According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the focus of spring health preservation is on the liver and on promoting the rise of Yang Qi. In our diet, we should eat more foods that help promote Yang Qi. What foods should we eat more of in spring?
Stir-fried pork shreds with chives and dried tofu
Radish and chives can be eaten more frequently
Diet after the Start of Spring is also very particular. In many parts of China, there is a custom of eating spring pancakes, radishes, and other foods on this day. The chives in spring pancakes are an excellent food for protecting Yang Qi, while bean sprouts have a moisturizing effect, making them both suitable foods for spring.
Less cold and raw food in the early spring
As spring arrives, although the weather gradually warms up, it has not yet entered a period of high temperatures. Therefore, it is advisable to drink fewer beverages and eat less of cold-natured foods such as cucumbers, winter melon, and eggplant, to avoid damaging the body's Yang Qi.
Avoid spicy food after the Start of Spring
After the Start of Spring, one should eat less overly spicy food as well as fried and grilled foods. Unlike in winter, after the Start of Spring, it is best to eat less spicy hot pot and mutton, as these foods can deplete Yang Qi and lead to "internal heat" (shang huo).
4 ingredients suitable for eating after the Start of Spring
Spring Bamboo Shoot and Tofu Soup
Chives
Chives, also known as "Yang-raising grass," have been called the "longevity vegetable" since ancient times. They can tonify the liver, help Yang Qi, secure essence, and strengthen the spleen and stomach. Their rich beta-carotene can prevent the carcinomatous change of epithelial cells. The contained vitamin C and vitamin E have antioxidant effects, improve human immunity, and have anti-aging effects. The darker the color of the chives, the more nutrients they contain and the stronger their health benefits. Chives in the early spring have a particularly good health effect on the human body.
Radish
Its nature is cooling, its flavor is pungent, sweet, and slightly sweet. It can eliminate stagnation, resolve phlegm, clear heat, and detoxify. Eating radishes often can lower blood lipids, soften blood vessels, stabilize blood pressure, and prevent diseases such as coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and gallstones. It can be seen that eating radish is, on the surface, just a custom, but in reality, it is the ancient experience of nutrition, fitness, and disease prevention.
Lettuce
In the north, people eat radishes on the Start of Spring, while in the south, they eat lettuce, which has the same significance. Lettuce has the effects of clearing heat and calming the mind, clearing the liver and promoting bile flow, and nourishing the stomach. Because its stems and leaves contain lactucarium, its taste is slightly bitter, and it has analgesic, hypnotic, cholesterol-lowering, and auxiliary therapeutic effects on neurasthenia. Lettuce contains effective ingredients such as mannitol, which has diuretic and promotes blood circulation.
Spring Bamboo Shoots
Spring bamboo shoots have a light, fresh, and tender taste and are rich in nutrition. They contain ample moisture, abundant plant protein, and essential nutrients and trace elements for the human body such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Their fiber content is particularly high, and regular consumption can aid digestion and prevent constipation. Therefore, spring bamboo shoots are a nutritious delicacy that is high in protein, low in fat, low in starch, and rich in crude fiber.
The diet in spring should also correspond to the Qi of spring growth. The focus of spring health preservation is to soothe and nourish the liver and promote the rise of liver Yang. Pay attention to preventing and treating common spring illnesses.
Spring bamboo shoots and tofu soup
It's a fragrance