In the dry winter, some people may drink large amounts of water, but dryness injures the body's fluids. Whatever water is consumed is quickly expelled, so drinking water alone is not effective. In fact, we can replenish "water" through our diet to keep the body hydrated.
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Professor Yang Li from Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences states that during the autumn and winter, dryness injures the body's fluids, and a large portion of the water consumed is excreted through urine.
At this time, dryness can lead to internal heat. It's a good idea to eat more fruits and vegetables to not only retain moisture but also to nourish the yin and moisten dryness.
Looking at a food composition table, it's not hard to see that vegetables and fruits generally contain over 70% water. Even if you only eat 500 grams of fruits and vegetables a day, you can get 300-400 milliliters of water. Furthermore, a common principle in daily diet is to balance solid and liquid foods, making it not difficult to obtain 1500-2000 milliliters of water from three meals. Therefore, it's a good idea to take full advantage of meal times to rehydrate. Besides drinking water, choosing fruits, vegetables, and unsalted soups or congee can also be effective for hydration.
"White foods" can prevent dryness
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the method for relieving dryness and heat is often through moistening. According to the Five Elements and Five Colors theory, it's advisable to eat more "white foods." When cooking, you can choose white radish, cabbage, winter melon, lily bulb, tremella, lotus root, and lotus seeds. Among these, cabbage and white radish, being common vegetables, have the best effects and can be considered the most economical and affordable tonics. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" even calls the radish "the most beneficial among vegetables." White radish contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, with its vitamin C content being 8-10 times higher than that of pears and apples. Cabbage is rich in vitamins C and E, which can prevent skin dryness caused by dryness and heat, and its fiber can also promote intestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation. However, it should be noted that people with a cold and weak stomach should eat less of these in winter. For fruits, the pear is the "king of hydration," as it not only increases water intake but also helps supplement vitamins.
In terms of cooking methods, you can make juicy, liquid-based foods, such as snow pear soup. Boiling snow pears, tremella, and lily bulbs together with some lotus root starch has the effects of clearing heat, promoting the production of body fluids, resolving phlegm, and moistening the lungs. A lily bulb, lotus seed, millet, and red jujice congee has the effects of nourishing yin to moisten dryness, nourishing the lungs and heart, and strengthening the spleen to promote body fluids, making it suitable for consumption in the dry autumn. Additionally, you can cook soups like winter melon soup, lotus root soup, white radish and peanut soup, and cabbage soup. Yang Li also reminds that it's best to drink a glass of honey water upon waking in the morning, or add some honey to your breakfast soy milk or milk, which can effectively relieve symptoms of skin dehydration and oil deficiency, as well as internal heat and dryness during winter.
Eat more sour foods, less salt
There are two other points to note for winter hydration. First, reduce pungent foods and increase sour ones. The diet should focus on strengthening the spleen, nourishing the liver, and clearing the lungs. It's advisable to eat more clear, moist, sweet, and sour fruits like hawthorn, grapefruit, pomegranate, and apples. Because they contain tannic acid, organic acids, fiber, and other minerals, they can stimulate the secretion of digestive fluids, accelerate gastrointestinal motility, and moisten yin to relieve dryness. Second, eat less salt. If food is too salty, it can reduce saliva secretion, which is favorable for various bacteria to survive in the upper respiratory tract. A high-salt diet can also reduce the mucous membranes' ability to resist disease, allowing various pathogens to take advantage and causing pharyngitis. In addition, it's best to eat less roasted and salted foods like melon seeds and peanuts, as these salty and dry foods are also major enemies of the throat.