Autumn is the most suitable season for the body to tonify. With a little supplementation, one can achieve the effects of preventing diseases and prolonging life. Autumn supplementation should be divided into three different stages.
Early Autumn: Gentle Supplementation
As the saying goes, "autumn melons harm the stomach," so it is advisable to consume various melons in moderation to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach's yang energy. After entering autumn, one can appropriately increase the intake of nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates to replenish the body's consumption during the summer. Following the principle of "gentle supplementation in autumn," one should choose gentle tonifying foods such as fish, lean meat, poultry eggs, dairy products, beans, as well as Chinese yam, red dates, lotus seeds, longan, black sesame, red dates, walnuts, etc.
Mid-Autumn: Moistening Supplementation
In mid-autumn, all things are withered and dry, and the body often shows signs of "dry fluids and insufficient moisture." Following the principles of "moisten what is dry" and "reduce pungent flavors and increase sour ones," first, one should appropriately eat more foods that nourish yin and moisten dryness, such as sesame, walnuts, honey, pears, sugarcane, persimmons, bananas, olives, lily bulbs, tremella, radishes, soft-shelled turtle meat, black-bone chicken, duck eggs, soy milk, and dairy products. Second, sour and sweet flavors generate yin, so it is advisable to consume sour-tasting foods such as grapes, pomegranates, apples, mangoes, pomelos, kiwis, lemons, and hawthorns.
Late Autumn: Nourishing Supplementation
In late autumn, the temperature gradually drops, so one should pay attention to consuming less food with cold properties and avoid raw and cold foods. For those who need to supplement in winter, this is the best time to adjust the spleen and stomach and lay the foundation for supplementation ("foundation tonification"). Foundation tonification can be achieved by soups made with Euryale ferox seeds, red dates, or peanuts with brown sugar, or by stewing beef with Euryale ferox seeds, etc. (Source: Yangcheng Metro News)