Although it is recommended to eat more fruits in the summer, from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), people have different constitutions, and fruits also have their own properties. The nutritional and medicinal value of each fruit is different. If you're not careful, eating fruit can also make you feel unwell. However, if you choose fruits according to your own constitution, the nourishing effect will be twice the result with half the effort!
Constitution classification is a unique theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is commonly known as cold, heat, deficiency, and excess. People with a "cold constitution" produce less heat in their bodies, so their hands and feet are colder, their complexion is paler than others, they prefer hot drinks, and rarely feel thirsty. Even on a hot summer day, they feel uncomfortable when entering an air-conditioned room and need a cup of hot tea or an extra jacket to feel comfortable. Conversely, people with a "hot constitution" generate more heat, have a flushed face, are prone to thirst and a dry tongue, prefer cold drinks, and feel very comfortable entering an air-conditioned room in the summer.
A deficient constitution is caused by a decline in the vitality of life activities, leading to listlessness, palpitations, and shortness of breath. An excess constitution, on the other hand, is prone to fever, bloating, irritability, and coarse breathing, and is also susceptible to constipation.
Fruit Properties vs. Body Constitution
TCM believes that food produces "cold, hot, warm, and cool" effects in the body. Therefore, each fruit has its own "personality." TCM emphasizes balance and harmony of yin and yang. Therefore, people with a heat-dominant constitution should eat more cooling foods, while those with a cold-dominant constitution should naturally eat more warming foods. The principle for eating fruit is the same.
TCM considers hot-natured fruits to be those with high caloric density and high sugar content. Eating such fruits can easily lead to "internal heat" and increase the body's energy. Conversely, fruits that are low in caloric density, rich in fiber, but low in fat and sugar are considered cold-natured. When eaten, the fiber and water in these fruits occupy space in the stomach and intestines, making it difficult to eat other nutritious foods. Eating too many of them will lead to a gradual loss of energy and physical strength, and a person will become more sensitive to cold and weak.
So, how should different constitutions be paired with fruits? Nutrition experts will guide you:
1. Peach — Highest iron content among fruits
There is a common saying, "Peaches nourish people, while apricots harm them." Peaches are rich in various vitamins, minerals, and fruit acids, and their iron content is the highest among fruits. Iron is the main raw material for the human body to produce blood and is very beneficial to health.
2. Apricot — Good for relieving coughs, moistening the intestines, and promoting bowel movements
Apricots contain citric acid, malic acid, and beta-carotene, and are mainly used to relieve coughs and asthma, moisten the intestines, and promote bowel movements. However, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" states, "Eating too many raw apricots can injure the muscles and bones."
3. Watermelon — Clears heat, relieves summer heat, and promotes urination
There is a Chinese proverb: "Eating watermelon in the summer, you won't need to take medicine." This indicates that watermelon is the most suitable fruit for summer. Watermelon is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, glucose, sucrose, malic acid, glutamic acid, and arginine. It has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, promoting urination, and lowering blood pressure. It also has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on high fever and thirst, excessive sweating in the summer heat, oliguria in nephritis, and hypertension.
Although watermelon is good, TCM experts believe that watermelon is a cold-natured food that can easily damage the spleen and stomach. Therefore, people with a weak spleen and stomach, chronic enteritis, gastritis, duodenal ulcers, or loose stools should eat it as little as possible. Healthy people should also not eat it in excess, otherwise it can damage the spleen and stomach, leading to indigestion or diarrhea.
One point to note is that patients with colds and fevers in the summer often eat watermelon to replenish fluids and reduce fever. However, because it is a sweet and cold food, it is not suitable for wind-cold colds or the early stages of a cold, especially for those with symptoms of aversion to cold and no sweat.
4. Citrus — Limonene has anti-cancer effects
Citrus fruits can moisten the lungs and regulate qi. Fresh orange juice contains various organic acids and vitamins, which help human metabolism, has a whitening effect, and also has multiple health benefits. The white vascular network on the surface of the orange pulp contains vitamin P, which can prevent and treat high blood pressure and has the effect of resolving phlegm. There is a well-known essential oil called limonene, which is the main component of most citrus fruits. Current research points out that limonene has anti-cancer effects.
5. Papaya — Treats protein digestion problems
Papaya is not only a delicious fruit but also has medicinal effects. Papain, an important digestive enzyme found in papaya, can break down protein foods into a digestible state. It can dissolve up to 35 times its own weight in lean meat. This is why people use papaya to treat protein digestion problems. It is most abundant in the leaves of the papaya tree and in the peel of unripe papayas.
6. Pineapple — Breaks down protein and dissolves blood clots
Every 100 grams of pineapple fruit contains as much as 30 milligrams of vitamin C and is rich in water. Its pulp, like papaya, contains an enzyme that can break down protein. Therefore, it can soften meat and dissolve blood clots.
7. Strawberry — Reduces sunburn pain
Strawberries are rich in vitamins C and B, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, and still hold a place in herbal medicines today. Its leaves, when boiled, can be used as an astringent to treat diarrhea, fever, mouth ulcers, and gum diseases.
8. Grapes — Excellent antioxidant effects
The antioxidant effect of grape seed is not only 20 times that of vitamin C but also 50 times that of vitamin E. Grape seeds contain a large amount of OPC antioxidants. OPC is a powerful flavonoid mainly found in the skin and seeds. Red grape seeds are especially an effective source of OPC and are a potential key to increasing the body's antioxidant activities, protecting against oxidative damage, and delaying the aging process.
9. Banana — Anti-depressant and aids sleep
Banana is one of the oldest fruits for humans and has very high nutritional value. It is a natural source of potassium and also contains sodium, which can inhibit the onset of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. It maintains normal blood pressure and heart function and is rich in vitamin B6, which helps people stay away from depression, and magnesium, an anti-stress mineral. It is also a source of the essential amino acid tryptophan. Together with vitamin B6, niacin, and magnesium, it is the main raw material for the human body to produce serotonin, having anti-depressant, sedative, and sleep-inducing effects.
10. Apple — Lowers cholesterol and prevents gallstones
Apples not only contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, various vitamins, minerals, and malic acid, but also a valuable pectin component. Pectin is a soluble dietary fiber that can promote gastrointestinal motility, regulate the stomach and intestines, and combine with cholesterol to help the body excrete it, thereby lowering cholesterol. Pectin also combines with cholesterol in the gallbladder to be excreted, which can dilute bile and has the effect of preventing gallstones.