Physician Tuan notes that increasing life pressures and irregular eating habits, coupled with processed foods, often lead to digestive distress for many. This can manifest as bloating, belching, acid reflux, or persistent inflammation and pain.
To begin, it is advisable to avoid foods that burden the digestive system. These include cold dishes, raw seafood, animal fats, and stimulants. Instead, prioritize gentle cooking methods like steaming, boiling, and simmering until tender. This approach helps reduce the stomach's contractile effort.
Day 1: Kickstarting digestion
Breakfast: Lotus seed and pumpkin porridge.
Lunch: White rice, braised pork loin with fresh turmeric, boiled sweet cabbage.
Dinner: White rice, winter melon soup with minced meat, one ripe banana.
Day 2: Recovery and energy replenishment
Breakfast: Steamed yellow sweet potato, one warm, low-sugar soy milk.
Lunch: White rice, beef stew with finely chopped potatoes (stewed until tender for easy digestion), boiled cabbage.
Dinner: White rice, shredded lean pork floss, loofah soup with minced shrimp.
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Illustrative image created by Gemini |
Day 3: Cleansing
Breakfast: Red bean and lotus seed porridge (helps reduce dampness, bloating, and water retention).
Lunch: White rice, steamed snakehead fish with spring onions and ginger (ginger helps warm the stomach and dispel cold), boiled Malabar spinach.
Dinner: White rice, light tofu in tomato sauce, sweet leaf soup with minced meat.
Day 4: Balance and stability
Breakfast: Light sweet corn chicken soup with shiitake mushrooms.
Lunch: White rice, Chinese yam soup with pork ribs (Chinese yam is a top herb for strengthening the spleen).
Dinner: Brown rice, lightly seasoned clay pot braised snakehead fish, boiled broccoli.
Day 5: Internal nourishment
Breakfast: Oatmeal porridge with red dates and longan.
Lunch: White rice, braised lean shrimp with ginger, pumpkin soup with minced meat.
Dinner: White rice, braised skinless chicken with ginger, boiled bok choy.
Day 6: Nourishing qi and blood
Breakfast: Brown rice vermicelli with minced beef and spring onions.
Lunch: White rice, chicken stew with wood ear mushrooms and red dates (nourishes vital energy and promotes blood circulation), boiled chayote.
Dinner: Creamy shrimp and lotus seed porridge (light and easy to absorb before sleep).
Day 7: Relaxation
Breakfast: Creamy plain porridge with half a salted duck egg.
Lunch: White rice, pan-seared salmon with ginger sauce, radish soup with pork ribs.
Dinner: White rice, pork meatballs in tomato sauce, cabbage soup with shrimp.
For this menu to be most effective, adhere to the principle of "eating slowly and chewing thoroughly." This stimulates saliva production, which contains digestive enzymes, reducing stomach workload by up to 50%. Additionally, consistently drinking one warm glass of ginger water upon waking in the morning can support qi and blood circulation, warm the middle jiao (a traditional Chinese medicine concept referring to the middle part of the body, including the stomach and spleen), and gently awaken the digestive system.
