Patient's question:
Hello, I would like to ask, can people with diabetes eat water chestnuts? Here, I want to ask specifically, I didn't have this disease before, but now I suddenly got it, and I don't know if I can still eat it. I hope this is helpful.Doctor's answer:
It's a pastry made from water chestnut flour. Water chestnut, also known as eddoe, is originally from India. China is a major producer of water chestnuts. It is known for its large size, thin skin, tender flesh, abundant moisture, and sweet,-free taste. It can be used as both a vegetable and a fruit. Water chestnuts from Guangxi are particularly famous for their rich nutrition, containing protein, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other elements such as carotene. Water chestnuts have great value and can clear heat, moisten the lungs, promote fluidity, relieve stagnation, soothe the liver, improve eyesight, and promote digestion. Among the various fruits in the Lingnan region, each has its unique flavor, but water chestnuts can be eaten raw or cooked, suitable for both healthy and sick individuals. Processing them into water chestnut canned goods enhances their flavor. Water chestnut is a common name for eddoe, a perennial herbaceous plant that grows in paddy fields. What we eat is the flat-round underground stem. According to records, water chestnuts have a long history of medicinal use. In the Dietary Spectrum of the Quiet Retreat, water chestnuts' health benefits are summarized in just 26 characters: "Eddoe is sweet and cold. It clears heat, aids digestion, sober up, treats phlegm, kills scrofula, dissolves copper, dispels evil, removes jaundice, relieves bloating, treats dysentery, and regulates uterine bleeding." Modern scientific research has also found that water chestnuts are rich in starch, protein, crude fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, as well as effective components like eddonein that fight cancer and lower blood pressure. In traditional Chinese medicine, water chestnuts are often used to make "snow soup" to clear heat, reduce phlegm, lower blood pressure, and treat constipation. TCM believes that drinking fresh water chestnuts with fresh reed and lotus root juice is an ideal beverage for clearing heat and quenching thirst. Due to their cold nature, people with weak constitutions and children with enuresis should avoid eating them. Additionally, it's important to eat raw water chestnuts hygienically, washing them thoroughly before consumption, and preferably blanching them in boiling water. Water chestnuts can also be used in medicine. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that water chestnuts can clear heat, quench thirst, treat liver heat, nourish the stomach, stimulate appetite, clear the mind, improve eyesight, fight heat and bacteria, clear jaundice, lower blood pressure, and treat various diseases. Water chestnuts are a versatile vegetable with both edible and medicinal value and were once a tribute to the imperial court during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Water chestnuts are unique, with snow-white, smooth flesh, high moisture content, sweet and-free taste, and a crisp texture. When cooked, they pair well with chicken, duck, mushrooms, and cloud ear mushrooms for a more flavorful dish. They are also effective for cooling the body and improving eyesight. In terms of nutrition, after peeling the outer skin, the tender white flesh of water chestnuts can be eaten raw as a fruit, crisp and sweet with plenty of juice, comparable to the taste of pears. People in southern China love water chestnuts, considering them a refreshing fruit for summer. Water chestnuts are not only delicious but also nutritious, rich in carbohydrates, protein, crude fiber, various vitamins, and minerals. In addition, they contain eddonein, an antibacterial component that is not heat-resistant, which can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and influenza viruses. In cooking, besides being eaten raw after peeling, water chestnuts can also be boiled, stir-fried, braised, stewed, or deep-fried, all resulting in delicious dishes. Water chestnuts are often used as an important ingredient to pair with both vegetarian and meat dishes. Common meat dishes include braised pork with water chestnuts, stir-fried shrimp with water chestnuts, stir-fried pork slices with water chestnuts, stir-fried chicken cubes with water chestnuts, braised duck with water chestnuts, and water chestnut meat rolls. Vegetarians can also make sweet and sour water chestnuts, stir-fried, or cold-dressed water chestnuts for a unique flavor. Dishes with meat mince as a filling are particularly tasty when water chestnuts are added, whether in soups, boiled, or fried, as they make the filling crispy and flavorful while removing the greasiness of meat. For fried and oily dishes, adding water chestnut shreds in moderation can make the food less greasy. When steaming, stewing, or braising poultry and meat, adding water chestnut slices or pieces can enhance the aroma and aftertaste. Water chestnuts are prepared differently across China. For example, people in Guangdong love stewing water chestnuts with snow pears and rock sugar, which is not only sweet and delicious but also helps treat dry lips, sore throat, dry cough with little phlegm, and constipation, making it a perfect example of food that is both medicinal and edible. In Shaanxi, there is a famous vegetarian dish called "sweet and sour water chestnuts." First, blanch them in boiling water, then deep-fry them in oil for a short time. While still hot, pour sweet and sour sauce over them for a crispy and sweet-tart taste. In Beijing, another method involves peeling fresh water chestnuts, mashing them into a paste, mixing with flour, shaping into rounds, deep-frying, and then pouring a sauce made from boiling water, sugar, and sugar rose on top. This dish, called "water chestnut rose cake," is sweet and fragrant with a hint of rose aroma. Water chestnuts can also be processed into clear water chestnut canned goods and candied water chestnuts. They can be ground into eddonein, a white and translucent powder with a smooth and delicate texture, comparable to lotus root starch and water chestnut starch, all known as the "Three Great Princes."A medicinal treasure
Water chestnuts are not only delicious but also have broad medicinal value. TCM believes that water chestnuts are cold in nature, sweet in taste, and enter the lung, spleen, and stomach meridians, benefiting qi, calming the stomach, clearing heat, quenching thirst, stimulating appetite, aiding digestion, soothing the throat, improving eyesight, dispelling dampness, and resolving phlegm. The Dietary Spectrum of the Quiet Retreat records: "Eddoe is sweet and cold. It clears heat, aids digestion, sober up, treats phlegm, kills scrofula, dissolves copper, dispels evil, removes jaundice, relieves bloating, treats dysentery, and regulates uterine bleeding." Water chestnuts contain crude protein, starch, and fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis and aid digestion; their tender and juicy texture can quench thirst and provide some relief for diabetes; water chestnut decoctions can promote diuresis and are a good dietary choice for urinary tract infections; their cold nature can clear lung heat, and their rich mucilage can moisten the lungs and resolve phlegm, making them effective for clearing phlegm and treating lung heat cough with yellow, thick phlegm; as a cold food, water chestnuts can clear heat and quench thirst while providing nutrition, making them beneficial for feverish and thirsty patients to consume more. Additionally, they are effective for dry autumn cough, sore throat, and dry mouth, making them a great food for autumn nourishment. Folk remedies suggest water chestnuts are suitable for thirst during fevers, red and dry tongue with little saliva, mouth ulcers in children, constipation, bloody dysentery, and hangover relief. They are also commonly used to treat pediatric conditions, such as when children swallow copper coins or pieces, parents often give them large amounts of water chestnuts to help expel the ingested material through stool. To treat common warts, rubbing the white flesh of water chestnuts on the wart several times a day until the wart's keratin softens and falls off, with slight pain and pinpoint bleeding, for 7–10 days. In Shaoxing, people cook water chestnuts with sugarcane stalks, viewing it as a medicinal remedy for clearing heat and detoxifying, suitable for dry throat, sore throat, indigestion, and constipation. Pregnant women who eat water chestnuts regularly can prevent edema, acute and chronic nephritis, and hepatitis during pregnancy. Studies also show that regular consumption of water chestnuts can prevent lead poisoning, benefiting workers in metallurgy, casting, typesetting, and printing.
Small health remedies with water chestnuts
- Indigestion and abdominal fullness: Equal amounts of water chestnuts and radishes. Wash and finely chop them, then boil and drink as a decoction. 1–2 servings daily can aid digestion.
- "Coiled dragon" (herpes zoster): Grind 5 fresh water chestnuts, mix with egg white, and apply to the affected area several times a day.
- Phlegm-heat cough, lymph nodes, and primary hypertension: 50–100 grams of water chestnuts and shredded jellyfish (dried salted). Boil and drink 2–3 times. This is Wang Shiyong's "snow soup" from the Qing Dynasty, effective for clearing heat, resolving phlegm, softening masses, and lowering blood pressure.
- Dry cough with little phlegm: Equal amounts of water chestnuts and pears. Boil and drink 1–2 servings daily to moisten the lungs.
- Prevention of meningococcal meningitis: 60 grams of water chestnuts, sliced, cooked with 15 grams of fresh gypsum and 6 grams of bamboo leaves, and used as a decoction to drink. Take 1 serving daily for several days.
- Thirst from heat illness: Wu Jutong's famous "Five Juice Drink" from the Qing Dynasty, made from water chestnuts, pears, lotus roots, fresh reeds, and fresh oats. Eating fresh water chestnuts during seasons with more respiratory infections can also prevent meningococcal meningitis, measles, whooping cough, and acute pharyngitis.
Love tips
1. Avoid overeating water chestnuts. Their cold and slippery nature makes them difficult to digest, and overconsumption can cause bloating. People with weak stomachs, poor digestion, children, and the elderly should not eat too many.
2. Prefer cooked water chestnuts. It's important to note that despite their excellent edible and medicinal value, water chestnuts grown in paddy fields are prone to parasitic infections. Eating raw, unclean water chestnuts can lead to giardia infection, so it's best to cook them. If raw consumption is necessary, soak them thoroughly, scrub them clean, blanch in boiling water, peel, and then eat.