As we enter autumn, our dietary habits should also change with the season. Unlike summer diets, autumn eating should focus more on nourishment. During this transition from a hot and rainy season, how can we adapt to the times and take good care of our bodies? Among these, white-colored foods can help us with autumn health preservation.
Melons
On the day of Start of Autumn (Liqiu), people eat melons to "bite the autumn." The melon can be winter melon or watermelon, with watermelon being the best choice because eating it in autumn can prevent "autumn dysentery."
Lotus Root
Lotus root is a specialty of autumn and is especially suitable for consumption during this season. Sticky rice stuffed lotus root is an excellent health food. In addition to filling the holes of the lotus root with sticky rice, you can also add millet, purple rice, and others. This not only nourishes the lungs but also tonifies the spleen and stomach, and the kidneys. It nourishes yin and replenishes qi deficiency, making it a truly excellent seasonal food for autumn.
Rice
Rice is known as the "head of the five grains." It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, replenishing the middle qi, nourishing yin and producing body fluids, relieving vexation and thirst, and stopping diarrhea. In ancient Chinese medicine, it was advocated to drink congee in the morning. Rice congee can produce body fluids and is particularly suitable for those with lung yin deficiency to have a bowl in the morning.
Rock Sugar
Rock sugar is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature, entering the lung and spleen meridians. It has the effects of replenishing the middle qi, harmonizing the stomach, and moistening the lungs. Rock sugar nourishes yin, produces body fluids, moistens the lungs, and stops coughing. It has a good auxiliary therapeutic effect on dry lung cough, cough with no phlegm, and coughing up blood. It is used for cough and asthma caused by dryness of the lungs, lung deficiency, and wind-cold fatigue.
Watercress
Watercress is sweet and slightly bitter in flavor, cold in nature, and enters the lung and bladder meridians. It has effects such as clearing heat and stopping cough, relieving dryness and moistening the lungs, transforming phlegm and stopping cough, and promoting urination. It has a good therapeutic effect on pulmonary tuberculosis, cough, hemoptysis, epistaxis (nosebleeds), and irregular menstrines caused by lung dryness and heat.
Winter Melon
Winter melon is cool in nature and sweet and bland in flavor, with the effect of clearing heat and resolving phlegm. The "Dian Nan Ben Cao" (Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan) once said: "Winter melon moistens the lungs, clears heat-phlegm, stops coughing, and treats wheezing and asthma." The "Ben Cao Zai Xin" (New Materia Medica) also stated that winter melon can relieve summer heat and transform heat. Therefore, it is most suitable for people with summer wind-heat cough and lung-heat cough, especially with yellow and thick phlegm.