Say goodbye to "gaining weight even from drinking water": Atractylodes macrocephala, tangerine peel, and red bean soup, and winter melon and hyacinth bean soup, all beneficial for strengthening the spleen, removing dampness, and promoting urination.
There are many causes of obesity, one of the main ones being overeating, excessive nutrition, and excessive calorie intake, leading to obesity (e.g., acquired obesity). Preventing obesity caused by this reason is actually quite simple: just control your diet and limit calorie intake, and over time, you will lose weight. However, some people don't eat much, but their bodies remain very full, or more accurately, bloated. These people find weight loss extremely difficult because the fat is truly persistent. Another thing that bothers them is that even after drinking water, they feel bloated and gain weight. Why does drinking water cause weight gain? Should they not drink water at all?
Obesity refers to the accumulation of excessive body fat, causing fat deposits, a bulky physique, and a "fleshy" appearance. However, obesity is not the same as edema, and drinking water does not cause weight gain. Many people confuse edema with obesity, labeling any swelling caused by drinking water as "obesity." Indeed, some people experience both obesity and edema, resulting in a bloated appearance that is difficult to distinguish between fat and edema. Drinking water exacerbates the edema, leading them to mistakenly believe they are becoming obese. These individuals have edema and obesity coexisting, a condition known as water-dampness type obesity, where water retention occurs in the body, along with excess fat accumulation.
Water is the source of life and an indispensable substance for maintaining life and a healthy body. Water makes up about two-thirds of the human body. It is an excellent solvent, transporting nutrients, excreting waste, diluting toxins, lubricating organs, and regulating body temperature. All physiological activities in the human body require water to function. Dehydration can seriously affect health and endanger life. However, excessive water retention can also affect organ function, harm health, and cause swelling, sometimes present and sometimes absent, making it difficult to distinguish between obesity and edema.
Dampness is a term in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), described as "yin evil," "heavy and turbid," "sticky," "descending," and "easily obstructing qi and damaging yang qi." Explaining dampness using TCM terminology makes it even more difficult to understand. It's better to simplify it by viewing dampness as a pathogenic factor. Like water, it is highly fluid and has the characteristic of sinking downwards. Therefore, patients with water-dampness-related obesity, in addition to obesity, tend to have edema. Moreover, edema is more common in the lower body, such as swollen feet, ankles, calves, buttocks, and thighs. Because both dampness and water are highly fluid substances, the edema in the lower body improves when dampness is expelled. However, dampness can also accumulate again, causing edema in the lower body. When the body is in good condition, dampness can be expelled, and the edema will improve; when health is poor, dampness cannot be expelled, and it accumulates again, resulting in fluctuating swelling and weight gain.
The accumulation of dampness in the body indicates poor health and impaired metabolism. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the spleen governs the transformation and transportation of dampness, meaning it has the function of regulating water and eliminating dampness. A healthy spleen can absorb and distribute water to supply various tissues of the body, and it can also excrete excess water. Dampness refers to abnormal liquid substances; excessive absorption can be resolved and eliminated. If the spleen's function is insufficient, it cannot eliminate dampness, and dampness will accumulate in the body. Because dampness tends to sink downwards, when dampness is severe, the lower body is prone to edema, or even swelling.
Excessive dampness in the body indicates spleen deficiency. The saying "the spleen is the foundation of acquired constitution" means that a person's life and health depend on the spleen's support. Therefore, insufficient spleen function not only leads to dampness and edema due to impaired water metabolism, but also indicates insufficient vitality, poor overall metabolism, and a weakened basal metabolic rate. This results in reduced calorie consumption and difficulty burning fat. Consequently, dampness and fat coexist, leading to dampness-type obesity. To improve this situation, in addition to weight loss, it is essential to strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness-a two-pronged approach is indispensable.
Water-dampness type obesity and corresponding decoction formula:
(1) Atractylodes macrocephala, tangerine peel, and red bean soup. Servings: 4. Ingredients: 5 mace of Atractylodes macrocephala, 1 mace of tangerine peel, 2 liang of red beans, 1 carp. Preparation: Boil in 12 bowls of water for 2 hours. Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen, removes dampness, promotes qi circulation, and facilitates urination.
Atractylodes macrocephala has a bitter and sweet taste, and is warm in nature. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen, removing dampness, promoting diuresis, and stopping sweating. Its spleen-strengthening effect is particularly good; it is beneficial for those with weak spleen and stomach who experience poor appetite, abdominal distension, fatigue, and diarrhea. Furthermore, it is effective in removing water retention, promoting diuresis, and reducing swelling, and is suitable for treating edema caused by water retention, lower limb edema, and phlegm-dampness retention. The Compendium of Materia Medica states that "(Atractylodes macrocephala) decocted and taken regularly can lighten the body and prolong life," meaning that regular consumption of Atractylodes macrocephala can help with weight loss and longevity. In addition, it also has the effects of relieving numbness, stopping sweating, calming the fetus, and eliminating lumps, making it a truly mild tonic.
Dried tangerine peel, along with old ginger and straw, is known as one of the "Three Treasures of Guangdong." It is widely used in both medicinal and culinary applications. It can be used in soups, steamed dishes, porridge, and stir-fries. Dried tangerine peel has a bitter and pungent taste, and is warm in nature. It has the effects of regulating qi, strengthening the spleen, drying dampness, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, stopping vomiting, and stopping diarrhea. Although dried tangerine peel is commonly used, it is generally used as an ingredient or auxiliary medicine. For example, when combined with Atractylodes macrocephala, it can enhance the spleen-strengthening and dampness-removing effects; when combined with red beans, it can enhance the diuretic, dampness-removing, and swelling-reducing effects. Furthermore, adding a slice of dried tangerine peel to soups can make the soup more fragrant and delicious; when the soup is cold in nature, adding dried tangerine peel can neutralize its medicinal properties.
Red beans are a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. They can be used in soups and medicinal decoctions. This herb is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, possessing the effects of clearing heat and dampness, promoting urination, detoxifying, and reducing swelling. Red beans are particularly effective at promoting urination, and can be used for conditions such as urinary retention, beriberi edema, lower limb edema, generalized edema, and water-dampness type obesity. Furthermore, it also promotes blood circulation, drains pus, eliminates sores, and clears body heat. Therefore, it can be used to clear heat and treat acne.
(2) Winter melon, ginger, and lentil soup. Serves: 4. Ingredients: 1 pound winter melon, 3 slices of ginger, 2 ounces lentils, 1 piece of pork ribs. Preparation: Simmer in 12 bowls of water for 2 hours. Benefits: Promotes diuresis and removes dampness, lowers lipids and aids weight loss.
Winter melon is a commonly used food in traditional Chinese medicine. It has a sweet and bland taste and is cooling in nature. It possesses properties that clear heat and relieve summer heat, promote diuresis and reduce swelling, and eliminate dampness. It can also detoxify and sober up. During hot summer days, people love to use winter melon in soups because of its excellent heat-relieving effects. Furthermore, people like it because it is a natural weight-loss aid. The "Compendium of Materia Medica for Dietary Therapy" states, "Those who wish to achieve a slim and healthy physique can eat it regularly." This is because winter melon contains special components that can inhibit fat formation, promote fat breakdown, and promote diuresis and reduce swelling, making it most suitable for people with water retention-type obesity. However, winter melon is slightly cooling, so it's advisable to add a few slices of ginger when cooking it to neutralize its medicinal properties.
Ginger has a pungent and slightly warm flavor. It possesses various medicinal properties, including inducing sweating to relieve exterior syndromes, warming the middle jiao to stop vomiting, strengthening the stomach and removing dampness, and detoxifying and relieving pain. Ginger is very commonly used. Besides being used in soups, stir-fries, steamed fish, porridge, and medicinal decoctions, it can also be used for detoxification. Ginger peel has diuretic and swelling-reducing effects, making it particularly suitable for patients with water retention-type obesity. Although ginger has many benefits, its medicinal properties are warm and drying. Generally, only a few slices are used.
Hyacinth beans, also known as "white hyacinth beans," are a commonly used food in traditional Chinese medicine. They are sweet and slightly warm in nature, and have the effects of strengthening the spleen, resolving dampness, and relieving summer heat. They are suitable for spleen deficiency diarrhea, summer-heat diarrhea, spleen deficiency with dampness, and excessive vaginal discharge in women. In addition, hyacinth beans also improve eyesight. They can also help prevent diabetes and have effects such as lowering blood sugar, lowering lipids, lowering cholesterol, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, making them a suitable food for weight loss. They are also suitable for patients with water-dampness type obesity.