Due to the high temperatures in summer, many children are prone to "heatiness," often developing eye discharge or constipation. At this time, parents should pay attention to helping their child reduce internal heat. It is not advisable to use medication to reduce heat in children; it is best to eat more foods that can cool them down.
4 Signs of Heatiness in Children During Summer
Children are susceptible to heatiness, and parents can observe certain parts of their body to see if their child is affected.
1. Corner of the Eye
If there is eye discharge in the corner of the eye, it indicates that the child has "liver heat." At this time, the child is often prone to irritability and disobedience. You can give the child raw, tender celery smeared with peanut butter and sugar to eat, or you can squeeze celery juice and cook it into a porridge.
2. Tongue
If a child's tongue or the sides of the tongue are red, it indicates "heart heat." At this time, the child is usually thirsty during the day and restless at night, unable to sleep well. There are many foods that can reduce heart heat, for example: in the summer, you can buy fresh lotus seeds, peel them, and give them directly to the child. There are also water bamboo and eggplant, which are best stir-fried or steamed, not with too much oil.
3. Corner of the Mouth
On careful observation, some children often have a "white coating" at the corners of their mouth, caused by dryness, which indicates "spleen heat." You can scrape the persimmon frost from a dried persimmon to make water for the child, or buy starfruit for the child to eat.
4. Stool
Every time the child has a bowel movement, parents should observe whether the child passes stool easily and smoothly, and what their expression is like. If the child is in great pain and struggles to pass stool, and the stool is not soft and yellow, along with bad breath, then they have "stomach heat." Try to let the child's stomach be empty, eat less, drink some millet porridge, lily porridge, or boil or squeeze water from water chestnuts, all of which can reduce stomach heat.
Prevent Child Heatiness by Eating More of These Foods
If a child often has heatiness, it is best to eat more foods such as mushrooms and tomatoes to easily stay away from it.
Water
What is the most important component of the human body? It's not the hard bones, but the soft and supple water. The surface area to body weight ratio of infants and young children is higher than that of adults, so they lose more water through evaporation and need more hydration. With ample water, metabolism is vigorous, and immunity is naturally improved.
Green and Yellow Vegetables
Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is not just a credo for adult diets, but should also be promoted to young children. Fiber can prevent constipation and provide a good absorption environment for the intestines. The fructose in fruits helps the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, just like laying an immune carpet in the small and large intestines. If children don't like vegetables, you can chop them up and mix them with grains or meat to make balls, dumplings, or wontons, and they will be more accepted.
Mushrooms
In the last twenty years, Europe, America, and Japan have advocated eating more mushrooms because they can prevent and improve many affluent diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis. Mushrooms can also enhance immunity, prevent and fight cancer, and are rich in B vitamins, which can relieve stress and bring a good mood.
Brown Rice, Coix Seed
Grains are the staple food of humanity. When complementary foods are added to an infant's diet, the first to try are rice flour and wheat flour. After weaning, the alternative food is also grains. Whole grains contain germ and polysaccharides, and are rich in vitamins B and E. These antioxidants can enhance immunity and strengthen the function of immune cells.
Tomato
The tomato can be called a vitality food, containing multiple powerful antioxidant factors such as lycopene, carotene, and vitamins C and E. It can protect vision, protect cells from damage, and repair already damaged cells. It is good to eat tomatoes raw or slightly cooked. Adding a small amount of olive oil can dissolve more lycopene, making the effect even better.