Many people can't eat fruit in the winter, why? Because of a cold stomach and intestines, eating cold fruit makes them uncomfortable. Does this mean people with a cold stomach and intestines can't eat fruit all winter? Then how do we supplement the vitamins, trace elements, and other nutrients our bodies need? Let me recommend a good method for you—cook the fruit before eating it!
Lychee, Water Chestnut, and Dragon Fruit in Sugar Water
Won't cooking destroy the nutrients in fruit? Your concern is not without reason. Vitamin C in fruit is sensitive to heat, and cooking it will cause significant loss. However, fruits commonly eaten in winter, like apples, snow pears, and bananas, are not high in Vitamin C to begin with. Moreover, prominent nutrients in apples, such as pectin, and in bananas, such as potassium, are not lost much through heating. These fruits are more suitable for eating cooked.
Any method used to cook vegetables can be used to prepare fruit. For example, you can cook an apple and hawthorn soup. Boil apple pieces until they are soft, and enjoy the soup while eating the flesh—it feels great. You can also shred apples and stir-fry them with other light dishes. Baked apple slices are also delicious. Core and slice the apples, bake them soft on a griddle, then brush with brown sugar water and bake for a little longer.
Next, I will recommend a few fruits suitable for boiling and their recipes. You might want to give them a try.
Steamed Apple Slices
Steamed apples have the effect of stopping diarrhea and detoxifying, and steamed apples are easier to digest. The pectin in apples can absorb bacteria and toxins, and after steaming, the pectin can work more effectively.
Ingredients: Appropriate amount of apple.
Method: First, slice the apple (with the skin on) into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Steam over boiling water for five minutes. After cooling slightly, you can eat it. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add honey according to your preference.
Steamed Red Dates and Chinese Yam
Red dates are rich in protein, carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, and nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Their vitamin C content is among the highest in fruits, earning them the title "King of Vitamins." However, the skin of dried dates is very hard and not suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach. Fresh dates can produce phlegm, generate heat, and damage teeth, so they shouldn't be eaten in large quantities. Steamed red dates are easy to digest and very suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach.
Ingredients: 300g red dates, 150g Chinese yam, 100g goji berries, 25g honey, egg.
Method: Cut the red dates in half (it's best to remove the pits). Peel, wash, and dice the Chinese yam. Then mix the egg with goji berries, Chinese yam, and red dates. Add cold water and steam over low heat for 20 minutes.
Lychee, Water Chestnut, and Dragon Fruit in Sugar Water
Lychees have always been very popular, but eating them alone can easily cause "heatiness" (上火). It's a good idea to use lychees to make a sweet soup. Adding water chestnuts and dragon fruit to the soup not only makes it delicious and tasty but also has the effect of clearing heat and relieving dryness.
Ingredients: 300g lychees, 250g water chestnuts, 100g dragon fruit (red-fleshed is recommended), appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Method: Peel and pit the lychees. Peel the water chestnuts and cut them into small pieces. Peel the dragon fruit and set aside the juice. Place the prepared lychees and water chestnuts in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. If there is foam, skim it off with a spoon, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. After that, add rock sugar and simmer for another 5 minutes. Let the sweet soup cool, then pour in the dragon fruit juice and stir to combine. It's done.
Steamed Grapefruit with Honey
Grapefruit is rich in protein, vitamins, and elements like calcium and iron that the human body needs. The grapefruit peel is rich in active substances such as hesperidin and naringin, which can reduce the viscosity of blood circulation, decrease the formation of thrombosis, and effectively prevent stroke in middle-aged and elderly people.
Ingredients: Appropriate amount of grapefruit, honey.
Method: Peel the grapefruit and remove the pulp. It's best to keep the peel intact. Crush rock sugar, add it with honey and grapefruit pulp back into the peel. Steam over boiling water for 15-20 minutes, then it's ready to eat. A reminder: be sure to scrub the peel thoroughly with salt to remove the wax.
People with a deficient and cold constitution or a cold stomach and intestines no longer have to worry about not being able to eat fruit in the winter. Just cook specific fruits before eating them. The loss of nutrients is minimal, and it's healthy. This is especially true for children who get diarrhea from eating cold fruit; parents might consider cooking it for them.
Litchi, horseshoe, dragon fruit water