Can I eat bitter melon during menstruation?

As we all know, menstruation is a very special and sensitive period for female friends. During menstruation, female friends should pay attention to their diet and never eat random things. So what are suitable for women during menstruation and what are not suitable? This requires us to have an in-depth understanding of menstrual diet. For example, is the bitter melon that we often eat suitable for women during menstruation?

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bitterness enters the heart, so bitter melon has a good effect in protecting the heart. However, do not eat bitter melon during menstruation, because bitter melon can cause menstrual irregularities. Therefore, every food during menstruation must be carefully considered.

Eating more bitter melon in summer can clear away heat and relieve summer heat, but how to eat it to maximize the effect of relieving summer heat?

We all have this experience: when the temperature is high, we tend to get irritable, which is due to "excessive heart fire". According to the health-preserving principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, one should "increase bitterness and reduce sourness" in the summer, because bitterness enters the heart, reduces heart fire, and eliminates irritability.

The sour taste will help the heart fire. In summer, bitter food is needed, and bitter melon, a seasonal vegetable, is undoubtedly a good choice. A nutritionist from the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine said that bitter melon can clear away heat and reduce fire, relieve fever and restlessness, relieve fatigue, clear the heart and improve eyesight, and replenish qi and strengthen yang. From the perspective of modern medicine, bitter melon is rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, which is nearly three times that of tomatoes. Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant that can improve the body's stress resistance and reduce the risk of cancer. In addition, bitter melon also contains momordica glycosides, multiple amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, B vitamins, etc.

Menstrual period is not painful, menstruation is not smooth

However, "suffering" must also be approached dialectically. Experts say that some people have weak spleen and stomach, and are prone to diarrhea after eating cold food. Their stools are usually loose and tasteless. Such people are not suitable for eating bitter food.

Because bitter melon is bitter and cold, it has an astringent nature, and the coldness slows down blood circulation. Therefore, women during menstruation should not "suffer too much" and be careful not to affect the smoothness of menstruation.

Medical experiments on mice have found that an ingredient called "mospermum officinale" in bitter melon can cause early or mid-term miscarriage in pregnant mice, and it is believed that bitter melon can cause the uterus to contract. Although the content of bitter gourd is not high, pregnant women should still eat it in moderation and not eat too much.

If the stomach and intestines cannot tolerate this bitter cold, you need to add spicy foods such as chili, pepper, onion and garlic when cooking. So as not to damage the spleen and lung qi. In summer, people like to stay cool and like to use fans and air conditioners, which can easily catch a cold. At this time, eating some spicy foods such as garlic, ginger, coriander, onion, chives, basil leaves, etc. will help expel the cold from the body.

Bitter taste is forced out, and the heat-clearing effect is weakened

Bitter melon tastes bitter because it contains a substance called "quinine", which is the substance that has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. Experts say that in order to avoid the bitterness of bitter melon when cooking, some people will pickle it with salt first to force out the bitterness so that it does not taste bitter, but this will reduce the effect of bitter melon in clearing away heat and detoxifying.

Some people like to drink bitter melon juice, and they will blend bitter melon with other vegetables such as celery and green peppers to make juice. Experts say that this way of eating is fine, but it is not recommended to drink on an empty stomach. From a nutritional point of view, liquid food remains in the gastrointestinal tract for a short time, and the nutrients are metabolized before they are fully absorbed. Therefore, it is recommended to eat some solid food first and then drink bitter melon juice, so that the food can be emptied from the stomach more slowly and is more conducive to nutrient absorption. From the perspective of the efficacy of bitter melon, bitter melon has a certain effect in lowering blood sugar in the body. People's blood sugar levels are very low when they are fasting. To prevent the problem of low blood sugar, it is best not to eat it on an empty stomach.

We introduced above that menstruation is a very important period. The diet of female friends during menstruation is very worthy of attention. Many foods that are usually good for the body should not be eaten during menstruation. For example, the bitter melon introduced above is good for our body but it can cause irregular menstruation for female friends.