What are the benefits and effects of Chinese yam?
Chinese yam refers to the yam currently produced in Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. As a highly nutritious food, it contains a large amount of protein, carbohydrates, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, glucose, crude protein amino acids, choline, allantoin, and essential minerals and trace elements such as iodine, calcium, iron and phosphorus. Let's take a look at the benefits and effects of Chinese yam!
The benefits and effects of Chinese yam
1. Strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach: Yam is a mild tonic for both the spleen and stomach, used as both medicine and food. It contains substances such as amylase and polyphenol oxidase, which are beneficial to the digestion and absorption functions of the spleen and stomach. It can be eaten whether there is spleen yang deficiency or stomach yin deficiency. Clinically, it is often used to treat conditions such as weakness of the spleen and stomach, poor appetite and fatigue, and diarrhea.
2. Nourishing the kidneys and boosting essence: Yam contains a variety of nutrients and has the effect of strengthening the body, nourishing the kidneys and boosting essence. It can be taken for symptoms such as kidney deficiency and spermatorrhea, excessive vaginal discharge in women, and frequent urination.
3. Benefiting the lungs and relieving cough: Yam contains saponins and mucilage, which have lubricating and moisturizing effects. Therefore, it can benefit lung qi, nourish lung yin, and treat symptoms of lung deficiency with phlegm cough and chronic cough.
4. Lowering blood sugar: Yam contains mucilage protein, which has the effect of lowering blood sugar and can be used to treat diabetes. It is an excellent food therapy for diabetic patients.
5. Prolonging life: Yam contains a large amount of mucilage protein, vitamins and trace elements, which can effectively prevent blood lipids from depositing on blood vessel walls, prevent cardiovascular diseases, and achieve the effects of benefiting the mind, calming the nerves, and prolonging life.
6. Anti-hepatic coma: In recent years, studies have found that yam has a sedative effect and can be used against hepatic coma.
Dietary contraindications for Chinese yam
1. Diabetic patients should not eat too much: Although the mucilage protein contained in yam has the effect of lowering blood sugar, yam is a root and tuber food with a relatively high starch content. If eaten too much, it will not lower blood sugar but instead cause blood sugar to rise. Therefore, people with diabetes should not eat an excessive amount of yam at one time. If some patients prefer to eat yam, they should appropriately reduce the amount of staple food, otherwise it will have the opposite effect.
2. Eat less yam when eating hot pot: Yam itself is a tonic. When eating hot pot, the effect of spicy seasonings gives the neutral-natured yam a certain heating property, making it easy to cause internal heat. Therefore, it is best to eat less yam when eating hot pot.
3. Avoid taking alkaline drugs such as baking soda: When eating yam, do not take alkaline drugs such as baking soda tablets at the same time, so as to avoid baking soda rendering the amylase in yam ineffective.
4. Prostate cancer or breast cancer: The diosgenin component contained in yam can synthesize hormones in the human body, such as testosterone and estrogen. Therefore, it is not suitable for men with prostate cancer or women with breast cancer to eat it.
5. Constipation patients should eat as little as possible: Yam is rich in starch. For those with chest and abdominal distension, dry stool, and constipation, it is best to eat less. After these symptoms ease, yam can be eaten again. In addition, patients with peptic ulcers and cirrhosis should choose cooking methods such as steaming and stewing, and avoid quick stir-frying and sweet and sour cooking.
How to eat Chinese yam
1. Plain stir-fried Chinese yam
[Ingredients] 400 grams of Chinese yam, 15 grams each of green pepper and red pepper, 3 grams of salt, 2 grams of chicken essence.
[Method] ① Peel and wash the Chinese yam, cut diagonally into thin slices, wash the green pepper and red pepper separately, and slice. ② Pour oil into a wok and heat to 70% hot, add the yam slices and stir-fry until cooked, then add the green pepper slices and red pepper slices and stir-fry, season with salt and chicken essence, remove from the pan and plate.
2. Chinese yam porridge
[Ingredients] 30 grams of Chinese yam, 20 grams of carrot, 30 grams of rice, a little spinach puree, 2 cups of water.
[Method] Peel the Chinese yam and carrot, and cut into small pieces (about 1 cm square). Add 2 cups of water to the rice and bring to a boil, add the Chinese yam and carrot and bring to a boil together, turn to low heat and cook for about 15 minutes, then add the spinach puree and it is done.
3. Yam, corn and pork rib soup
[Ingredients] 2 pork ribs, 1 ear of sweet corn, half a yam, appropriate amounts of scallion, ginger, yellow wine, and salt.
[Method] ① Chop the pork ribs into small sections, put cold water in a pot, add the ribs, and after it comes to a boil, rinse the ribs in cold water and clean them. Put warm water in a clay pot, place the ribs in the clay pot, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cut the corn into sections, cut the yam into rolling chunks, shred the scallion, and slice the ginger. ② After cooking the ribs over medium heat for about 40 minutes, add the corn, yam, shredded scallion, and ginger slices, pour in one spoonful of yellow wine, turn to low heat and continue cooking for 40 minutes, then add salt according to personal taste and turn off the heat.
4. Yam, carrot and pork rib soup
[Ingredients] 400 grams of pork ribs, 300 grams of yam, 100 grams of carrot, appropriate amounts of red dates, ginger, and scallion.
[Method] ① Soak the pork ribs in clean water for 20 minutes to remove blood water, and scrape the skin off the yam and carrot with a small knife. Put cold water in a pot, add the ribs and bring to a boil. Be sure to put them in cold water, otherwise the meat texture will not be good. ② Take out the ribs after blanching, cut the carrot and yam into chunks, smash the ginger, and put the ribs, yam, carrot, appropriate amount of red dates, and smashed ginger together in a pressure cooker, add water to cover the ingredients. ③ Cover the pot and steam-cook for 30 minutes, add appropriate amount of salt and scallion, and serve.