Chicken: Warming and Regulating Immunity
As spring weather fluctuates between warm and cold, consuming warming foods can not only boost your energy but also regulate your immune system and prevent illness.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, chicken has the effects of warming the middle burner, replenishing qi, nourishing the five organs, and tonifying deficiency. It can alleviate fatigue caused by bodily weakness and regulate the body's immune function. From a nutritional perspective, while chicken, beef, and mutton are all protein-rich foods that strengthen the body, chicken contains a wider variety of amino acids in its protein, which is also more easily absorbed and utilized by the human body.
Recommended Preparation: Chicken can be prepared in many ways, but stewing and simmering are best for preserving its nutritional value. As the saying goes, "When the body is weak, eat chicken to nourish it." Therefore, in spring, the elderly and children might drink some chicken soup to replenish their bodies. Additionally, you can make home-style dishes like potato and chicken stew, or mushroom and chicken stew.
Sweet Potato: Increasing Sweetness and Promoting Digestion
According to "Qian Jin Fang" (Essential Formulas for Emergencies), the diet in spring should "reduce sourness and increase sweetness to nourish the spleen." This is because eating too many sour foods in spring can exacerbate liver fire, thereby damaging the spleen and stomach. Therefore, it's best to eat more warm-natured, sweet-flavored foods to aid digestion. Starchy foods, such as japonica rice, glutinous rice, Chinese yam, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, are highly recommended.
Regularly eating sweet potatoes in spring can also prevent "spring drowsiness." An excessive intake of rice, flour, meat, and eggs in the daily diet can cause the body's fluids to become more acidic, leading to drowsiness. Therefore, eating alkaline foods can alleviate "spring drowsiness." Sweet potatoes are alkaline and can neutralize acidity, ensuring good health.
Early spring is a great time for detoxification and fat loss. After a winter of rich and heavy foods, it's a good idea to give your body a "thorough cleaning."
Honey has the effect of promoting bowel movements and moistening the intestines. At the same time, honey protects the liver and can enhance resistance to disease, making it the top drink for spring.
Recommended Preparation: The simplest method is to dissolve honey in warm water below 60°C to preserve its nutrients. It is recommended to drink a glass in the morning and another at night. Here is another recommended drink: honey and red date beverage, suitable for the early spring season when the weather is still unpredictable.
In spring, the flourishing liver qi can affect the function of the spleen and stomach. Red dates have the effect of tonifying the spleen. Place pitted dried red dates rock sugar in a pot, add enough water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat until the liquid is completely reduced, which takes about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. When drinking, stir in two tablespoons of honey.