For friends with a weak spleen and stomach, or indigestion, it is essential to "draw a clear line" with nourishing and greasy yin-tonifying products such as antler glue and donkey-hide gelatin during the Start of Autumn. Otherwise, it is very likely to worsen symptoms such as loss of appetite and indigestion. After the Start of Autumn, "light nourishment" should be the main principle. Compared to meat, the light nourishing effects of leafy greens, cauliflower, and some melons and fruits are more prominent. Therefore, choosing some light foods, such as eggplant, fresh lotus root, mung bean sprouts, loofah, cucumber, winter melon, and bitter melon, all have the effect of clearing summer heat and resolving dampness.
Poria, Euryale ferox seeds, Chinese yam, cowpeas, and millet all have the effect of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach. The "Shennong Ben Cao Jing" (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic) even lists poria as a superior grade, stating that "long-term use can calm the soul, nourish the spirit, prevent hunger, and prolong life." Therefore, medicinal porridge is the best diet for regulating the spleen and stomach at this time. Drinking a bowl of porridge in the morning after the Start of Autumn can both dispel the autumn coolness and prevent autumn dryness.
As the saying goes, "Autumn melons harm the stomach." After the beginning of autumn, although the weather is still very hot, the body's yang energy is gradually receding. Except for southern coastal areas like Guangdong and Hainan, it is not advisable to eat summer cooling fruits in most provinces and cities of China. Eating a large amount of melons in summer can weaken the disease resistance of the digestive system. Eating a large amount of raw melons and fruits after the Start of Autumn will inevitably further dampen pathogenic dampness, damage the spleen's yang energy, and lead to diseases such as diarrhea.