Principles of Summer Diet The summer weather is scorching hot. As the saying goes, "On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, even a dog can be scorched to death." In this hot season, clearing summer heat and avoiding heatstroke is an important measure to ensure good health. When it comes to ways of cooling off, one cannot help but think of a poem from the novel "Water Margin": "The summer sun is scorching like a fire, half the rice paddies are withered and dried; the farmer's heart is boiling like soup, while the young nobles just wave their fans." From a modern perspective, the summer cooling methods of the "young nobles" back then were simply "waving fans" in a cool place. In fact, it wasn't that simple for the ancients to cool off and survive the summer. The Zhou Dynasty already knew how to make ice, and cold banquets emerged during the Qin and Han dynasties. Many foods were eaten after being frozen. The predecessor of ice cream was the frozen cheese of the Yuan Dynasty. In 1209, the Italian Marco Polo was living in Beijing. When he wandered the streets of Beijing and saw frozen cheese, he found it very novel. He bought a piece to try, found it refreshing and delicious, and was full of praise. After returning to Venice, he taught Italian merchants the method of making Chinese frozen cheese. The frozen cheese made by Italian merchants is the ice cream we see today. This shows that the ancients were also quite adept at using diet to avoid summer heat. Of course, summer is not only hot but also humid. This kind of weather is suitable for the survival of pathogens, so summer is also a high-incidence period for certain infectious diseases. To ensure good health, it's not enough to just avoid the heat; one must also enhance their own resistance to stay away from the troubles of summer diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and heatstroke. The dietary principles can be summarized as "Three Mores and Three Lesses".
1. More soups and water, less cold drinks. In summer, one should drink small amounts of water frequently throughout the day. You can also drink green tea, mung bean soup, or sour plum soup to relieve thirst and irritability. Drinking more soup in the summer can regulate taste and enhance appetite. Although cold food can temporarily relieve the dry heat, this "stimulating" way of cooling can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, affect gastric juice secretion, reduce appetite, and easily lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as indigestion, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. 2. More fruits and vegetables, less greasy food. Summer offers a wide variety of vegetables and fruits that are rich in nutrition. Commonly available vegetables and fruits like bitter melon, winter melon, tomato, loofah, pumpkin, cucumber, and watermelon have the effect of clearing heat and removing summer heat and should be eaten in appropriate amounts. Eating greasy food will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, making people feel bloated, lose their appetite, and experience increased fatigue. The summer diet should be light and balanced. 3. More cooked food, less raw and cold food. In summer, people often eat raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood. It is worth noting that in the high summer temperatures, various bacteria and parasites can easily multiply. If you don't pay attention to food hygiene, especially eating unhygienic food from "three-no" (no business license, no health permit, no product certification) stalls, you are very likely to get sick. "Too many drinks" are harmful to health In the hot summer, people tend to sweat, which loses water, water-soluble vitamins, and some minerals. Most refrigerators at home contain a variety of drinks. Drinking drinks has gradually become a part of modern dietary life. There is nothing wrong with drinking drinks in itself, but everything should be in moderation. In recent years, more and more research has found that excessive consumption of drinks has negative effects on health. A British newspaper once reported that a 25-year-old British woman drank 20 cans of carbonated drinks every day, and her weight reached over 120 kilograms. Later, she had stomach surgery in Birmingham and then formally "declared war" on carbonated drinks. With the encouragement of her family, she refused all carbonated drinks. A year later, she lost 63.5 kilograms. She recalled, "I had no idea there was so much sugar in carbonated drinks..." Many people don't realize that most drinks contain energy. The energy in sugary drinks is equivalent to the energy provided by one and a half steamed buns. Therefore, if you often drink drinks and don't pay attention to controlling your diet, your energy intake will increase. Over time, this will lead to a "qualitative change from a quantitative change" and affect your health. Therefore, if you choose to drink to cool off in the summer, it is best to choose light drinks and avoid or choose fewer sugary drinks. In fact, the best drink is plain water, because plain water can easily pass through the cell membrane into cells, promoting the body's metabolism, enhancing the body's immune function, and improving the body's disease resistance. It is the most suitable drinking water for the human body.
This article is excerpted from "Ma Guansheng Talks About Nutrition" by Ma Guansheng, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.