The summer heat can easily cause intestinal diseases, as well as lead to overall fatigue and loss of appetite. Brewed vinegar contains a large amount of organic acids, which not only gives the vinegar a rich, mellow, gentle, and delicious sourness but is also a natural expert at inhibiting the growth of various bacteria. It not only aids in food digestion and nutrient absorption but also inhibits bacteria, allowing the body to maintain abundant vitality even in the summer.
Benefits of eating vinegar in the summer:
① Appetite stimulation: Stimulates gastric acid secretion, strengthens the spleen and stimulates the appetite, promoting hunger;
② Bacteriostatic effect: Adding vinegar to your diet can inhibit bacterial growth while also enhancing the flavor of food;
③ Refreshing effect: High temperatures can easily cause fatigue and poor rest. Vinegar can oxidize and metabolize lactic acid, which causes fatigue;
④ Blood pressure reduction: The mineral potassium it contains can help expel excess sodium from the body, preventing hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and other conditions;
⑤ Beauty benefits: Promotes the body's acid-alkali balance for a healthy complexion and beauty. Adding flowers, fruits, honey, etc., can enhance this effect.
Vinegar options for the summer:
① 9° Rice Vinegar: A type of high-grain white vinegar. Besides its seasoning function, it can also be used for fumigation to inhibit bacteria and for pickling health foods, such as vinegar eggs, vinegar peanuts, vinegar radishes, and vinegar beans;
② Zhejiang Dark Vinegar: A southern style vinegar, fermented from red yeast rice and glutinous rice. It can remove the fishy and astringent taste from seafood. Adding a small amount to noodles or shark fin gives it a unique flavor. It is also a seasoning for dishes like crispy-skin squab from Cantonese cuisine and Chaozhou-style frozen crab;
③ Sweet Glutinous Rice Vinegar: A southern style vinegar, made by brewing vinegar with spices like cassia bark, cloves, Sichuan pepper, star anise, etc., and brown sugar. It dispels wind and removes blood stasis, strengthens the body, and beautifies the complexion. It is an excellent choice for the traditional pork knuckles and ginger vinegar soup consumed postpartum by women and is also a high-quality seasoning in Cantonese cuisine;
④ Fruit and Flower Vinegar: Includes plum vinegar, hawthorn vinegar, monk fruit vinegar, chrysanthemum vinegar, apple vinegar, etc. It can be consumed directly. Plums can detoxify and regulate the gastrointestinal tract; hawthorn can lower blood pressure, improve cardiac contractility, and reduce body fat and accumulated lactic acid; monk fruit can clear heat and cool the blood, promote bowel movements for detoxification, soften the skin and improve complexion, and moisten the lungs to resolve phlegm; chrysanthemum can nourish the liver and improve eyesight, clear the mind, and help regulate blood lipids.