Eight-character guide for early autumn diet: moisten dryness, replenish the lungs, nourish yin, and increase sourness
As the saying goes: "A summer without illness leaves one three parts deficient." Once the Start of Autumn (Liqiu) arrives, although the weather is cool in the mornings and evenings, the autumn tiger still rages during the day. At this time, it is even more important to follow the principles of health preservation and nourishment. What should we eat more of in the fall? This issue of "Life Times" invites Professor Zhou Jianian, a nutrition expert from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, to introduce the key points of autumn dietary health for us.
Moisten Dryness: Lotus Root is the First Choice
The lotus plant is a treasure in itself, and autumn lotus root is the most nourishing.
After the Start of Autumn, the air is dry, and people are prone to irritability and restlessness. At this time, it's important to eat more heart-clearing and moistening foods to combat autumn dryness, such as: pears, sugarcane, tremella, chrysanthemums, duck meat, and rabbit meat, among which lotus root is the top choice.
Lotus root whets the appetite, clears heat, moistens dryness to quench thirst, and also calms the mind and soothes the spirit. It is rich in trace elements like iron and calcium, plant protein, vitamins, and starch. It has significant benefits for nourishing blood and qi, and can also enhance the body's immunity.
Lotus root is "equally suitable for both raw and cooked" consumption. Eaten raw as a fruit, it has a sweet taste and a cooling effect that benefits the lungs; when steamed with glutinous rice and honey, it becomes pink, translucent, soft, and moist, a delicious autumn dish; when stewed with pork ribs, it is nourishing, rich in nutrients, and suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach to replenish and nourish themselves.
Replenish the Lungs: Almonds are the First Choice
Radish, almonds, dried ginger, and pear; an effective cough remedy, no need for a doctor.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, the seasons correspond to organs, and autumn corresponds to the lungs. After the Start of Autumn is the best time to nourish, replenish, or treat lung ailments. Foods that replenish the lungs include tremella, lily, pig lung, dried persimmons, loquats, and water chestnuts. Among these, the best in-season choice is none other than almonds. Almonds come in two types: sweet and bitter, with sweet almonds having a stronger moisturizing and lung-replenishing effect.
The "Compendium of Materia Medica" lists three major effects of almonds: moistening the lungs, clearing indigestion, and dispelling stagnation. Almonds are rich in protein, trace elements, and vitamins. They have effects such as moistening the lungs, stopping coughs, and lubricating the intestines, and can provide some relief for dry coughs without phlegm and chronic coughs due to lung deficiency.
It is best to cook almonds with Job's tears in a 1:5 ratio and drink them while warm; stewing them with pig lung also has a nourishing and soothing effect. Of course, roasted almonds eaten as a snack can also be consumed in moderation. Sweet almonds and roasted large almonds can be bought in supermarkets and farmers' markets, while bitter almonds are generally sold in Chinese medicine pharmacies and should be taken under a doctor's guidance.
Nourish Yin: Honey is the First Choice
Morning salt water, evening honey soup.
As autumn arrives, the primary task is to nourish the body's "yin." There are many foods that nourish yin, such as loach, sesame seeds, walnuts, glutinous rice, milk, peanuts, fresh Chinese yam, ginkgo nuts, pears, and red dates. Among these, the most representative is honey. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that honey has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, moistening the lungs and replenishing deficiency, lubricating the intestines to relieve constipation, neutralizing drug toxicity, nourishing the spleen's qi, and improving complexion, thus earning the name "essence of a hundred flowers." Honey is an excellent energy supplement and is particularly effective in relieving fatigue.
Honey can be mixed directly into warm water or blended with fresh-squeezed fruit juice. Scooping out the core of a snow pear, pouring in honey, sealing it, and then steaming it can replenish insufficient lung yin. Adding honey to cold dishes like tomato salad is also a good idea; honey can also be mixed with seasonal fruits for a delicious taste.
Increase Sourness: Grapes are the First Choice
Honey lubricates the intestines and prolongs life, grapes enhance beauty and youthfulness.
"Reduce pungency and increase sourness" is one of the most important principles of TCM nutrition for autumn diets. In autumn, "increasing sourness" means eating more sour fruits, such as oranges, hawthorns, and green apples, while eating less sweet fruits like watermelons and muskmelons.
Grapes, which are now in abundance, are a great "sour" fruit. Grapes replenish qi and blood, promote the production of body fluids to quench thirst, and strengthen the spleen and promote urination. Eating more of them in early autumn can also help the body detoxify and relieve internal heat. Red grapes can soften blood vessels and invigorate blood to resolve stasis, so cardiovascular patients might want to eat more of them. White grapes have a lung-moistening effect and are suitable for people with coughs or poor respiratory systems. Green grapes focus more on clearing heat and detoxifying. Purple grapes are rich in anthocyanins and can beautify and fight aging. Black grapes have a more prominent effect of nourishing yin and nourishing the kidneys.
Grapes are best eaten whole. Grapes can also be simmered with fermented rice and sweet osmanthus to make a fermented rice and grape soup; they are also good to add when cooking sweet congee. Additionally, making homemade wine from grapes is also delicious and natural.