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Adding Chinese Food Remedies to Your Diet to Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is common in adults, especially for the middle ages. Bad eating habits make a major contribution to its development. Eating wisely can definitely improve the blood pressure, it also helps to lose weight, promote health and reduce the chance of many diseases. To be frankly, it is hard to keep in a healthiest possible eating and quit those favorite foods. Adding Chinese food remedies to daily meals can be an additional effort to control the blood pressure.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food remedies can be simply food dishes or medicinal dishes. Medicinal dishes are specially prepared dishes made from Chinese herbs, food and condiments that in response to the symptoms of an individual or TCM diagnosis. Food cures have been practiced in China for a long history. Many TCM classics have special food recipes that aim to prepare for preventing and treating diseases, and even promoting health. The first specialty book about dietary cures of TCM, Principles of Correct Diet, was written in 1330 AD.
TCM dietary principles emphasis on eating in appropriate amount and balanced flavors, the daily diet should be included a variety of food selections and planned according to individual body constitutions, health needs as well as environmental changes. For example, people with a yang deficiency constitution are sensitive to coldness, it is proper to consume warming dishes; people with a cold have better add pungent foods such as ginger or onion in their dishes; people with fever are suitable to eat cooling foods such as water melon. In southern region of China, the tropical climate makes people tend to accumulate dampness and heat, foods such as coix seed and melons that help induce urination and clear heat are favorable. In eastern cold region of China, people prefer to eat warming foods such as venison and mutton to make their body warmer.
Besides eating foods that are rich in nutrients to help lower blood pressure, it is beneficial to consider selecting food and cooking in Chinese way. Chinese food remedies help enhance the overall regulatory functions, minimize blood pressure fluctuations, and soften the blood vessels, and thus reduce the risk of developing complications. Some dietary guidelines for different types of hypertension and the healthy recipes are listed below:
Hyperactivity of Liver-yang
Manifestations: hypertension, occasionally there may be dizziness, headache, distending sensation in the forehead, irritability, ear ringing, a bitter taste in mouth, mouth dryness, dream-disturbed sleep, flushed face, bloodshot eyes, constipation and yellowish urine. The tongue is red and covered by yellow fur, and the pulse is taut and rapid.
TCM dietary suggestions: soothe the hyperactive liver, check yang and extinguish wind
This type of hypertension should eat more foods that help nourish yin and clear heat, fruits and vegetables in particular celery, tomato, bok choy, banana, water melon, persimmon, bitter melon and lotus root are beneficial. Others such as laver, black fungus, mung bean, bean curd, daylily flower, preserved jelly fish and green tea also have the effects.
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Cassia seed |
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Chinese celery and dehydrated bean curd |
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Bitter gourd |
Cassia seed porridge
Ingredients |
Cassia seed (9g, slightly roasted), white chrysanthemum (5g), rice (50g), and rock sugar |
Preparing method |
Decoct the cassia seed and chrysanthemum to make a solution first, use the herbal solution and rice to cook as porridge, simmer under low heat, when the liquid turns thick, turn off the heat and add rock sugar to taste. Serve warm in the morning |
Health benefits |
The cassia seed and chrysanthemum help soothe the liver and lower blood pressure. The rice and rock sugar nourish and lubricate the body so as to reduce the fluctuation of blood pressure. The porridge keeps blood pressure steady and eases hypertension related symptoms |
Stir-fried celery and bean curd
Ingredients |
Fresh Chinese celery (150g), dehydrated bean curd (50g), ginger (3 slices) and garlic (2-3 cloves, chopped) |
Preparing method |
Wash and cut the celery and bean curd into strips. Add some vegetable oil in a pan and heat up; put in the ingredients and stir-fry until it is 90% cooked; season with little salt and sesame oil to taste; turn off the heat |
Health benefits |
The ingredients clear heat and soothe the liver. This is suitable for high blood pressure or high blood lipids that have sore throat and fever |
Chrysanthemum and fish soup
Ingredients |
Fresh white chrysanthemum petals (50g), fresh grass carp fillets (300g), fresh mushrooms (100g), ginger (3slices) and green onion (20g, diced) |
Preparing method |
Wash the chrysanthemum petals, and slice the mushrooms; pour some chicken stock (about 300ml) into a pot, add in ginger and green onion and bring to the boil, add in the fillets and mushrooms, when it come to a boil again, turn off the heat and pour the soup into a bowl, sprinkle with the chrysanthemum petals, add several drops of sesame oil and rice wine |
Health benefits |
This soup is suitable for hypertension accompanied with dizziness, headache, bloodshot eyes, blurred vision and throat soreness |
Bitter gourd and bean curd stew
Ingredients |
Bitter gourd (200g), bean curd (200g), ginger (3 slices) and green onion (20g, diced) |
Preparing method |
Cut the bitter gourd in half, remove the seeds and slice thinly, blanch in boiling water and then rinse (this can reduce the bitter taste); cut the bean curd into cubes; heat up about one tablespoon vegetable oil in a pot, add in the ginger and green onion to stir a while, then add in the bitter gourd and keep stirring for one more minute, pour in chicken stock (200ml) and the bean curd, turn to low heat to simmer for 30 minutes, season to taste |
Health benefits |
Bitter gourd clears heat and lowers blood sugar; bean curd replenishes qi (vital energy) and nourishes the body; they are favorable ingredients for menopause women, diabetes, and those who overuse the brain or have cardiovascular problems |
Stir-fried mushroom and leafy green vegetable
Ingredients |
Fresh mushroom (250g), leafy vegetable (500g e.g. bok choy), some chopped garlic and green onion |
Preparing method |
Wash the ingredients, cut into proper size; heat up some vegetable oil in a pan, add in the garlic and green onion, then add in other ingredients and stir-fry until the vegetable are tender-crisp, season to taste. Serve at once with hot cooked rice or on its own as a side dish |
Health benefits |
The ingredients clear heat and soothe the liver. This is also a low fat and fiber-rich dish. |
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