Common dietary remedies for constipation and dietary therapy for chronic diarrhea in men

Middle-aged men experience a decline in metabolic function, with the colon and rectum gradually atrophying, and intestinal mucus secretion decreasing compared to their younger years. Therefore, a proper diet and maintaining regular bowel movements are crucial for detoxification and disease prevention in middle-aged individuals. Improper diet can easily lead to constipation. In reality, it's common for middle-aged people to rely solely on laxatives for immediate relief, but this can deplete their vital energy and fluids in the long run, creating a vicious cycle, especially making them more prone to intractable constipation. Clinically, the treatment of constipation emphasizes dietary regulation as the primary approach, supplemented by medication, and can even be entirely based on dietary adjustments.

The following are some common dietary remedies for constipation in middle-aged men:

◇Take 60 grams of walnut kernels and 30 grams of black sesame seeds, grind them into a fine powder, take 6 grams twice a day with honey water. Those with long-term constipation should take it continuously.

◇Grind 150 grams each of pine nuts and hemp seeds, and 200 grams of cypress seeds into a paste. Add honey and make into pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take 50 pills twice a day.

◇Grind 25 grams each of sesame seeds, walnut kernels, and pine nuts together, mix with honey, and take once in the morning and once in the evening on an empty stomach. Suitable for habitual constipation in middle-aged people.

◇Simmer 250 ml of milk, 100 ml of honey, and a little scallion juice together until boiling. Drink on an empty stomach in the morning. Suitable for various types of habitual constipation.

◇15g hemp seeds, 10g perilla seeds, 60g rice. First, pound the hemp seeds and perilla seeds into a paste, then add water and grind slowly. Filter the juice to remove the residue. Use the juice to cook the washed rice into a thin porridge. Eat on an empty stomach, once a day. This can lubricate the intestines and relieve constipation, while also nourishing and replenishing deficiencies. It is suitable for middle-aged people with weak constitutions and constipation.

◇ 15 grams of cassia seeds and 20 ml of honey. First, stir-fry the cassia seeds in an iron pot until golden brown, then grind them into powder. Add an appropriate amount of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, add honey and stir well. Drink warm, once every night; alternatively, steep in boiling water as a tea substitute. Suitable for habitual constipation.

◇Cook 20 grams of cypress seed kernels, 100 grams of japonica rice, and an appropriate amount of honey together into porridge. This porridge can nourish the heart and calm the mind, as well as lubricate the intestines and promote bowel movements. It is particularly suitable for middle-aged individuals with habitual constipation accompanied by palpitations, insomnia, and forgetfulness.

◇15 grams of almonds, 100 grams of japonica rice. First, soak the almonds in hot water, remove the skin, and cook them with the japonica rice into porridge. You can add a suitable amount of rock sugar to taste. This porridge can relieve cough and promote bowel movements. It is suitable for those with constipation and cough due to lung deficiency. In addition, sesame seeds, pine nuts, cassia seeds, etc., can also be cooked with japonica rice into porridge.

Constipation is a common symptom among middle-aged and elderly people, troubling many middle-aged men. However, a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach is more effective in treating constipation. It's important to drink plenty of water, especially developing the habit of drinking a glass of warm water every morning; eat more vegetables and fruits, such as cabbage, spinach, celery, bananas, apples, and oranges; and consume plenty of whole grains, avoiding overly refined foods. In addition, appropriate use of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine can be considered. Each person should use these treatments flexibly according to their own situation, and consult a gastroenterologist if necessary.

Health Class

Shrimp is a nutritious seafood, and many people have a habit of dipping live shrimp in alcohol before eating them, believing it to make them fresher. However, this practice of eating raw shrimp is unhygienic. Many shrimp carry metacercariae of liver flukes. When eaten raw, these metacercariae are digested by gastrointestinal juices, allowing the larvae to enter the bile ducts and hepatobiliary ducts, causing liver fluke disease. Some people who eat "drunken shrimp" experience acute infection symptoms such as high fever, chills, pain in the liver area, jaundice, and the detection of fluke eggs in their stool. In severe cases, symptoms such as upper abdominal distension and loss of appetite may occur, and death may occur due to liver failure. Therefore, shrimp should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

Chronic diarrhea is also common among middle-aged men. Some cases are functional diarrhea, while others are symptoms of other diseases, such as diarrhea caused by diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Therefore, if diarrhea occurs, a medical examination should be sought first, and dietary therapy should be used in conjunction with further diagnosis.

(1) Yam, Jujube and Lotus Seed Porridge

Stir-fry 50 grams of yam, 25 grams of lotus seeds (with the core removed), 10 jujubes, and 100 grams of glutinous rice together and cook into porridge. Add sugar to taste before eating. This can invigorate the spleen and replenish qi, and treat diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency.

(2) Rose and Plum Drink

Take 3 grams of dried rose petals and 15 grams of dried plums. Grind the dried rose petals into a fine powder. Put the dried plums in a pot, add water, and simmer until a concentrated juice is formed. Remove the skin and pits, then add an appropriate amount of sugar to make plum jam. First, put the rose petal powder in your mouth, then swallow it with the plum jam. Take 1-2 doses daily on an empty stomach before meals.

(3) Spleen-strengthening cake

Ingredients: 15g each of Codonopsis pilosula and Dioscorea opposita, 5g of lotus seeds, 8g of Poria cocos, 10g each of Euryale ferox and Coix lacryma-jobi, 50g of honey, 100g of white sugar, 150g of glutinous rice, and 350g of japonica rice. Preparation: First, stir-fry the glutinous rice and japonica rice until golden brown. Then, grind them together with the other ingredients into a fine powder. Add honey and sugar, mix with water, steam until cooked, and cut into strips. Consume on an empty stomach every morning. This can invigorate the spleen and replenish qi, strengthen the stomach and dry dampness, and treat spleen and stomach weakness, loose stools, and chronic diarrhea.

(4) Ginseng porridge

Ingredients: 3 grams of ginseng, 100 grams of japonica rice, and rock sugar to taste. Preparation: Rinse the rice and slice the ginseng. Place both in a clay pot, add water, and cook until the porridge is done. Add a small amount of rock sugar to taste before serving. This porridge is believed to replenish vital energy and benefit the spleen and lungs.

(5) Spleen-Nourishing Cake

Prepare 120g of stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala, 50g of dried ginger, 60g of chicken gizzard lining, and 250g of dried jujube pulp. First, roast the chicken gizzard lining and Atractylodes macrocephala until cooked and grind them into powder; grind the dried ginger into powder, combine them with the jujube pulp, pound them together into a paste, make small cakes, and dry them over a fire before eating.