Family and friend gatherings for the Mid-Autumn Festival always involve feasting and indulging. However, many people suffer from what's known as "post-holiday illness," experiencing gastrointestinal discomfort such as loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, and poor appetite. In the face of post-holiday syndrome, experts offer some health advice!
Cold-dressed Sea Lettuce Recipe
Red Fruits and Vegetables (To cut grease and aid digestion)
Qian Duoduo, a national-level public nutritionist: During the Spring Festival, the diet is mainly greasy, which puts a heavy burden on the digestive system. After the holiday, it's best to eat more red fruits and vegetables, such as red apples and red hawthorns. Apples have a refreshing taste and aid digestion; their pectin helps relieve greasiness. Hawthorns, on the other hand, can promote digestion and strengthen the stomach, making them one of the best choices for cleansing the digestive system after the holiday.
Next, tomatoes and carrots are also good choices that can be eaten in moderation. Additionally, you can brew some fruit and flower tea for an afternoon snack. It's refreshing and also beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract. You can make fruit and flower tea with rose, lemon, chrysanthemum, etc., or buy it ready-made at the supermarket.
Barley and Chrysanthemum Tea (To nourish the spleen and stomach)
Hao Mengzhong, a standing director of the Jilin Provincial Health Association and a member of the Chinese Nutrition Society: I have the habit of drinking barley tea. A cup of hot barley tea warms the stomach and feels very comfortable. It can also alleviate the irritation of cold food on the spleen and stomach, making it especially suitable for the elderly and children. As a type of grain, barley tea won't affect sleep even if consumed at night.
You can brew barley tea with chrysanthemums and longan for a fragrant and sweet taste. If you don't have barley tea, dried tangerine peel can be used as a substitute, as it has a good effect on soothing the liver and regulating qi. Furthermore, eating too much meat can easily lead to indigestion. You can make some radish soup, which helps to promote digestion and resolve food stagnation.
Cold-dressed Sea Lettuce (Refreshing and low-fat)
Gao Minghe, a senior Chinese cuisine chef: "Holiday illness" is usually caused by eating and drinking, especially during the Spring Festival when many people throw the principle of moderation out the window, leading to overindulgence and causing digestive tract diseases such as gastric ulcers and acute gastroenteritis.
For post-holiday recovery, in addition to eating some soft, well-cooked congee, you can also pair it with a cold appetizer. I recommend seaweed, and cold-dressed sea lettuce is an excellent choice. It is low in calories and fat, has a refreshing taste, and is recommended for those with a poor appetite.