As summer arrives and the temperature gradually rises, many people's appetites become increasingly poor. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that the long summer corresponds to the spleen and earth, with damp-heat being the dominant climate. Due to the hot weather, people sweat more, and their energy consumption naturally increases. Moreover, many people like to eat cold drinks, which can easily lead to disharmony between the spleen and stomach, and impaired digestion for those with a constitution of spleen-stomach cold deficiency. This can result in symptoms like fatigue and loss of appetite.
For those with a slight Yang deficiency, soups are recommended. Generally, people with a slight Yang deficiency are relatively overweight, fear the cold in winter and the heat in summer, and experience excessive spontaneous sweating. Therefore, even in summer, one should drink more hot soups and congee, such as mushroom soup, chicken soup, pork rib soup, and fish soup. It's also advisable to eat slightly saltier foods to avoid harming the stomach's Qi. It's important to eat less raw, cold, and greasy food to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach.
Regarding fruits, Tang Boxiang suggests that people with a slight Yang deficiency can eat more tropical fruits, including mangoes, pineapples, grapes, lychees, loquats, and durians, which are beneficial for replenishing Qi and blood and activating the meridians. For cold-natured fruits like pears, they should be eaten less or not at all.
For those with a slight Yin deficiency, drink yogurt with fruit. If you are relatively thin and usually eat small portions, you might have a constitution with a slight Yin deficiency. People with a slight Yin deficiency need to eat more nourishing foods. TCM believes that foods that nourish the Yin include beef, mutton, and seafood. Additionally, wheat-based foods also have the effect of nourishing the true Yin.
People with a slight Yin deficiency should eat less "heat-inducing" fruits, which are the tropical products mentioned earlier. Instead, they should eat more tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, and leafy vegetables to achieve balance in the body.