The hot summer climate, lack of sleep, and high energy expenditure make people most prone to "internal heat". Therefore, during the high-temperature season of summer, in addition to drinking more water, people should also pay attention to eating less of four types of food in their diet: ◇ Eat less heaty fruits
Eating too many heaty fruits in summer, such as lychees, longans, and apricots, can easily lead to "deficiency fire". Lychees contain components that lower blood sugar, and eating too many can cause a hypoglycemic reaction. For people with a "heated" body constitution, who are already full of energy and have difficulty falling asleep at night, coupled with a high metabolic rate, it is even more important to avoid eating heaty fruits.
Moreover, children with a fever or inflammation in any organ should also avoid eating them. In addition to lychees and longans, peaches, longans, guavas, cherries, coconuts, durians, and apricots are also considered heaty fruits. They should be eaten in moderation during summer and never excessively. ◇ Eat less meat
When the temperature exceeds 35°C, excessive sweating can increase blood viscosity and cause irritability. Eating meat at this time can worsen one's temper. Meat contains a large amount of animal protein, which can reduce the level of tryptophan in the brain, leading to tendencies of aggression, anxiety, and belligerence.
Secondly, meat does not have a high calcium ratio, and eating too much can lead to low calcium concentration in the body, which can also increase a person's tendency to be irritable and irascible. Excessive meat intake can harden blood vessels, which in turn raises blood pressure. High blood pressure is an important cause of emotional instability. ◇ Eat less nuts
Nuts refer to various oil-rich seed foods, such as peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, melon seeds, almonds, pistachios, etc. When eating nuts in summer, it is crucial to keep the amount appropriate. Because nuts are very high in calories, 50 grams of melon seeds contain as many calories as a large bowl of rice.
For the average person, eating about 30 grams of nuts per day is a suitable amount. Nuts have the function of generating heat in the body, so they are more suitable for winter consumption and should be eaten less in summer. ◇ Use less heaty spices
During the hot summer, high temperatures mean that using heaty spices (such as star anise, fennel, cassia, Sichuan peppercorns, white pepper, etc.) during cooking can make one unbearably agitated and can also cause some digestive and urinary tract problems.
Consuming heaty spices can lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, bloating, reduced urination, painful urination, kidney pain, and can also cause systemic diseases such as angular cheilitis, pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, heat rash, and heatstroke. People with chronic illnesses who consume heaty spices may find their condition worsens. Therefore, it is not advisable to use too many heaty spices in summer cooking.