We all know that constipation is caused by a lack of fiber in food, but in the view of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), because everyone has different constitutions and preferences, the food they eat will also be different. So what should we eat for long-term constipation? In response to patients' questions, we invited experts to introduce the specific content, hoping that through the experts' explanation, it will be helpful to everyone.
According to the "constitution theory" of TCM, human constitution is divided into cold, heat, and neutral types. People with a cold constitution often feel cold and have white slippery tongues; people with a hot constitution often feel thirsty, have yellow tongues, and easily become irritable; people with a neutral constitution do not have preferences between cold and heat. Different constitutions should eat fruits with opposite characteristics.
People with a hot constitution should eat cold-natured fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, pear, grapefruit, orange, banana, mulberry, water chestnut, and kiwi. People with a cold constitution should eat hot-natured fruits such as cherry, tangerine, and jujube; people with a neutral constitution have more choices, but the most suitable for them are pineapple and sugarcane.
Elderly people with diabetes should not eat high-sugar fruits such as longan, lychee, jujube, cantaloupe, and banana. Apples, hawthorn, and plum mostly contain a lot of tannic acid, which has astringent effects, so patients with constipation should eat less, otherwise it may worsen the condition. Sweet potato, although not a fruit, has appeared frequently on fruit stands in recent years. It has very good laxative effects and can be consumed by people of all constitutions. Fresh fruit is best eaten five times a day.