Sweat during the "Sanfu" days isn't wasted; eat more bananas
Dietary tips for the "Sanfu" days: Replenish electrolytes with salt and sugar water, and eat more green vegetables and bananas to supplement the body's lost vitamins B and potassium.
Sweating a lot? Bananas help replenish potassium
"Sanfu" days just started yesterday, and the scorching sun has already made us sweat profusely, with our appetites waning. In northern China, there's a custom of eating wheat-based foods during "Sanfu," such as dumplings, pancakes, and noodles. This custom doesn't exist in the south, but for many, the question of what to eat in this sweaty, poor-appetite weather is a real dilemma.
"Sanfu" days are humid and hot, so food should be light and easily digestible. It's best to eat less greasy and spicy food. Addressing the common summer issues of drowsiness and excessive sweating, she offers the following dietary suggestions.
In summer, high temperatures and heavy sweating cause the body to lose the most B vitamins and minerals like potassium and sodium. To replenish these, eating watermelon alone is not enough. Among fruits, bananas and citrus fruits contain the most potassium, so you can eat a bit more of them.
Bananas are the fruit with the highest potassium content
Additionally, if you sweat a lot, you need to pay more attention to replenishing water and electrolytes. If the body lacks electrolytes, many physiological functions will shut down, and the body's water and acid-base balance will be disrupted. Therefore, the best summer drinks are those that provide the body with sufficient electrolytes.
If you are very active in the sun, you can choose a sports drink. These drinks contain both sugar and salt; sugar replenishes energy, and salt replenishes sodium lost through sweat. Alternatively, you can make your own salt and sugar water by adding a little sugar and salt to boiled water.
Porridge is also very seasonal in summer
Porridge is delicious; pair it with cold vegetables
People in the north eat noodles, while people in the south prefer porridge. Porridge is also very suitable for summer. First, it has a high water content, and second, it's easier to digest. But drinking plain white porridge alone is not nutritionally sufficient. A nutritionally balanced meal must include fat, starch, protein, and vitamins. White porridge contains starch, so you need to pair it with other foods to supplement the remaining nutrients.
For example, you can make a cold salad with garlic paste and vinegar to kill bacteria, refresh the palate, and supplement vitamins. Examples include smashed cucumbers, dressed winter melon, dressed green beans, dressed tofu, dressed tomatoes, or blanched leafy greens rich in vitamin B, such as oil wheat lettuce. You can also add fish fillets or minced meat to the porridge while it's cooking to supplement both fat and protein. This way, the nutrition is balanced.
The "bitter summer" is the time to embrace bitter foods. You can appropriately incorporate foods like bitter melon and oil wheat lettuce into your diet to expel dampness and reduce internal heat.