White onions, purple onions, drive away the body's "little cancers"
Onions generally come in three types: white skin, brown skin, and purple skin. If you plan to feature onions on your table today, why not pick a deep purple one! Purple onions have a stronger spicy flavor, which means they contain more allicin to boost immunity, a crisper texture, and pair perfectly with cold vegetable salads. Additionally, purple onion skins contain the most quercetin, which can increase resistance to gastrointestinal cancers by 25%! Modern diets are often irregular, with fast food and takeout being the mainstay of meals. Over time, the digestive system is bound to be "badly damaged." Using purple onions for cancer prevention through diet is the perfect choice. Onion-red wine is also a well-known remedy for anti-aging and beauty. Using diced purple onions, skin and all, to soak in red wine will yield better results than other onions!
Strawberries, raspberries, drive away body fat
Whether you're decorating desserts or making healthy juices, try swapping strawberries for raspberries! Although these two berries have similarly tempting bright red colors and sweet, juicy flavors, the smaller raspberry can give you twice the plant fiber and a large amount of natural weight-loss substances (raspberry ketone) compared to strawberries. Replacing strawberries with raspberries not only gives you a similar appearance and taste but also accelerates your intestinal motility, "dissolving" fat cells accumulated in the body, and is especially effective for the hard-to-lose fat on your thighs and belly. It is said that Japan has developed raspberry patch膏. As long as you stick it on plump parts of your body, it will slowly cause fat cells to shrink—now you know why raspberries are called a "model's essential food" in Europe and America?
Carrots, sweet potatoes, trade for good skin
Where is the carotene, which can make skin moist and smooth and make eyes sparkle, most abundant? Of course, in carrots! This seemingly obvious answer is actually a big misunderstanding. If there were a "carotene content showdown," sweet potatoes would win out over carrots of the same weight by double! The above nutritional tidbits, which sound like a tongue twister, are actually suggesting this: if you really need to supplement carotene, use sweet potatoes instead of carrots! You can not only completely say goodbye to rough, dry skin, stay away from pimples, acne, and dandruff that often appear with the changing seasons, but you will also get extra surprises like more vitamin C, iron, and dietary fiber!
Citrus fruits, papaya, enhance body immunity
Everyone knows that vitamin C is a natural treasure for boosting immunity, avoiding fevers and colds, and helping us get through the transition from winter to spring smoothly. Therefore, girls are always advised to eat more vitamin C-rich citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits. But if you can easily get papaya, you should choose it as the first choice for supplementing vitamin C. Its vitamin C content is 3-4 times that of an orange. For the immune system, it is an invaluable "treasure trove." Even if you encounter a sudden cold wind or frequent, unannounced temperature changes, you won't have to flee back inside while sneezing and clutching your coat tightly!
Pears, nourish yin, benefit the lungs, and moisten dryness
Pears are fresh, juicy, and contain 85% water. With a sweet and sour taste, they are rich in vitamins and trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and iodine. Known as "natural mineral water," they have been revered since ancient times as the "king of all fruits." In autumn, the air is dry and there is less moisture. If you can eat a certain amount of pears every day, it can promote fluid production and moisten the lungs.
Besides changing ingredients, don't know what to eat? Try the following health-preserving recipes for the transition between winter and spring to get rid of common colds!
1. Yixin Baihua Tang
10 grams each of Xinyi, Baizhi, Taoren, and Honghua; 2 roots each of Ganjiang, Xixin, Cong, and Suan. Add an appropriate amount of water and simmer for 20 minutes before taking. It has the effects of activating blood, resolving the exterior, warming to unblock the nasal passages, and is effective for nasal congestion caused by wind-cold or deficiency-cold.
2. Jiang Tang Yin
15 grams of ginger, shredded, mixed with an appropriate amount of brown sugar (or rock sugar). Infuse with boiling water or simmer for 10 minutes, then drink while it's still warm. It has the effects of pungent-warm nature to dispel cold and resolve the exterior, and is mainly indicated for nasal congestion due to wind-cold.
3. Cong Bai Tang
3-5 roots each of Congbai and Suai; 10-15 grams of ginger. Infuse with boiling water or simmer for 10 minutes, then add a little sugar before drinking. It has the effects of pungent-warm nature to dispel cold and resolve the exterior, and is mainly indicated for nasal congestion due to wind-cold.
4. Bohe Su Ye Yin
5 grams of Bohe, 10 grams of Suye. Infuse with boiling water for 10 minutes before drinking. It has the effect of relieving the exterior.
In addition to relying on recipes for health preservation, during the transition between winter and spring, we should maintain a cheerful mood and a peaceful state of mind. This can keep the body's qi and blood harmonious and not disturb the stored yang energy within the body, achieving the principle that "when righteous qi is stored within, evil cannot interfere." We should focus on cultivating our mind and spirit, gathering our qi, and resisting the invasion of cold. Especially for the elderly, attention should be paid to avoiding excessive joy or emotional distress to reduce the occurrence of heart and brain diseases.