A wide variety of seasonal fruits are not only delicious and healthy, but also great ingredients for our health and wellness. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fruit-based wellness teaches you to use fruits to "repair" your body. Maintaining health and preserving your looks are no problem at all.
Eating the right fruits for wellness has amazing effects.
Kiwi, Citrus—Natural Flu Vaccine
Kiwi, abundant in autumn, is rich in heat-clearing, diuretic, and antioxidant components. It can boost immunity, fight off bacteria and cold viruses, and enhance cardiovascular function. Citrus fruits can also prevent colds. It's recommended to eat them whole, including the pith, to moisten the throat for a better effect. Recent research has found that increasing vitamin C intake is very effective in preventing colds, and oranges and kiwis are both rich in vitamin C.
Starfruit, Pineapple, Dragon Fruit—Digestive Accelerators
When socializing, it's easy to overeat, which can lead to indigestion. After a social event, you can eat sliced starfruit dipped in a little salt. Starfruit is rich in vitamin C, promotes food digestion, and can prevent the synthesis of carcinogenic nitrites, making it a great detoxifier after a heavy meal. Golden pineapple is diuretic and aids digestion; its proteases can speed up the breakdown of meat. If you've eaten too much barbecue and feel bloated and uncomfortable, eating some fresh pineapple can quickly relieve gas. Dragon fruit helps with bowel regularity and is a great "rescue" fruit after social events.
Longan, Apple—Brain Activators
The apple is known as the "memory fruit" because it is rich in zinc, which promotes brain development and enhances memory. It also has heart-protecting effects. Longan is the "wisdom fruit" that can stimulate the mind. If you're facing consecutive workdays, overtime, or exams and your thinking becomes sluggish, eating longan can restore your energy and make your thoughts sharper. However, longan is considered "heaty," so you should avoid it if you have symptoms like a dry mouth or inflammation.
Banana, Strawberry, Hawthorn—Blood Vessel Protectors
Bananas contain potassium ions that can lower blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease. Strawberries contain pectin and antioxidants that can prevent arteriosclerosis. Hawthorn aids digestion and resolves blood stasis; it can reduce cholesterol deposits on the arterial walls, protecting the blood vessels. Hawthorn can also enhance vascular contraction, increase cardiac output, and reduce blood viscosity, protecting the cardiovascular system. People with a weak stomach should preferably eat hawthorn after a meal and brush their teeth or rinse their mouth afterwards because its high acidity can damage tooth enamel.
Mulberry, Grape—Blood Tonics
Purple mulberries can promote circulation and blood flow, nourish the eyes, and prevent hair aging. They can give you a healthy complexion and are good for those with a poor one, but they usually need to be consumed consistently for one to two months. A secret to maintaining a good complexion is to wash mulberries with rice water, blend them into a juice including the pulp, and drink a glass. Grapes, juicy and sweet in summer, can nourish the liver and kidneys, and replenish qi and blood to make hair black. The vitamin P in grape skins can repair nerves, and blending them with the skins and seeds yields better anti-aging effects. However, mulberries contain allergens and hyaluronic acid; excessive consumption can easily lead to hemolytic enteritis, so children should not eat too much.
Overripe fruits can be eaten this way
Stir-fry bananas and apples. Bananas and apples are rich in minerals like potassium and magnesium, and dietary fiber like pectin, making them very beneficial for people with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Furthermore, apples contain little vitamin C, and most of their polyphenol antioxidants are retained even when heated. Therefore, apples and bananas that have been sitting at home for a while can certainly be cooked. First, peel the apple and cut it into 1 cm thick rounds. Cut the banana in half lengthwise. Before stir-frying, drizzle a little olive oil into the pan, then add the prepared apple or banana slices and cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes, until the apple is fragrant and the banana is slightly softened.
Braise pears and sugarcane in soup. As we all know, pears and sugarcane are "cooling" fruits. People with gastritis, stomach ulcers, or enteritis, or generally poor digestive health, should eat them cooked. Also, the vitamin C content of both fruits is similarly low, almost negligible, so cooking them does not reduce their nutritional value and provides good heat-clearing and lung-moistening effects. The method is simple: first, peel and dice slightly withered pears and sugarcane, add lily and goji berries, and simmer for about half an hour. Finally, you can add a little honey to taste according to your preference.
Roast oranges. Although oranges are high in vitamins, they are also rich in carbohydrates and fruit acids, which help protect the vitamin C. Therefore, slightly heating them is fine and won't lose much nutrition. You can first prick the orange peel with a needle, then place it in a microwave oven and roast on low-medium heat for about 30 seconds.
Juice strawberries and kiwis. It would be a real shame to cook strawberries and kiwis, which are so rich in vitamin C. The vitamin content of both can reach over 50 mg per 100 grams, making them "kings" in the fruit world. But eating them raw can feel unappealing. At this time, you might as well mix them with yogurt and honey to make a juice or smoothie. This preserves the nutrients while also being a delicious and sweet dessert.