Just as June has passed, the weather is about to enter the hottest part of the summer. The scorching sun will not only leave you "mentally drained" but also cause your "appetite to plummet." While ice-cold water quenches thirst, it can easily harm the stomach, and ice cream is cool but not low in calories... So, are there foods that are both nutritious and cooling? Of course! Here are 8 foods you should eat more of.
Best Condiment - Vinegar
Vinegar is indispensable in cooking, and even more so in summer dishes. Firstly, vinegar has antibacterial properties. Bacteria multiply rapidly in the summer, increasing the incidence of intestinal infectious diseases. At this time, vinegar can have a strong killing effect on various germs. Secondly, vinegar can regulate gastrointestinal function. Vinegar is sour, slightly sweet, and has a fragrant aroma. When you smell the vinegar aroma and taste the vinegar, digestive juices will naturally be secreted, ensuring you have a strong appetite.
Best Vegetable - Bitter Vegetables
As the saying goes: "Eating bitter foods in hot weather is better than taking tonics." Bitter foods contain amino acids, bitter substances, alkaloids, and have many effects such as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, relieving heat and summer heat, refreshing the mind, and eliminating fatigue. According to traditional Chinese medicine, summer heat is abundant and dampness is heavy, which damages kidney qi and burdens the spleen and stomach. Bitter foods can balance the body's functions by their effects of replenishing qi, securing the kidneys, strengthening the spleen, and drying dampness. Common "bitter" foods include bitter melon, bitter herbs, and kale. Note that you should not eat too many bitter foods at once, otherwise, it is easy to cause discomfort such as nausea and vomiting.
Best Meat - Duck
Duck meat is sweet, salty, and cool in nature. From the perspective of the traditional Chinese medicine principle of "treating heat with cold," it is especially suitable for people with internal heat, such as low-grade fever, weakness, poor appetite, and dry stools. In addition, duck stewed with ham and sea cucumber is good for nourishing the yin of the five organs; duck congee cooked with glutinous rice has the effects of nourishing the stomach, replenishing blood, and promoting fluid production; duck stewed with kelp can soften blood vessels and lower blood pressure, preventing and treating arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and heart disease.
Best Beverage - Hot Tea
In summer, drinks are essential. The first choice is not various cold drinks, nor beer or coffee, but the very common hot tea. Tea is rich in potassium (the average potassium content in 100 grams of tea is 10.7 mg for green tea and 24.1 mg for black tea), which quenches thirst and relieves fatigue. A study in the United States pointed out that drinking green tea can reduce by one-third the risk of sunburn, sagging, and roughening of the skin caused by sun exposure. According to experiments by British experts, the cooling power of hot tea is much greater than that of cold drinks, making it a top-tier drink for summer heat relief.
Best Fruit - Watermelon
Watermelon is sweet and cold in nature, also known as "cold melon" in folklore, and is the top choice for clearing summer heat and quenching thirst. Watermelon is very nutritious and contains a variety of nutrients needed by the human body. Because it contains 96.6% water, it can replenish the large amount of water lost by the human body in summer. Therefore, there is a saying in folklore: "Half a melon a day, what can the scorching heat do?" When summer heatstroke, fever, vexation, thirst, or other acute febrile diseases occur, watermelon can be used as an adjunctive treatment. Watermelon rind can also be eaten cold or stir-fried.
Best Congee - Mung Bean Congee
Eating more congee in summer is a traditional health-preserving method in China and is very beneficial to the body. It is best to drink mung bean congee. Mung beans are cool in nature and have the effect of clearing heat and relieving summer heat. Other congees for preventing summer heat include lotus leaf congee, fresh lotus root congee, and raw reed root congee.
Best Anti-Fatigue Food - Fruit and Vegetable Juice
When feeling listless in the limbs in summer, drinking more fruit and vegetable juice is a good choice. Because fresh fruit and vegetable juice can effectively supplement the human body with vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, it can enhance cell vitality and gastrointestinal function, promote the secretion of digestive juices, and eliminate fatigue. It should be noted that when making fruit and vegetable juice, it is best to choose two or three different fruits and vegetables, and change the combination daily to ensure balanced absorption of different nutrients. The fruit and vegetable pulp should not be missed either; it is best to mix it well and eat it with honey.
Best Sun Protection Food - Tomato
Research results from scientists in Germany and the Netherlands show that eating more tomatoes can protect against the sun. If 40 grams of tomato sauce are consumed daily, the risk of sunburn will be reduced by 40%. Scientists believe that this may be mainly due to the action of lycopene.