In China's feudal era, there was a custom of welcoming autumn on the day of Liqiu (Start of Autumn). On this day, feudal emperors personally led their civil and military officials to the suburbs to set up altars to welcome the season. It was also the time when soldiers began to diligently practice their martial skills in preparation for battle.
This shows how important the weather on the day of Liqiu is. Liqiu marks the beginning of autumn. The "Guanzi" records: "Autumn is when yin energy begins to descend, so all things are harvested." In the context of autumn health preservation, the "Suwen: Great Treatise on Regulating the Mind with the Four Seasons" states: "The yin and yang of the four seasons are the root of all things. Therefore, sages nourish yang in spring and summer, and nourish yin in autumn and winter, following their roots. Thus, they float and sink with all things in the gate of growth. To go against the root is to cut off the root and damage one's true nature."
This is the guiding principle of the ancients for regulating the four seasons, admonishing people that to follow the seasons for health preservation, one must understand the natural law of spring birth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage. To achieve longevity and a healthy life, one must follow and adhere to this principle.
Rejecting Autumn Fat to Prevent Obesity
During the hot summer, energy expenditure is high, and people generally have poor appetites, leading to insufficient heat supply in the body. In autumn, as the weather cools, people's sense of taste is enhanced, their appetite greatly increases, and they may unknowingly overeat, significantly increasing calorie intake.
Furthermore, the pleasant climate ensures sufficient sleep and reduces sweating. Additionally, to prepare for the coming cold winter, the body actively stores fat for warmth. Therefore, the body consumes more calories than it expends. In autumn, people can easily gain weight if they are not careful, which is an even greater threat for those who are already obese. Therefore, obese individuals should pay more attention to weight loss in autumn.
First, attention should be paid to dietary adjustments, eating more low-calorie weight-loss foods, such as red beans, radishes, bamboo shoots, Job's tears, kelp, and mushrooms.
Second, in autumn, attention should also be paid to increasing calorie consumption by increasing physical activity in a planned way. The crisp autumn air is an excellent time for traveling. One can tour mountains and rivers, which can lift the spirits, and also increase physical activity to achieve the goal of weight loss.
Nourishing Yin in Autumn to Prevent Indiscriminate Supplementation
According to the traditional Chinese medicine principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer, and nourishing yin in autumn and winter," autumn is now the season for supplementation. However, supplementation should not be done indiscriminately; one should pay attention to not supplementing when there is no illness and not confusing deficiency and excess types for indiscriminate supplementation. The therapeutic principle of TCM is to supplement only those with deficiency; patients without deficiency syndromes should not use tonics.
Deficiency syndromes are categorized as yin deficiency, yang deficiency, qi deficiency, and qi and blood deficiency. Only by taking medicine that corresponds to the specific condition can the body be nourished; otherwise, the effect will be counterproductive. It is also important to supplement in moderation, avoid using medicine instead of food, and remember that food supplementation is better than medicinal supplementation. Food supplementation should focus on nourishing yin and moistening dryness, and specifically includes black-bone chicken, pig lung, turtle meat, bird's nest, tremella, honey, sesame, soy milk, lotus root, walnuts, Job's tears, peanuts, duck eggs, spinach, and pears. When these foods are combined with other beneficial foods or Chinese herbs, their effects are even better.
Be Cautious with Autumn Fruits to Prevent Stomach Problems
The folk saying "autumn melons harm the stomach" refers to the fact that consuming large quantities of raw melons and fruits after Liqiu can easily cause gastrointestinal diseases.
Although eating a large amount of melons in summer does not necessarily cause stomach and spleen diseases, it has already weakened the disease resistance of the gastrointestinal tract. After Liqiu, consuming large quantities of raw melons and fruits will further promote dampness and damage the spleen's yang. If the spleen's yang is weak and cannot transport and transform water, acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and loose stools will occur.
Therefore, after Liqiu, one should be cautious about eating melons and fruits, and those with a weak and cold spleen and stomach should especially avoid them.
Be Cautious with Fruits and Drink More Chicken and Fish Soup After Liqiu
After Liqiu, the fruit harvest season begins, but eating fruit is not a case of "the more, the better"; eating too much can also affect health.
For example: apples are rich in carbohydrates and potassium salts; patients with nephritis, diabetes, and coronary heart disease should eat less.
Prevent "Dryness" Early at the Start of Autumn
Although the effects of autumn dryness on the body are multifaceted, there are also many ways to prevent and treat it.
As the saying goes: "A boat needs water to sail; the way to treat dryness is to focus on moistening." In autumn, attention should be paid to nourishing body fluids in the diet. You can drink an appropriate amount of plain water, light tea, soy milk, and other beverages, and moderately select foods that moisten the lungs, clear dryness, and nourish yin and promote fluid production, such as autumn pears, sugarcane, water chestnuts, persimmons, lilies, and tremella.
One should eat less spicy, fried, strong alcoholic beverages, and dry puffed foods, as such foods easily generate dryness and heat, and eating too much is not beneficial.