In the hot summer, due to continuous high temperatures, the body consumes a significant amount of energy. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish energy promptly through diet. Daily, choose more high-quality proteins such as lean meat, fish, soft-shelled turtle, duck, rabbit, milk, and yogurt. You can also select foods that strengthen the spleen, stimulate the appetite, clear heat, and resolve dampness, such as winter melon, watermelon, cucumber, bitter melon, loofah, mung beans, coix seeds, eggplant, and crown daisy. It is also recommended to drink a moderate amount of tea and honey daily, which can be helpful for getting through the summer peacefully.
From a traditional perspective, tea is known to dispel fatigue, clear the mind, and brighten the eyes. It also promotes the production of body fluids, quenches thirst, promotes urination, stops diarrhea, clears heat and toxins, relieves coughs and asthma, aids digestion, and helps with weight loss.
Honey. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," honey "is cool in its raw state, thus it can clear heat; it is warm in its cooked state, thus it can tonify the middle jiao; it is sweet and neutral, thus it can detoxify; it is soft and moistening, thus it can moisten dryness; its mild nature can alleviate acute conditions, thus it can relieve pain in the heart, abdomen, muscles, and sores; its harmonizing nature can restore balance, thus it can harmonize various herbs, functioning similarly to licorice."
In addition, the main food therapy recipes are as follows: Rice Oil. Ingredients: Japonica rice. Preparation: Wash the japonica rice, add water, and place it in a pressure cooker. Bring to a boil over high heat (when the pressure valve starts to release steam), then reduce to medium heat for 5 minutes. For those who prefer a softer texture, cook for 10 minutes. After turning off the heat, let it stand for 10 minutes. It can also be cooked in a rice cooker. Efficacy: Rice oil is the thick rice soup with a layer of oil floating on the surface. Japonica rice is sweet and neutral in nature, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and tonifying the middle jiao. The ancients said, "Rice soup can replace ginseng soup, replenishing fluids and essence," making it very suitable for patients and the weak.
Lotus Seed and Coix Seed Congee. Ingredients: 50g lotus seeds, 30g coix seeds, 20g hawthorn, 100g rock sugar (added later), 3g dried tangerine peel, 9g bamboo shavings (wrapped separately), 100g small red dates, 500g rice. Preparation: Add an appropriate amount of water and cook the dried tangerine peel and bamboo shavings together. Strain out the dregs. Use this water to cook the other ingredients. After the lotus seeds are cooked, add the rock sugar and cook for another 3 minutes. Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and replenishes qi, harmonizes the stomach and stops vomiting. Used for treating fatigue, etc.
American Ginseng and Tremella Snow Pear Soup. Ingredients: 1g American ginseng (or replace with Cordyceps sinensis to make Cordyceps Tremella Soup), 6g lily bulb, 6g white fungus (tremella), 6g goji berries, 1/4 snow pear (added later), 9g rock sugar. Preparation: Cook the first four ingredients together over low heat for 20 minutes. Then add the snow pear and rock sugar, and cook for another 3 minutes. Efficacy: Replenishes qi and nourishes yin, promotes the production of body fluids and moistens dryness.
Chuanbei Lily and Mung Bean Soup. Ingredients: 12g Chuanbei fritillary bulb, 50g lily bulb, 100g mung beans. Preparation: Grind the Chuanbei fritillary bulb into fine particles and cook with the lily bulb and mung beans until they are soft and well-done. Add rock sugar and drink the soup while eating the ingredients. Efficacy: Soothes the throat, moistens it, and resolves phlegm.