Folk Proverbs Hide The Secrets Of Health Care. Eat Food According To The Four Seasons To Keep Your Health! The Classic Four-season Health Recipes Are Here
The weather has been getting colder recently, and my neighbor Aunt Wang once again started to talk about "spring covers autumn and autumn freezes". She always said that as you enter the old age stage of life, you should act according to the changes in solar terms. Our ancestors have long made arrangements and plans for what foods should be eaten at what time. This is true. Take a look at the rather old almanac at home, or listen to the constant chanting of the elders, "It is better to eat radishes in winter and ginger slices in summer", "Spring pancakes should be eaten at the beginning of spring", and other philosophies about diet that have been passed down for thousands of years. In fact, there is such a profound and far-reaching truth behind it as "maintaining health in accordance with the seasons".
The ancient wisdom of keeping healthy in time
The general outline of health maintenance in the four seasons is the eight words "nourishing yang in spring and summer, nourishing yin in autumn and winter" mentioned in the "Huangdi Neijing". The ancients believed that the small universe of the human body is closely connected with the external nature. In spring, all things grow vigorously, and the human body's yang energy begins to rise. Metabolism is the most vigorous and speeds up. In autumn, Yang Qi converges and Yin Qi gradually increases. In winter, Yang Qi is hidden in the body and Yin Qi is the strongest. If our diet and daily life follow this rhythm, it is like "synchronous frequency modulation" for the body, which can naturally coordinate Qi and blood and reduce the incidence of diseases. This is not so-called metaphysics. Modern medicine has also realized that seasonal changes will have an impact on the human body’s endocrine, immune and digestive functions. For example, in winter, the duration of sunshine is relatively short, and the amount of vitamin D synthesized by the human body will be reduced, which will easily make people feel tired and depressed. At such times, eating some warming and tonic foods appropriately can indeed help increase energy.
Nourish the liver in spring and bring out "vitality"
Corresponding to the liver in spring, the key to health care in this season is the word "生". In terms of diet, you should choose foods that can help the growth of yang energy, soothe the liver and regulate qi. Seasonal foods such as leeks, toon, bean sprouts, and spring bamboo shoots are full of vitality. "Bean sprouts" and green leafy vegetables are suitable for eating in spring. You can make scrambled eggs with leeks or tofu mixed with toon, which is simple and suitable for the occasion. In the category of porridge in the diet, porridge made from celery and porridge made from wolfberry have considerable benefits and can help to clear the liver's fire. After the arrival of spring, you should not overeat various foods with sour taste. This is mainly due to the shrinkage property caused by the sour taste, which will affect the vigorous development of Yang Qi. On the contrary, you can eat some slightly spicy and sweet foods in moderation, such as red dates and yams. At the same time, you need to pay great attention to avoid overly greasy foods and foods with so-called "hair-raising" properties, in order to prevent them from aggravating the burden on the liver.
Purifying the heart in summer focuses on “removing dampness”
The weather in summer is hot, which corresponds to the heart. The key to health care at this time is "long", and special emphasis should be placed on "removing dampness and clearing away heat". Excessive sweating will cause qi consumption and yin damage, so the diet should be light, easy to digest, and rich in water. The old saying "eat ginger in summer" makes sense. The reason is that people like to be greedy for cold in summer, which can easily cause cold evil to invade the spleen and stomach. Eating some ginger can warm the body and dispel cold. However, what is more common are various types of heat-clearing and summer-relieving soups, such as classic examples of mung bean soup and winter melon and pork ribs soup. Porridge made from lotus leaves has the effect of clearing away heat and dampness, and tea made from the heart of lotus seeds can clear away heat from the heart. Common fruits in this season, such as watermelon, cucumber, and bitter melon, are all natural and good products with the function of relieving heat. Be sure to remember the needs It is necessary to reduce the consumption of cold, cold and greasy food. Regardless of the fact that the chilled drinks are indeed very refreshing to drink, but they are the most harmful to the Yang Qi of the spleen and stomach, and can easily cause diarrhea and loss of appetite.
Moisturizes the lungs in autumn and prevents "autumn dryness"
In autumn, the climate is in a dry state, and corresponding to the lungs, the focus of health care is "harvest". Its biggest enemy is actually a thing called "autumn dryness", which can easily lead to dry mouth, dry skin and constipation. Therefore, the keynote in diet is to nourish yin and moisturize the lungs. Foods that appear white are generally good for the lungs, such as fruits like pears, ingredients like white fungus, vegetables like lotus root, flowers like lilies, and foods like yams. Therefore, you can choose to drink a bowl of pear soup simmered with rock sugar, or Tremella lotus seed soup, and you will immediately feel that the comfort level of your throat has improved a lot. Yam porridge, which can strengthen the spleen and lungs, is suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach. Autumn is the harvest season, and many nuts such as peanuts and almonds are on the market. Appropriate consumption of some can replenish oil and moisturize the skin. During this season, you need to reduce the consumption of spicy foods such as onions, ginger, garlic, and peppers to avoid aggravating dryness.
Tonifying the kidneys in winter is important in "hiding"
The cold winter corresponds to the kidneys, which is a time to accumulate energy and recharge. The focus is on "storage". The diet can be moderately warming and tonic, and add some high-calorie and nutritious foods to resist the cold. Such as mutton, beef, chicken, etc., which are most suitable for making soup. For example, angelica, ginger and mutton soup is a classic medicinal diet to keep out the cold in winter. Foods containing black will enter the kidney meridian. Black rice, black beans and black sesame seeds can be eaten in moderation. They can be cooked into black rice porridge to provide nutrients and warm the body. Winter is also a suitable time to eat root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and radishes, which can replenish energy. There is a saying that "eat radish in winter", radish can regulate qi and digestion, and can balance the greasy feeling of warm and tonic meat. Supplementing in winter needs to be carried out gradually. People with a body that is prone to heat and prone to getting angry are not suitable for excessive supplementation. On the contrary, they can drink some radish soup to "relax" it.
After all, the core of the four-season health-preserving recipes is not how rare and expensive the food is, but "accommodating the seasons" and "coordinated integration". It reminds us to slow down the pace, appreciate the rhythm of nature, and choose the food cultivated by the current land. The food produced is used to nourish the body. This dietary wisdom that has been passed down for thousands of years is actually hidden in a bowl of porridge that adapts to the season and a plate of refreshing and pleasant dishes. Integrating it into three meals a day is to give yourself the most practical and warm care.
