Onions, ginger, chili peppers, cucumbers, winter melons, and pumpkins: Detailed explanation of the lipid-lowering and weight-loss effects of seven vegetables.

onion

It is warm in nature and pungent in taste, and has the effects of dispelling wind and releasing exterior pathogens, promoting yang and sweating, clearing the lungs and strengthening the stomach, and detoxifying and reducing swelling.

Modern research shows that scallions contain prostaglandin A1, a hormone-like substance that has a certain blood pressure-lowering effect. They are also rich in potassium and calcium, which are beneficial for lowering blood pressure and have a certain therapeutic effect on cardiovascular diseases.

Onions also enhance the activity of fibrinolytic enzymes and lower blood lipids, helping to digest blood clots and prevent thrombosis. Even two hours after eating greasy, rich foods, eating a moderate amount of onions can still help lower cholesterol.

People who regularly eat scallions are less likely to have cholesterol deposits on their blood vessel walls, and have a much lower chance of developing arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Scallions also have strong antibacterial properties, similar to garlic.

Ginger

It is slightly warm in nature and pungent in taste. It has the effects of inducing sweating to relieve exterior syndromes, warming the middle jiao to dispel cold, harmonizing the stomach to stop vomiting, relieving fatigue and increasing strength. It is suitable for symptoms such as headache, stomach pain due to cold, and vomiting due to cold caused by cold.

Modern research shows that ginger has a stimulating effect on the heart and blood vessels, which can accelerate blood circulation, help eliminate toxins and relieve fatigue.

In addition, ginger contains a resin that can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines, thereby lowering blood cholesterol levels and helping to prevent arteriosclerosis.

Ginger also contains an organic compound similar to salicylic acid. A dilute solution of this substance acts as a blood thinner and anticoagulant, and has a good effect on lowering blood lipids, lowering blood pressure, and preventing thrombosis.

Therefore, ginger is a food that can lower lipids and can be used to prevent and treat diseases such as hyperlipidemia and fatty liver caused by lipid metabolism disorders.

chili

It is warm in nature and pungent in taste, and has the effects of warming the middle, dispelling cold, stimulating appetite, and aiding digestion. It is suitable for symptoms such as abdominal pain due to cold stagnation, vomiting, diarrhea, frostbite, and scabies. Modern research shows that chili peppers can promote fat metabolism and prevent the accumulation of fat in the body.

cucumber

It is cold in nature, sweet in taste, and non-toxic. It has the effects of clearing heat and quenching thirst, promoting weight loss and diuresis. It is suitable for symptoms such as irritability and dry mouth, difficulty urinating, edema of the limbs, and abdominal distension.

Modern research shows that cucumbers are not only low in calories, but also contain a substance called malonic acid, which can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat.

When carbohydrates enter the body, some are converted into fat and stored under the skin, in the mesentery, and around internal organs. Eating cucumbers can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, reduce the accumulation of body fat, and thus achieve the goal of weight loss.

The fiber in cucumbers can promote cholesterol excretion, thus lowering cholesterol levels. Cucumber slices or juice can be used as a beauty product; applying them to the face can cleanse and protect the skin.

Cucumbers are often used in cooking, and their diuretic effect is even better when boiled in soup. However, cucumbers are cold in nature, so people with weak spleen and stomach should not eat them frequently.

winter melon

Winter melon is slightly cold in nature and has a sweet and bland taste. It has the effects of promoting diuresis and resolving phlegm, clearing heat and detoxifying, aiding weight loss and lowering lipids, quenching thirst and relieving irritability, and dispelling dampness and relieving summer heat. It is suitable for obesity, diabetes, edema, abdominal distension, beriberi, summer heat, carbuncles, and other conditions.

Modern research shows that winter melon is a low-calorie, low-fat, and extremely low-sugar food rich in potassium. It also contains various vitamins, minerals, and active ingredients such as trigonelline and malonic acid, which are known to aid in weight loss. This makes it a very beneficial food for obese individuals among middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.

Trigonelline has a unique effect on human metabolism, and malonic acid can effectively prevent carbohydrates from being converted into fat in the body, thus achieving a weight loss effect. Both the peel and flesh of winter melon contain a relatively high amount of vitamin B1, which can alter the starch in food, preventing it from being converted into fat, and has a good slimming effect.

Foods like winter melon, which are high in potassium and low in sodium, can also have a good adjunctive therapeutic effect on diabetes, especially in middle-aged and elderly patients with complications such as primary hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and kidney disease.

In addition, eating winter melon can promote urination, thereby eliminating excess water from the body, improving body shape, reducing weight, lowering blood lipids, and shrinking waist circumference.

pumpkin

It is warm in nature and sweet in taste, and has the effects of tonifying the middle energizer and replenishing qi, lowering lipids and blood sugar. It is suitable for diabetes, primary hypertension, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, etc.

Pumpkin has the highest pectin content, with 7-17 grams of pectin per 100 grams of dried pumpkin. It also contains mannitol and other components. When eaten with starchy foods, it can increase the viscosity of stomach contents and regulate the absorption of food in the stomach, slowing down the absorption of sugars and thus delaying the emptying of food from the stomach.

Pectin forms a gel-like substance in the intestines, which prevents digestive enzymes and nutrient molecules from mixing evenly, thus slowing down the digestion and absorption of nutrients and controlling the rise in blood sugar after meals.

Furthermore, pumpkin can help lower blood lipids and blood pressure. Pumpkin contains a relatively high amount of the trace element chromium, which can increase the release of insulin in the body.

Pumpkin can also lower blood lipids and aid in weight loss by reducing intestinal absorption. As a high-fiber food, pumpkin increases intestinal motility and is very effective in treating constipation.

eggplant

It is cold in nature, sweet in taste, and non-toxic. It has the effects of clearing heat, promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, reducing swelling, dispelling wind and unblocking collaterals, promoting urination, and detoxifying. It is suitable for abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty urinating, hematochezia, cracked nipples, frostbite, canker sores, snake bites, etc.

Modern research shows that eggplant is high in vitamin E and vitamin P, which can improve capillary resistance, reduce capillary fragility, prevent bleeding, and have anti-aging functions.

The stachydrine, trigonelline, choline, and other substances in eggplant can lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent vascular damage caused by hyperlipidemia. They can also be used as an adjunct treatment for hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, essential hypertension, hemoptysis, and vitamin C deficiency.

radish

It is cool in nature and has a pungent and sweet taste. It has the effects of promoting digestion and regulating qi, relieving hangovers and resolving phlegm, treating asthma and quenching thirst, promoting urination and dispersing blood stasis, and tonifying deficiency. It is suitable for symptoms such as food stagnation and abdominal distension, cough with phlegm, chest tightness and shortness of breath, diabetes, hematemesis, dysentery, and migraine.

Modern research shows that choline, mustard oil, and amylase in radishes help digest fatty foods and prevent the accumulation of subcutaneous fat.

The dietary fiber in radishes can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, reduce the time feces stay in the intestines, and keep bowel movements regular. Eating radishes can also promote bile secretion, which is more conducive to fat digestion.

Radishes can effectively prevent and treat fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and obesity. The active ingredients they contain, such as coumaric acid, also have a hypoglycemic effect.

Radishes do not contain oxalic acid and are a good source of calcium due to their high calcium content. Calcium supplementation helps improve osteoporosis in diabetic patients, corrects intracellular calcium deficiency, and combats the progression of diabetic nephropathy. However, those with weak spleen and stomach, or indigestion, should consume radishes with caution.