In rainy and snowy winter weather, it's important to keep warm to avoid catching a cold. Elderly individuals should also be mindful of preventing a stroke. However, people tend to exercise less in winter, and staying in a dry, heated indoor environment for long periods can lead to an accumulation of internal heat. In this case, it's suitable to eat radishes and pears to clear lung heat, moisten dryness, and reduce internal heat.
On cold snowy days, personal warmth is crucial
On a damp and cold snowy day, it's essential to keep your feet warm. Illness starts from the feet, and cold comes from the legs. Compared to other parts of the body, the feet are most susceptible to cold. When your feet get cold, it affects your whole body, causing your overall body temperature to drop and disrupting the normal physiological functions of various parts. The impact on the upper respiratory tract is particularly significant, often leading to colds, arthritis, indigestion, and gynecological diseases.
Therefore, foot warmth should be especially reinforced on snowy days. After walking in the snow, it's best to soak your feet in hot water. In rainy-snowy weather or when the snow has melted, even if you wear warm shoes, they will soon get soaked, making your feet prone to frostbite. At this time, ordinary plastic bags can solve this big problem. You can wear plastic bags over your socks before putting on your shoes, which will both keep you warm and provide insulation.
On a cold snowy day, prevent a stroke: For people with poor vascular elasticity, drastic temperature changes can cause blood pressure fluctuations, leading to increased blood pressure and triggering a cerebral hemorrhage. Pay attention to the early signs of a stroke, such as sudden dizziness, severe headaches, blurred vision, and limb numbness. Prevent heart disease: including angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Cold can increase the fibrinogen content in the blood, which can easily lead to thrombus formation and blockage of coronary arteries. Diseased coronary arteries constrict in the cold, causing vascular occlusion, which leads to myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, triggering angina. Prevent digestive tract ulcers: Under the reflex action of the parasympathetic nerve, the stomach produces spasmodic contractions, causing the stomach itself to become ischemic and hypoxic, leading to a recurrence of stomach problems. Prevent respiratory diseases: including colds, coughs, pneumonia, etc.
Prevent internal heat: Eat raw radishes and cooked pears
The "Minor Snow" solar term marks the transition between autumn and winter. According to traditional health concepts, it's recommended to eat more warming foods. However, nowadays, with the widespread use of heating and air conditioning, people generally live, study, or work in indoor environments with high room temperatures. Additionally, they wear more and move less, and the dry, heated indoor environment can easily lead to an accumulation of internal heat. Li Fang, Director of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Nanjing Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, reminds everyone that if you eat high-calorie, high-fat, and greasy foods at this time, it can easily lead to excessive "internal fire" in the body, such as lung fire and stomach fire. Wang Yuanzhao, Director of the Anorectal Department at the same hospital, also reminds that if this internal "fire" is not removed in time, it will also affect anorectal health and induce diseases such as heat-induced constipation.
People are usually accustomed to eating cooked radishes and raw pears. After the "Minor Snow" solar term, you might try eating raw radishes and cooked pears. Why is that? Wang Yuanzhao, Deputy Chief Physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explains that pears have the effects of moistening the lungs, clearing heat, nourishing yin, and promoting fluid production. For patients with dry-heat cough, eating cooked pears can enhance the cough-relieving effect. Here is a simple food therapy recipe for your reference:
1 large pear, 60 grams of honey. Hollow out the pear, remove the core, fill it with honey, place it in a large bowl, and steam it until cooked. Eat it once or twice daily.
As for white radishes, people usually eat them cooked. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that eating raw radishes can clear heat, generate body fluids, cool the blood to stop bleeding, and resolve phlegm to stop coughing; while cooking them is more beneficial for the spleen and stomach, aiding digestion and promoting qi downward. Therefore, from the perspective of clearing heat and generating fluids, eating them raw is more effective. However, it is also important to remind everyone that people with a weak spleen and stomach should not eat radishes raw. It is best to cook them to avoid causing gastrointestinal discomfort.