This issue features Associate Professor Yu Huiyong from the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, who shares what dietary restrictions to observe after contracting a respiratory illness in winter.
After catching a respiratory disease in winter, patients often experience symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat. Besides prompt medical treatment, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes certain dietary restrictions to avoid exacerbating the condition.
According to Yu Huiyong, first and foremost, spicy foods should be avoided, including chili peppers, leeks, and raw garlic. These can intensify throat pain and worsen coughing. Secondly, greasy and heat-inducing foods like fried dough sticks, fried peanuts, and sunflower seeds should be avoided as they may exacerbate throat pain and coughing. Thirdly, cold and raw foods, such as cold drinks straight from the fridge, unboiled mineral water, and watermelon, should be avoided. When patients have a fever, their digestive functions are weakened, and consuming these cold, cooling foods may cause diarrhea and aggravate coughing. Additionally, beef, mutton, and seafood should be avoided. According to TCM, these are considered “trigger foods” that might worsen fevers and increase coughing and phlegm production.
Regarding children infected with respiratory diseases, Yu Huiyong particularly notes that parents should avoid giving their children fatty meats and seafood, such as chicken legs, for the first three days after their fever subsides. This could easily reignite a high fever, known in TCM as “meat recurrence.” Furthermore, overfeeding children should also be avoided as it can lead to food accumulation, referred to in TCM as “food recurrence.”
What can patients with respiratory illnesses eat to alleviate their symptoms? Yu Huiyong explains that according to TCM, radishes are a pungent, sweet, and cool ingredient that aids digestion, lowers qi, clears phlegm, soothes the throat, and promotes bowel movements, making them very useful for respiratory illnesses.
How should one consume radishes? Yu Huiyong suggests slicing or dicing them and boiling them in plain water without adding anything else until they're soft. Drinking some of this radish water and eating a few pieces of boiled radish before bedtime can help clear phlegm and promote bowel movements. This is especially effective for those with persistent phlegm in their throat after a cold.
Producers: Guangming Network, China Association of Chinese Medicine
Planning: Zhan Zhao
Directors: Song Yajuan, Xiao Chunfang, Zhang Mengfan
Production: Xiao Chunfang