As the Year of the Ox approaches, are those enduring health-preserving methods in life secrets or misunderstandings?

Niu Niu: The New Year is prosperous, let’s make some red date tea. Young people should also pay attention to health preservation during the festival.

Binghai: Are red dates good for health?

Niu Niu: Didn’t you know that red foods can replenish blood? They can prevent anemia.

Binghai: You can't think that red can "replenish blood" just because you see it. If you want to prevent anemia, every 100 grams of red dates contains less than 3 mg of iron, while 100 grams of pork liver contains 31 mg of iron. Not to mention that you just soak it in water and drink it, wouldn't it be delicious to fry pork liver?

Niu Niu: Then the red dates are useless?

Binghai: Not really. As a fruit, you can eat it if you like. Just treat it as an ordinary fruit. Don’t assume that it can “replenish blood” just because it’s red.

Niu Niu: Then I’ll try another method. I’ll use an iron pot to repair the iron.

Ice Sea: Although the name is "iron", the iron in the iron pot is inorganic iron, which is not absorbed and cannot replenish anything.

Niu Niu: So what you mean is that the iron pot is useless?

Binghai: Not really. Many chefs use iron pans because they have good heat conductivity and cook faster. Many people think that dishes cooked in iron pans are more fragrant. So iron pans do have their uses, but you can't just take it for granted that they can replenish iron.

Niu Niu: Then I will drink soup, especially a bowl of nutritious soup before meals.

Binghai: If it is vegetable soup, it is drinkable as long as it is not too salty. But the nutrients of broth are indeed in the meat.

Niu Niu: I have a question! Obviously, the soup that is cooked for a long time is more delicious. Isn’t this because the nutrients are cooked out?

Binghai: It is true that soup tastes better when it is cooked for a long time. But what comes out of the meat is some flavor substances and fat. Although the meat may not taste as good after being cooked for a long time, the nutrition is still in the meat. You have to know that "delicious" does not mean "nutritious".

Niu Niu: Good-looking food is not necessarily good for health, and delicious food is not necessarily good for health. So what are the secrets to a healthy diet?

Binghai: In fact, the most healthy way of eating is to eat according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", which is the most health-based. The secret is to eat a balanced diet without being picky.

Niu Niu: OK, the eating problem is solved. How to exercise? I see many old men in the park patting their bodies early in the morning. Is this method good for health?

Binghai: In fact, there have been various kinds of "tapping therapies" in history, but they basically have no health-preserving effects. Some even claim to be able to prevent or treat diseases, which is even more impossible.

Niu Niu: I want to question it! Many people say that they feel much better after slapping. Do you want to say that this is an illusion?

Binghai: It is not an illusion. If you slap yourself more, it may cause bleeding in the subcutaneous tissue. If you slap yourself harder, it can stimulate the secretion of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins make people feel comfortable, but the feeling of comfort is different from the health care effect or therapeutic effect.

Niu Niu: Then I just want to be comfortable.

Binghai: If it is safe and you feel happy, it doesn’t matter, just don’t think that this comfort can improve your physical condition. Padding that makes your body painful has no health benefits, at most it can make you move part of the body. Even so, it cannot replace real physical exercise.

Niu Niu: If I can’t go to the gym to exercise like young people, what is the best way to exercise?

Binghai: Actually, there is no best way to exercise, only the one that suits everyone. For example, people with a heavy body weight are not suitable for running because the pressure on the knees is too great; the elderly may not be able to practice all kinds of Tai Chi because they hurt their knees. So young people can choose to walk for half an hour more every day, while the elderly can choose to use some modified Tai Chi movements that do not hurt the knees.

Niu Niu: What if I don’t like walking?

Binghai: You can also use other things, such as swimming, skipping rope, in short, it must be suitable for you and you must also like it.

Niu Niu: I feel like I have a little belly fat. Can I do sit-ups to get rid of it?

Binghai: Traditional sit-ups may hurt your neck because you hold your head too tightly, but you can do abdominal curling exercises. But don't expect it to reduce your belly, this type of exercise can only help you increase your abdominal muscles.

Niu Niu: Ah, girls are most afraid that they may gain muscle instead of losing weight while exercising.

Binghai: It is not easy for girls to gain muscle. In addition to supplementing enough protein, androgen is also needed for catalysis. So under the same exercise, boys are more likely to gain muscle, so don't worry.

Niu Niu: Then how can I lose my belly fat?

Binghai: You can only build muscle through local training. But building muscle and losing fat are two different things. The latter can usually only be done by losing the whole body, including the internal organs.

Niu Niu: So what is the secret to good health through exercise?

Binghai: The secret is to find a way of exercise that suits you and that you like, and stick to it. Persistence, persistence, persistence, that's the secret.

Niu Niu: Then why do we have so many misunderstandings about health preservation?

Binghai: The misconceptions about health preservation we mentioned are just a drop in the ocean. There are rules for the formation of many misconceptions. Because those health preservation methods are often more intuitive, they are easier to feel. We feel the red of red dates, the freshness of broth, the refreshing feeling of patting, and the burning sensation after exercising some muscles and the soreness the next day. So we think that these are "nutritious" and "effective". The real nutrition and effect should be determined by the results of scientific research qualitatively and quantitatively, not just by intuitive feelings. Otherwise, many health preservation methods are just psychological effects. When you use them, you feel very comfortable, but when you don't use them, you still feel uncomfortable and sick. At that time, you can't be comforted by a sentence of "slowly adjusting". So health preservation still depends on science.