življenjsko pomembna gibajoča se energija.
Prebava se nadaljuje v vranici in v črevesju, kamor se transportira prej procesirana hrana. V vranici nastaneta kri in gradniki za mišice, s pomočjo katerih se hranila prenesejo v ostale sisteme. V debelem črevesju se nekatere trdne snovi absorbirajo v telo, ostale pa izločijo kot blato. V tankem črevesju pa se absorbirajo vitalne tekočine, ostale pa izločimo v obliki urina.
Lonec mora imeti potrebno temperaturo
Podobno kot v kompostu na vrtu, encimi in bakterije delujejo najbolj učinkovito pod določenimi pogoji. Ogenj greje in tako zviša temperaturo. V tradicionalni kitajski medicini vlada prepričanje, da je surova hrana prehladna in za uspešno prebavo potrebuje več ognja.
Prehladno ima lahko dobeseden pomen, na primer hrana in pijača iz hladilnika. Lahko pa pomeni tudi surovo hrano, ki potrebuje več energije, da jo prebavimo. To lahko s časom oslabi naš prebavni sistem in povzroča napihnjenost in slabo absorpcijo hranil. Telo postane oslabljeno, kar se tiče energije, to pa lahko povzroči kronično utrujenost ali celo depresijo in več.
Poleg ognja, telo za prebavo potrebuje tudi vodo, da ustvari pravo ravnotežje. Preveč ognja lahko pospeši apetit ali pa povzroči žgoče občutke naokoli, kot npr. ko nas peče zgaga. Če pa ognja ni dovolj, hrana in tekočine ne morejo biti prebavljene in pojavi se driska in pridobivanje na teži (to je razlog, da imajo nekateri ljudje prekomerno težo, čeprav mislijo, da se prehranjujejo zdravo z velikimi količinami zelenjave).
Za želodec so najbolj zdrava žita in stročnice
Kitajska medicina verjame, da je surova zelenjava težko prebavljiva in da je njena prebava težka za želodec. Rastline namreč vsebujejo celulozo in vlaknine, ki jih težko prebavimo. Za razliko od rastlinojedcev, kot so krave, ki imajo precej večji želodec in daljše črevesje s posebnimi bakterijami za razgradnjo in prebavo rastlin in trav. Ljudje nimamo specifičnih bakterij in encimov za prebavo tovrstne hrane. Vlaknine, ki so v rastlinah, in so težko prebavljive, zahtevajo več dela od našega prebavnega sistema. Brez primerne podpore lahko prekomerno uživanje zelenjave ošibi naš prebavni sistem.
Oslabljen prebavni sistem lahko posledično povzroča napihnjenost, zaprtost, drisko, pridobitev telesne teže, podhranjenost, alergije in oslabljen imunski sistem. Zato je pomembno, da poskrbimo, da je naš prebavni sistem zdrav in delujoč.
Kitajska medicina priporoča predvsem ‘Pet žit’: riž, proso, koruzo, pšenico in stročnice. Predstavljale naj bi večino naše prehrane. Priskrbijo nam več energije kot ostala zelenjava in so lažje prebavljiva. Seveda je tudi ostala zelenjava zdrava, ampak mora biti toplotno obdelana z vretjem, dušenjem.
Za več nasvetov glede prehrane, prosimo obiščite našo spletno stran
Cook your food - digestive system explained in Traditional Chinese medicine
Cook your food--- digestive system explained in Traditional Chinese medicine
Many people love fresh salads and fruits, and we are told that we should eat more plant-based diet. I agree with the plant part, only with one twist--- gently cook our vegetables, even for lettuce, cucumber, tomato, etc. As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, I always tell my patients to AVOID raw foods, especially if they have a weak digestive system, or suffer from allergies or infertility, here is why.
Nutritions are not ours until they are digested, absorbed and delivered
Many people believe that the more nutritious the food is, then the more nutrients we get from them. So when the food is raw and in its natural unprepared state, all the enzymes and vitamins are intact thus provide the “best” nutritional value.
But have you ever wondered how do we get those “nutritional value”? Nutritional information is about the structural content, like protein, fat, minerals, vitamins ,etc. This is obtained in a laboratory by analysing foods, separating them into their basic ingredients in a test tube, OUTSIDE of our body.
Our body, however, is a much more complex environment with so many homeostasis and interactions among each cells and substances. So not until our body actually breaks down and transform those materials into something useable, they are only numbers on your food label.
Stomach --- the vital pot
TCM understands how food interact and affect our body INSIDE our body. We characterized those interactions and effects by their nature: warming, cooling, upgoing and downgoing, cleansing, tonifying, etc. In order to successfully obtain energy and nutrients from food, we need a well functioning digestive system. The first and foremost, is our stomach.
The stomach’s function is to receive food and liquids. The Stomach is viewed as a pot that needs to ‘cook’ the food in order to extract the nutrients. The ability to transform food into useable nutrients for the cells is dependent on the “digestive fire” to “cook” the food to ensure this transformation is completed. During this process, the Stomach generate of power of “Qi'', the vital movement energy.
After this, the preliminary processed food is transferred to the Spleen and intestines. The spleen’s function is to create muscles and blood, to transport the fine material to other important systems. The large intestine’s function is to reabsorb the pure part of the impure solids then excreting the impure as feces. The small intestine’s function is to reabsorb the pure part from the impure liquids, then excrete the impure out as urine through the bladder.
The pot needs a right temperature
Just like the compose in our garden, enzymes and bacteria are more active with the suitable temperature. Fire brings warmth, thus raise the temperature. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe that raw foods are too “cold in nature” and require more fire to digest. Cold also literally mean cold in temperature like chilled,iced, frozen food or drink. The cold, hard-to-digest nature of raw food consume more of our digestive fires. Overtime, this can weaken the body’s digestive system causing bloating, glassiness and poor absorption of the nutrients in foods. The body’s energy becomes depleted from having to support the weakened digestive system which results in less energy so people could suffer from chronic fatigue or depression and more.
Other than fire, we also need water to create a right balance. If the fire over burn, it creates over strong appetite or even uncontrollably burning around like in the case of Stomach acid reflux. But if the fire is too weak, food and liquid cannot successfully broken down and transform creating “dampness” so people get diarrhea and gain weight. (This is why even people are eating “healthy” with large amount of vegetables but they still gain weight.)
Grains and beans are the most healthy for Stomach
Chinese Medicine believes that raw vegetables tend to be hard on your digestion. Plants and vegetables have cellulose and other fibrous structures that our digestive system is difficult to break down. Humans are not like herbivorous animals such as cows which have much larger stomach and longer intestine with special bacteria to break down and digest the plants and grasses. The fibers in plants that is difficult to digest actually put more work to our digestive system. Without suitable support, over eating vegetables could weaken our digestive system.
A weakened digestive system can cause bloating, indigestion, constipation or loose stools, weight gain, malnutrition, food allergies and a lowered immune system. Our digestive system is a key element to good health, so it’s important to ensure it is healthy and functioning properly.
Grains like rice, millet, corn, wheat and beans are regarded as “Five Grains” in TCM. “Five Grains” should compose a large part of our diet regularly. They provide more power and energy compared to vegetables yet easier for digestion. Vegetables are of course healthy to eat as long as they are gently stir fried, steamed or boiled.
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