Eating isn’t just about filling your stomach—how you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all directly related to your health and quality of life. Mastering a few key habits can bring greater benefits to your body.
A Picnic Story
Spring has arrived. All things are coming back to life; the sun is shining brightly, and everything is thriving.
Seeing this scene in nature, my wife decided to organize a family spring outing. The destination was not far from home—the locally renowned Sifang Mountain Botanical Garden. Since it takes two hours to climb to the summit and three or four hours round-trip, we planned to have lunch right there on the mountain. To that end, my wife bought some snacks at the supermarket—including beef jerky, fruit, potato chips, and dried tofu—as well as everyone’s favorite drinks.
With everything ready, we set off on our hike. The scenery on the mountain was quite nice, and we reached the summit right around noon. We began our lunch while admiring the flowers and the spring scenery.
The snacks were all things we usually enjoy, so logically, we should have eaten them with relish. But the opposite happened: at first, they tasted good and were satisfying, but after a while, we lost our appetite. The more we ate, the hungrier we got. Even after finishing a whole pile of snacks, our stomachs still felt empty, and our stomachs were upset. There were no restaurants on the mountain, so we had no choice but to head down early. When we got home, we had only one thought: hunger! So we quickly cooked some noodles, scrambled a few eggs, and added some greens. After each of us comfortably ate a bowl of egg-and-green-vegetable noodles, our stomachs finally felt better.
The biggest takeaway from this day’s spring outing wasn’t how much natural scenery we admired, but a deeper understanding of snacks—they simply don’t nourish you!
If you skip a meal and rely solely on snacks to stave off hunger, you’ll feel unwell. What would happen if you didn’t eat properly for an extended period? I dare not imagine how harmful that would be to the body.
In real life, many children, spoiled by their parents, don’t eat properly at mealtimes. Once mealtime has passed, they complain of hunger and demand snacks or fruit. Since most snacks are characterized by their rich, spicy, or savory flavors, they easily stimulate a child’s appetite, leading them to prefer snacks—unaware that these foods cannot provide children with balanced nutrition.
I often see children who are physically weak, suffer from chronic colds, or experience recurring “internal heat” and swollen tonsils. I usually tell their parents:
“Your child has ‘cold’ in their digestive tract and shouldn’t eat raw or cold foods—for example, many fruits aren’t suitable!”
“Your child has stagnation in the intestines. Recurrent heat-related symptoms are linked to poor lifestyle habits—stop buying snacks for your child!”
These parents often retort, “My child simply won’t eat during mealtimes. Now, with this forbidden and that off-limits, and no more snacks, what is he supposed to eat? Where will he get his nutrition?”
In fact, as long as a child eats three proper meals a day like any other person, they can obtain all the nutrients they need. Snacks, pastries, and fruits often lead to the development of unhealthy habits, and these habits ultimately have a negative impact on a child’s growth and development. Cultivating good eating and lifestyle habits is far better than waiting until a child gets sick to seek treatment.
Let’s imagine this: if we asked the parents of these children to follow the same routine as their kids—skipping three meals a day and instead eating one or two pieces of fruit, a bag of potato chips, and a few pieces of spicy dried tofu after mealtimes—for a whole week, they would naturally start to feel increasingly unwell.
When I was a child, my parents would often say that rice is the most nourishing food; no matter how delicious other foods might be, nothing compares to the comfort of a bowl of rice. A spring outing and picnic helped me understand the meaning of this saying even more deeply.
Nowadays, many families have only one child, and there are numerous issues regarding their diets.
First is picky eating; the vegetables children dislike are mostly those with strong odors, such as onions, carrots, and celery. Second is eating particularly slowly—not because these children naturally have small appetites, but because they’ve become overly reliant on their parents feeding them, which has become a habit; Finally, they have trouble concentrating and often play while eating.
If parents provide incorrect guidance, children may develop many unhealthy eating habits, which in turn can affect their physical development. Threatening or forcing a child to eat can cause them to develop an aversion to food. Therefore, parents should strive to create a pleasant dining environment and put extra effort into the appearance, aroma, and taste of the dishes to stimulate their child’s appetite.
Children generally prefer brightly colored foods, which is why they are drawn to junk food. Parents should not only pay attention to the nutritional balance of various dishes but also ensure they are visually appealing and delicious.
“Color” refers to the dish’s vibrant appearance—it shouldn’t be too monotonous. The goal is to minimize nutrient loss while ensuring the dish looks appealing. For example, when making noodles, you can add some finely chopped bright green vegetables or bright red tomatoes to the plain white noodles. This makes the noodles look colorful and more appealing to children.
“Aroma” refers to making the dishes smell enticing. It’s best to use natural spices when preparing food for children; you can also add some sesame seeds or crushed peanuts to the dishes. This stimulates children’s sense of smell and stimulates their appetite.
“Taste” refers to the flavor of the dish. A dish must not only have vibrant colors and an enticing aroma but also a delicious taste. Without a delicious taste, children won’t enjoy eating it. How to prepare delicious dishes is therefore a point that requires careful consideration.
When preparing food for young children, pay attention to cooking methods; the food should be visually appealing, varied in type, and have an enticing aroma. Such food stimulates children’s senses of sight and smell, thereby stimulating their appetite, promoting the secretion of digestive juices, and enhancing digestion and absorption.
As long as they are fresh and prepared in a healthy manner—whether vegetables, fruits, meats, or staple foods—they are all healthy options that benefit a child’s well-being. If parents put a little more thought into the presentation and make the dishes more visually appealing, children are sure to develop a taste for these foods. This is especially true during the ages of one to two, when a child’s eating habits are forming. Parents must provide proper guidance to cultivate good eating habits and help their children develop a preference for these healthy foods as soon as possible.
When we talk about “eating,” we’re referring to main meals, not snacks. Only by eating well during main meals can the body stay healthy. Through the story of a spring outing and picnic, I’ve come to understand a truth: many things follow certain principles, and acting against basic principles makes it easy to make mistakes.
Extending this idea, let’s take a look at other mistakes we commonly make.
When people fall ill—especially with serious or severe illnesses—we all know we need to take medicine. Here, “medicine” does not refer to food. What exactly is medicine? The *Lei Jing* states: “Anything that can ward off pathogenic factors and restore balance may be called a toxic medicine. What is meant by ‘toxic’ is that its properties are one-sided.”
In ancient times, medicines capable of treating diseases were collectively referred to as “poisons” because their properties—whether cold or hot, bitter or warm—were distinct. When a person falls ill, it is because the functions of their internal organs have become imbalanced, with one aspect becoming excessively strong or weak. The fundamental principle of using medicine to treat illness is to correct imbalance with imbalance, thereby restoring the proper functions of the internal organs.
Many so-called “health supplements” on the market today do not even qualify as such; they are merely food products with “food” approval numbers. They deceive patients by touting claims of being “safe and non-toxic,” “healthy and eco-friendly,” and “all-natural.” As a result, patients with diabetes—who should be receiving proper medical treatment—are misled into consuming these so-called health supplements or food products. To achieve a perceived effect, some unscrupulous merchants even add Western pharmaceutical ingredients to these food products. While they may seem effective, it is actually the Western medicine that is taking effect. Moreover, such improper use of medication will inevitably lead to the patient’s condition worsening and an increasing number of complications.
The reason patients fall for these scams is, in fact, their fear of medication side effects. There is no such thing as a drug with absolutely no side effects. I often tell my patients: eating too much causes bloating, drinking too much alcohol causes dizziness, and even drinking too much water can lead to poisoning—let alone medication.
Medicines have inherent properties; treating illness is about correcting imbalances—it involves harnessing these properties. If you choose foods that lack such properties, they naturally cannot cure disease. This is the same principle as snacking instead of eating a proper meal when you should be eating.
When you’re sick and need medicine, you must take it.
Some might ask, “Why can’t acupuncture cure the illness without taking medicine?” Let’s look at another story: the story of the quarry.
