In spring, all things come to life, and it's also the season for harvesting vegetables. Seasonal vegetables flood the market. Most people know that eating vegetables is good for your health. This is especially true in spring, when oral inflammation, angular cheilitis, glossitis, and skin problems are more common. You need to eat more vegetables to supplement vitamins and trace elements, and boost your body's antiviral abilities. As a result, all kinds of fresh vegetables are very popular. However, the key to staying healthy with vegetables isn't eating a lot, but eating the right ones. In spring, some vegetables should not be eaten just for being "fresh," while others should not be consumed in large quantities.
Strawberry Tomatoes
Tomatoes are cool in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, nourishing yin, and cooling the blood. Therefore, many people like to eat tomatoes for health in spring to prevent common spring symptoms like a dry mouth and throat, and "virtual fire" rising. As the weather gets warmer, many people even start eating raw tomatoes. While tomatoes are healthy, unripe "strawberry" tomatoes can be harmful to the body.
According to nutrition experts from Health 863, tomatoes that are half-green and half-red, or have a "green shoulder" (the stem end is green), not only have poor texture and nutrition but also contain toxins like anthocyanins and alkaloids. Eating them can lead to poisoning. For safety's sake, you should try not to buy strawberry tomatoes. If eating them raw, it's best to buy pink tomatoes because they are less acidic and better for raw consumption. If cooking them, you should try to buy bright red tomatoes, as they have a rich flavor and are great for soups and stir-fries.
Fresh Wood Ear Mushrooms
Spring is the season when wood ear mushrooms grow wildly. Freshly picked wood ear mushrooms are tender and delicious, and some people have a particular fondness for them. However, fresh wood ear mushrooms themselves contain toxins, and consuming them can easily cause illness, and in severe cases, even be fatal. You should try to choose sun-dried wood ear mushrooms for consumption and never eat them just for being "fresh."
Experts point out that fresh wood ear mushrooms contain porphyrin photosensitive substances. After a person consumes them, exposure to sunlight can cause skin itching and edema. In severe cases, it can lead to skin necrosis. If edema occurs in the pharyngeal mucosa, it can cause difficulty in breathing, posing a life-threatening risk. In the process of sun-drying, most of the porphyrins in dried mushrooms are decomposed. Furthermore, before consumption, they must be soaked in water, which dissolves the remaining toxins. Therefore, they can be eaten with peace of mind.
Fresh Daylilies
The transition from spring to summer is also the peak season for daylilies, but it's best not to eat fresh daylilies. This is because fresh daylilies contain a substance called "colchicine." Colchicine itself is non-toxic, but after being absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, it is oxidized in the body into "dicolchicine," which is highly toxic. It can strongly irritate the digestive tract, causing acute poisoning in the consumer with symptoms such as a sore throat, thirst, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, there may be bloody stools, hematuria, or anuria, and it can even be fatal.
Experts recommend that you should not eat more than 50 grams of fresh daylilies at a time to prevent poisoning. Before consumption, they must be thoroughly blanched in boiling water, then soaked in clean water for more than 2 hours. After taking them out and washing them, you can then stir-fry them. This will basically destroy the colchicine. Dried daylilies are safer, but it's still best to soak them multiple times in clean or warm water before eating.
Cilantro
Cilantro is available all year round and is especially abundant in spring. Adding cilantro to soup can enhance its fresh aroma, and adding it to meat dishes can remove the gamey smell. Cilantro also has the effect of "warming the middle and strengthening the stomach" and can promote blood circulation. Therefore, many people like to eat cilantro from time to time. However, spring is not the best season to eat a lot of cilantro.
Cilantro is warm in nature and has the effect of causing "heat" and sores. Spring is often windy and dry, and it's easy to develop oral, angular, and skin inflammations. Eating cilantro may trigger or worsen these conditions. Additionally, eating too much or for a long time can deplete qi and damage the spirit, potentially leading to a qi deficiency and triggering or worsening the "spring drowsiness" phenomenon. People with conditions like body odor, bad breath, stomach ulcers, athlete's foot, sores, or those who are generally prone to sweating, fatigue, lethargy, and catching colds should especially avoid cilantro to prevent worsening their condition. Postpartum or convalescent patients should also keep their distance from cilantro.
Chives
Chives are tender, delicious, and have a seasoning and antibacterial effect. They are also highly nutritious, with effects such as warming the middle, guiding qi downward, and tonifying the kidney and yang. Therefore, many people, especially those with insufficient kidney yang or weak "fire," like to eat chives in spring to help yang and promote the body's upward and outward energy.
However, chives are warm in nature, and the human body already has a tendency for "internal heat" in spring. Eating too many can easily lead to "heatiness." Those with yin deficiency and blazing fire, a dry mouth and throat, a "hot" stomach deficiency, internal heat-induced constipation, indigestion, and diabetics should not eat them. Additionally, although chives have a strengthening effect on essence, excessive consumption can actually harm the kidneys. Those who want to tonify kidney yang should be moderate. Chives can also impair vision, so people with eye diseases, such as conjunctivitis, should eat them sparingly or not at all.
Spring Bamboo Shoots
Spring bamboo shoots have a light, fresh taste and are rich in nutrients. They also have effects such as nourishing yin and blood, resolving phlegm and aiding digestion, promoting bowel movements, and improving eyesight, so many people like to eat them. However, spring bamboo shoots contain a high amount of insoluble calcium oxalate, which can easily induce stones. Moreover, if not handled properly during consumption, they can expose people to the toxic substance "hydrogen cyanide," which can interfere with cells' use of oxygen and harm health. Therefore, they should not be eaten in large quantities.
Experts remind that each person should not eat more than half a spring bamboo shoot per meal. Especially those with urinary tract stones, kidney stones, or gallstones should eat less. Children, the elderly, the weak, those with indigestion, a weak spleen and stomach, or chronic enteritis should also not eat too much. At the same time, fresh bamboo shoots must never be eaten just after a quick wash. The correct way to handle them is to cut the bamboo shoot lengthwise in half, peel off all the leaves, remove the root end with coarse fibers, then slice the bamboo shoot. Boil the slices in light salt water for 8 to 10 minutes to remove the calcium oxalate and toxic substances.