The harvest season is here, with a wide variety of fresh vegetables flooding the market. How do you choose the most seasonal and nutritious ingredients? Let's see what the experts recommend!
The "Three Yams" contain the highest quality starch
According to Professor Wang Zhenghuang from Huazhong Agricultural University and the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the starch in "yam" vegetables is of the highest quality this time of year, and their content of vitamins and minerals is also the richest.
Jerusalem Artichoke: Regulates blood sugar, relieves dizziness
Jerusalem artichoke, commonly known as sunchoke, also goes by names like菊姜 (ju jiang) or 鬼子姜 (gui zi jiang). Jerusalem artichoke contains a substance very similar in structure to insulin, which helps lower blood sugar. At the same time, when people experience dizziness from low blood sugar, holding a piece of Jerusalem artichoke in the mouth can provide immediate relief.
In terms of consumption, it has its unique flavor whether eaten raw or cooked. It tastes even better when made into pickles or sunchoke preserves.
Konjac: Prevents arteriosclerosis, boosts immunity
Konjac is rich in vitamins, plant fiber, and a certain amount of mucin protein. It helps prevent arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Eating konjac can also enhance the body's immunity. The mannose and excellent dietary fiber it contains have anti-cancer effects, and it can also prevent constipation and reduce the absorption of fat by the intestines.
Konjac can be made into various dishes, such as cold konjac with celery, stir-fried konjac with peas, or konjac and egg soup. However, raw konjac is toxic and must be boiled for about 5 minutes before it can be eaten. The amount consumed each time should not be excessive.
Taro: Cleans teeth, prevents cavities, and helps prevent cancer
Taro is an excellent alkaline food. Among its elements, it is rich in fluorine, which has the effect of cleaning teeth, preventing cavities, and protecting teeth. Taro contains a natural polysaccharide polymer plant胶体 (jiao ti) that has a good anti-diarrheal effect and can enhance the body's immune function.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that taro has functions such as benefiting the stomach, aiding bowel movements, detoxifying, and nourishing the liver and kidneys. Therefore, taro can be used as a common medicinal diet staple for preventing and treating tumors, and it has adjuvant therapeutic effects for patients with breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and malignant lymphoma.
Taro can be eaten as a main dish, steamed and dipped in sugar, or made into taro milk pudding or taro rolls. However, it is important to cook taro thoroughly, as the mucus in it can irritate the throat. Also, do not eat too much at one time.
"Five Fresh" foods are the best value for money
Zhao Yingmin, a national senior nutritionist, recommends five foods that are both nutritious and easy to digest. More importantly, these foods are affordable and widely available.
Tomato
Autumn tomatoes are at their peak ripeness, richest in lycopene, and generally do not need ripening agents. Autumn is also a time when it's easy to get sunburned and tanned, and lycopene, an antioxidant, can eliminate free radicals caused by UV rays. You don't need to apply lycopene to your skin like sunscreen; it works inside your body, protecting you wherever you go, not just in the sun. Lycopene is a fat-soluble vitamin, so it is more compatible with oils. It will be better absorbed when stir-fried with oil or made into tomato soup.
Spinach
Autumn spinach receives more sunlight, so its content of nutrients like lutein and chlorophyll is even richer. Therefore, autumn spinach is greener and looks more substantial. In autumn, we should pay attention not only to dry skin but also to eye fatigue and aging. Spinach is a good source of vitamin B2 and beta-carotene. When vitamin B2 is sufficient, the eyes are less likely to be bloodshot; beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the body, preventing symptoms of "dry eye disease" such as dryness after using a computer.
Lotus Root
Autumn is the season for a bountiful harvest of lotus root, and it's also when its texture and nutritional value are at their best. Fresh lotus root contains not only a large amount of carbohydrates but is also rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Raw lotus root is cold in nature and has the effect of clearing heat and relieving vexation, making it especially suitable for people who get pimples due to blood heat. After cooking, its nature changes from cool to warm, with effects of nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen, replenishing qi and blood, and stopping diarrhea. It is a great food for nourishment, especially suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach, and qi and blood deficiency, who experience dry skin and a dull complexion. The lotus nodes between the sections are even a good medicine, with effects of strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, nourishing blood, stopping bleeding, and helping to improve complexion.
Honey
Autumn sees a large amount of fresh honey on the market, with many types of nectar to choose from. The climate in autumn is dry, and fresh honey has a good moisturizing effect. Honey is particularly nutritious; its main components are glucose and fructose, which account for 70% of its content. It also contains amino acids, vitamins A, C, D, and iron, calcium, and more. Additionally, honey is one of the foods with the most enzymes, which can effectively help the body digest and absorb.
Fresh Jujube
Fresh jujubes are fully ripe in autumn, and their sweetness is at its best, making this the best time of year to eat them. Fresh jujubes are rich in iron, which gives the skin a rosy complexion. They also contain a very high amount of vitamin C—70 times that of apples, 16 times that of oranges, and 8 times that of kiwis. The vitamin C in fresh jujubes is the best weapon against free radicals and aging. It can reduce melanin, inhibit its production, lighten spots and pigmentation, and improve skin tone.