On the day of Start of Autumn, the cool wind arrives. Start of Autumn marks the official beginning of autumn. Although the temperature during the day is still high, the temperature difference between day and night increases, and the alternating heat and coolness can easily cause "yin-summer heat." During the Start of Autumn season, after the consumption of the entire summer, it is very necessary to nourish and replenish the body. At this time, the body's resistance is at its weakest, so the focus of dietary health preservation is to eat more foods that can enhance human immunity. Experts introduce that the health preservation in autumn should mainly focus on moisturizing dryness and replenishing qi, with the key principles being to strengthen the spleen, supplement the liver, and clear the lungs.
Experts say that the diet in autumn should consider both nutritional nourishment and the selection of foods that are easy to digest and absorb. The principle of "less pungent, more sour" should be followed, and one can drink more congee for nourishment. At this time, it is absolutely not advisable to take large amounts of tonics such as ginseng and deer antler in a rush, and spicy foods should be consumed less. One should eat more sour foods and fresh fruits and vegetables that moisten the lungs and dryness, such as using pears, apples, water chestnuts, lilies, radishes, lotus root, tremella, wood ear, mushrooms, kelp, seaweed, and soy products to cook congee. Choosing some chewy, fiber-rich foods has a good preventive effect against the most common autumn ailments such as dryness of the mouth and nose, rough skin, and constipation.
After Start of Autumn, it is especially suitable to drink congee in the morning. In early autumn, it is very easy to weaken the function of the spleen and stomach and decrease immunity. If one can eat some warm foods in the morning, especially medicinal congee, it has a very good effect of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi. Experts especially recommend drinking sugarcane congee, yuzhu congee, shashen congee, shengdi congee, peanut congee, etc., in the morning.