Two spices make a 99-year-old doctor as healthy as a 40
CHINA Thanks to the habit of eating three slices of pickled ginger every day, Dr. Lu Zhizheng has the same health as a middle-aged man despite being 99 years old.
Although at the age of 99, traditional medicine doctor Lu Zhizheng possesses a healthy body, with a sharper memory than those of 60 to 70 years old. When asked about the secret to staying healthy over the years, Dr. Lu shared two familiar, cheap spices that appear in many family meals, which are ginger and vinegar.
Dr. Lu said that for the past 20 to 30 years, he ate three slices of pickled ginger every morning. According to him, this method helps reduce bloating, indigestion in people with busy work and irregular diet. In addition, ginger also has the effect of warming the stomach and relieving colds.
Proving the effectiveness of pickled ginger, he publicized the results of periodic health checks. The indicators show that he has good vascular elasticity, equivalent to middle-aged people, "90 body but 40 years old heart".
To prepare pickled ginger, Dr. Lu uses young ginger washed, drained, sliced, sprinkled with a little salt and marinated for 12 hours. Next, he put the marinated ginger slices in the jar, added vinegar, and covered it. He advises people to choose light-colored vinegar, the simplest is rice vinegar mixed with water. Then, he covered the jar with plastic wrap and stored it for 4 or 5 days before eating.
Dr. Lu noted that pickled ginger is suitable for people who are afraid of cold, dysmenorrhea, and yang damage, but not suitable for people with negative yin and fire. According to him, ginger and vinegar are good remedies. Ginger contains ketones and gingerol, which can prevent blood clotting, improve blood circulation, boost immunity, and lower cholesterol. Meanwhile, vinegar can widen blood vessels, reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Eating vinegared ginger also reduces fat content in the blood, helping to treat high blood fat.
Dr. Lu Zhizheng at a seminar in China. Photo: Aboluowang
Besides using two familiar spices, Dr. Lu has the habit of going for a daily walk. Every morning, if it's not too windy outside, he walks about 300 steps. Then he did the Eight Doan Cam (a qigong exercise) for about half an hour, mobilizing the 4 outer poles, nourishing the internal qi and maintaining abundant energy.
"Exercise helps smooth bowel movements. Older people are often constipated, and exercise will minimize this," he said, adding that eating whole grains twice a week, mainly cornmeal. At each meal, he adheres to the principle of only eating until about 70% full.
In an interview with Health Times in 2011, Dr. Lu revealed that he also likes to drink different types of tea depending on the season. For example, in the spring, he uses rosehip tea, which promotes hair growth and boosts energy.
According to him, drinking green tea in the morning helps to strengthen yang, using oolong tea in the afternoon to nourish the spleen and promote digestion, drinking Pu-erh tea (made from the leaves of the ancient Shan Tuyet tea tree) in the evening protects the stomach and Does not affect sleep. Dr. Lu noted that the tea should not be brewed too strong. After three times of brewing, if the tea is no longer fragrant, it must be discarded and replaced.