1. Food with anticancer effect
In recent years, more and more people began to pay attention to and vigorously study foods with anticancer effects. Recent research results show that many foods have different degrees of anti-cancer effects. Especially foods rich in carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C and trace element selenium, because these substances can eliminate the harmful effects of carcinogens in the body and inhibit the spread and proliferation of cancer cells. For example, vitamin A can regulate the growth of cells, thus preventing the uncontrolled growth of cells and inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. Vitamin C can inhibit the synthesis of nitrosamines, stimulate the body to produce anti-cancer substance-interferon, and inhibit the proliferation and spread of cancer cells. Selenium can promote the body to produce glutathione, which can kill cancer cells. In addition, many foods also contain coumaric acid and caffeic tannic acid, which have stronger inhibitory effect on nitrosamines than vitamin C. Now, the commonly used foods mainly with anti-cancer effects are as follows.
(1) Fruits and vegetables include garlic, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, bitter gourd, pumpkin, onion, eggplant, apple, pineapple, jujube, kiwi fruit, hawthorn and apricot.
(2) Dried fruits, such as walnuts, longan, figs and water chestnuts.
(3) Meat and eggs, fish livers, soft-shelled turtles, eggs and sea cucumbers.
(4) Mushrooms, tremella, Hericium erinaceus, etc.
(5) Other soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes, kelp, etc.
Second, foods with anti-aging effects.
Scientists believe that people's life span should be 120 years. But due to various external reasons, most people can't reach this age. In the past 20 years, remarkable achievements have been made in the research of delaying aging at home and abroad, especially in the research of anti-aging foods. The close relationship between nutrition and longevity has been paid more and more attention and affirmation by scientists. Among them, trace elements are closely related to longevity, vitamins are closely related to longevity, and nucleic acids are particularly closely related to longevity. Physiologists in Parkley, USA, found that vitamin E can delay the aging process of human cells cultured in the laboratory. Animal experiments show that feeding animals food mixed with vitamin E can prolong their life span by 30%. Nucleic acid is an important element of human cells, which has the functions of regenerating cells and restoring health and vitality. Professor An Tian of the Japanese Imperial University School of Medicine pointed out: "All kinds of aging phenomena in the human body are caused by changes in nucleic acids that make up cells." Dr. Frank of the United States believes: "Nucleic acid is of great significance to cells, which has the functions of anti-aging and prolonging life. Nucleic acid can be ingested from food. " Many commonly used foods have anti-aging effects, such as the following.
(1) Royal jelly has the functions of strengthening the body and prolonging life. Royal jelly has many activities such as activating cells, stimulating endocrine, stimulating appetite, strengthening physical strength, strengthening brain, improving intelligence, resisting bacteria and cancer.
(2) Kelp has the functions of lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, resisting cancer and caring skin.
(3) Other foods containing more nucleic acids, such as beans, fish, various animal livers and lean meat, as well as mushrooms, black sesame seeds and walnuts.
Third, brain-strengthening and intelligence-improving food.
Nutritionist research shows that nutrition is an important factor to improve brain cells and enhance brain function. Brain function is closely related to general health. With the increase of age, cerebral atherosclerosis, insufficient blood dryness in the brain, hypoxia degeneration, atrophy and necrosis of brain nerve cells, make nerve function decline, and then lead to systemic failure. At first, it showed forgetfulness, obvious memory loss, speech disorder, abnormal personality and inability to take care of themselves. This is a typical brain attack and decline phenomenon, commonly known as "Alzheimer's disease". In order to prevent the decline of brain function, increasing brain-nourishing and intelligence-improving foods as soon as possible can effectively prevent the decline of brain function. Foods rich in unsaturated fat, protein, sugar, calcium, and vitamin E all have the function of strengthening the brain and improving intelligence. Commonly used brain-nourishing and intelligence-improving foods are:
(1) Hawthorn, orange, jujube, kiwi, strawberry, mushroom, green pepper, spinach and other fruits and vegetables.
(2) Lean meat, animal liver and eggs.
(3) Dried fruits, such as walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts and sunflower seeds.
(four) other fish, shrimp, honey, etc.
Fourth, foods that can improve hearing and vision.
With the increase of age, people's vision and hearing gradually decline, which is related to the lack of some nutrients in the body. Among them, vitamins A, B 1, B2, D and protein are mainly insufficient. Natural vitamin A exists in the form of retinol, which is oxidized into retinol in the body, and retinol is the component of photosensitive substance in visual cells. Vitamin A combines with protein to form the visual pigment of rod cells and cone cells. If vitamin A is deficient, it will affect the regeneration or insufficient regeneration of visual pigment, leading to the decline of dark adaptation ability and "night blindness". Vitamin B 1 and B2 maintain the normal health of the eyes. When lacking vitamin B1and B2, the eyes are prone to fatigue, dryness, photophobia, and even decreased corneal transparency, lens opacity and senile cataract. When vitamin D is deficient, the auditory cells in the inner ear will degenerate. In addition, the lack of zinc and iron in the body will lead to hypoxia of auditory cells, which will lead to hearing loss. Most foods rich in vitamins A, B 1, B2, D, zinc, iron and protein can improve hearing and vision. Examples are as follows:
(1) Fruits and vegetables include carrots, spinach, pumpkins, dates, oranges and tomatoes.
(2) Fish and eggs are marine fish, lean meat and eggs.
(3) Dried walnuts, sunflower seeds and peanuts.
(four) other animal livers, mushrooms, shrimp skins, sheep kidneys, etc.
5. A food with cosmetic function
Skin is the most sensitive sensory organ, and the health of skin is a sign of physical health, while facial skin is the representative of the whole human skin, so beauty and moisturizing are indispensable for health care and physical fitness. The nutritional status of the body is closely related to the health of the skin, among which vitamins A, C, E, nucleic acid, collagen and elastin are particularly important. Vitamin A maintains the normal development of epithelial tissue. When it is deficient, normal epidermal cells become hyperkeratinized epidermal cells, making the skin surface rough. Vitamin C can promote the formation of intercellular collagen. When it is lacking, the brittleness of blood vessel wall will be enhanced, skin blood vessels will become brittle easily and skin elasticity will be weakened. Vitamin e has antioxidant effect. Experiments show that vitamin E can protect red blood cells from exposure, sunlight, X-rays, cigarettes and other factors. Vitamin E can prolong the life of rodents by 30%. Vitamin E can also delay the normal aging process of human cells cultured in laboratory, and make human embryonic lung cells differentiate from 50 times to 120 times, showing a youthful and healthy state. Nucleic acid is an important element of human cells, which has the functions of regenerating cells and restoring health and vitality. Nucleic acid can make hair thick and dark, moisturize skin and eliminate wrinkles. In addition, collagen and elastin are important substances for storing water, and also necessary substances for maintaining and strengthening skin elasticity. Foods rich in vitamins A, C, E, nucleic acid, elastin and collagen all have the function of beautifying and moistening skin. Examples are as follows:
(1) Fruits and vegetables include carrots, tomatoes, spinach, kelp, Flammulina velutipes, mushrooms, tremella, bananas, jujubes, kiwis, hawthorn, oranges and apples.
(2) Lean fish, animal liver, marine fish, shrimp, pigskin, tendon, chicken feet and duck feet.
(3) Dried fruits, such as walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts and watermelon seeds.
Other royal jelly, honey, milk, beans, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, etc.
6. Foods with the functions of lowering blood pressure and blood lipid.
The most common signs of aging are arteriosclerosis and hypertension, which are often accompanied by morphological or functional changes of some major organs of the body. Most of these changes are caused by the increase of blood lipids and the deposition of cholesterol on the blood vessel wall. Some substances can effectively prevent the deposition of cholesterol, and some substances can inhibit the absorption of fat and cholesterol and promote its excretion, such as lecithin, because lecithin can inhibit the lipid from staying in the serum or infiltrating into the intima of blood vessels, prevent the deposition of cholesterol in the liver and promote the excretion of cholesterol from bile, thereby reducing the cholesterol content in blood and alleviating or preventing atherosclerosis. Vitamin C, triterpenoids, flavonoids and other substances have the functions of softening blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and reducing blood fat. There are many foods containing the above substances, such as:
(1) Fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, white radishes, celery, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, garlic, fungus, mushrooms, kelp, laver, apples, watermelons, hawthorn, etc.
(2) Other soybeans, sesame seeds, corn oil, tea, olive oil, oats, etc.
Seven, food with the function of enhancing sexual function.
Sexual function is an important physiological function of human body, which not only shoulders the sacred mission of reproduction, but also plays an important role in family life and husband and wife life. The decline of sexual function is bound to bring troubles to personal and family life. In addition, with the growth of age and the aging of the body, sexual function also decreases accordingly. Just as the aging of the body can be delayed, the decline of sexual function can be delayed by exercise and strengthening nutrition, and some foods can effectively enhance sexual function. Some foods rich in protein, sex hormones, gonadotropins and trace element zinc have obvious effects on enhancing sexual function and delaying sexual decline. Protein is the basic substance of sex hormone, prostaglandin, semen and sperm, while sex hormone and gonadotropin are the basic substances to maintain normal sexual function. Zinc deficiency in human body can cause atrophy of spermatogenic epithelium, decrease of sperm number, loss of libido, impotence and even infertility. Foods containing the above substances have the function of enhancing sexual function. Commonly used are:
(a) aquatic marine fish, shrimp, oysters, loach, etc.
(2) Meat, eggs and dog meat, yellow dog kidney, sparrow meat, animal liver, egg yolk, etc.
(3) dried fruits such as peanuts, sesame seeds and walnuts.
(4) Other silkworm chrysalis.
Eight, food with the function of preventing and treating diabetes.
Diabetes is a common disease that affects and harms human body, and it is an endocrine-metabolic disease. Hyperglycemia is the main sign, which is manifested as polydipsia, polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, emaciation and fatigue. It is a group of diseases whose etiology and pathogenesis have not been fully clarified because of the absolute or relative deficiency of insulin secretion and the decrease of the body's sensitivity to insulin. At present, it is recognized that it is related to heredity, obesity, autoimmune and other factors. Treatment mainly aims at correcting metabolic abnormalities, lowering blood sugar and improving diabetic symptoms, among which the therapeutic effect of insulin and insulin-like substances can be said to be directed at the disease. Foods that promote insulin secretion and have insulin-like effects can prevent and treat diabetes. Examples are as follows:
(1) Momordica charantia is cold and bitter, and has the effects of clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, improving eyesight and detoxifying. Can be used for treating fever, polydipsia, heatstroke, dysentery, red-eye pain and malignant sores. "Quanzhou Materia Medica" said: "Bitter gourd is mainly used for relieving summer heat and promoting fluid production. 1. Drinking, wind and heat, red eyes, heatstroke and diarrhea. "
Modern research shows that bitter gourd contains momordicin and other substances, among which there is an insulin-like substance-Ruogua polypeptide, which can lower blood sugar. Bitter gourd is dried, ground into powder and made into tablets. Three times a day, each time 10g. Can improve the clinical symptoms of diabetes and reduce blood sugar, and the total effective rate is 79%.
(2) Pomelo Pomelo is cold and sweet. "Rihuazi Materia Medica" says: "Pomelo, in addition to bad breath in the stomach, relieves alcoholism." Grapefruit also has the function of eliminating phlegm and relieving cough.
Modern research shows that grapefruit contains naringin, bitter orange glycoside and so on, which has anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, fresh grapefruit juice contains insulin-like components, which can lower blood sugar.
(3) Monopterus albus is warm and sweet, and has the functions of tonifying deficiency, expelling wind and dampness and strengthening bones and muscles. Indications: pulmonary tuberculosis, wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, etc.
Modern research shows that eel contains eel essence, which has a hypoglycemic effect similar to insulin. It has obvious effect on improving the clinical symptoms of diabetic patients.
(4) Garlic is warm and pungent, and has the effects of warming the spleen and stomach, promoting digestion and removing toxic substances.
Modern research shows that garlic contains allicin and other substances, which have the functions of expelling worms, resisting bacteria, reducing weight, resisting cancer, relieving cough, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood fat, resisting aging and lowering blood sugar. Garlic can promote insulin secretion and increase the absorption and utilization of glucose by tissues and cells. Eating garlic regularly has positive significance for improving glucose tolerance and preventing diabetes.