Enjoy Different Delicacies Based on Your Constitution in Summer
Core Tip: As summer arrives and the temperature gradually rises, many people's appetites become increasingly poor. Those with a tendency towards yang deficiency should often consume soups, while those with a tendency towards yin deficiency should drink more yogurt with fruit.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) posits that the long summer corresponds to the spleen and earth, with damp-heat being the prevailing climate. Due to the hot weather, sweating increases, and physical energy consumption naturally rises. Moreover, many people enjoy cold drinks during this time, which can easily lead to disharmony between the spleen and stomach and impaired digestion in individuals with a constitution prone to spleen and stomach coldness. This can result in symptoms like fatigue and poor appetite. Therefore, summer diets should be tailored to one's constitution to enjoy different delicacies, thereby achieving health and wellness benefits.
For Those with a Tendency Towards Yang Deficiency, Often Consume Soups
Individuals with a tendency towards yang deficiency are generally overweight, fear cold in winter and heat in summer, and experience excessive spontaneous sweating. Therefore, even in summer, they should drink more hot soups and congee, such as mushroom soup, chicken soup, pork rib soup, and fish soup. They can also consume slightly saltier foods to avoid harming the stomach qi. It is advisable to eat less raw, cold, and greasy food to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach.
Regarding fruits, those with a tendency towards yang deficiency can eat more tropical fruits, including mangoes, pineapples, grapes, lychees, loquats, and durians, which are beneficial for replenishing qi and blood and activating meridians. For cold-natured fruits like pears, consumption should be appropriately reduced or avoided.
For Those with a Tendency Towards Yin Deficiency, Drink More Yogurt with Fruit
If one is naturally thin and has a small appetite, they may have a constitution with a tendency towards yin deficiency. People with this tendency need to consume more nourishing foods. TCM believes that foods that nourish yin include beef, mutton, and seafood. Additionally, wheat-based foods also have the effect of nourishing true yin.
Individuals with a tendency towards yin deficiency should eat less "heat-inducing" fruits, which are the tropical products mentioned above. Instead, they should eat more tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, and leafy vegetables to achieve balance in the body.