8 Dietary Taboos for Autumn
After the Start of Autumn, the days are often hot while the nights are cool, leading to a larger temperature difference between morning and evening. The natural world sees a gradual decline of yang energy and a growth of yin energy, marking a turning point from yang dominance to yin dominance. The body's own metabolic transition naturally shifts from a state of nourishing yang to nourishing yin.
After the Start of Autumn, one should "increase sourness" in their diet to enhance liver function and resist the invasion of excessive lung qi. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views autumn as a transitional period between summer and winter, with temperatures shifting from hot to cold. Therefore, wellness practices should also transition from "nourishing yang" to "nourishing yin." So, what are the dietary taboos for autumn?
What to Eat After the Start of Autumn
Nutritionists believe that after the Start of Autumn, the following foods are most suitable.
Yellow and green fruits and vegetables. This refers to orange-yellow produce and leafy greens. In summer, people's vegetable and fruit intake is mainly melons and beans, such as cucumbers, winter melons, watermelons, sweet melons, zucchini, green beans, cowpeas, and edamame. Besides watermelons and green beans, melon and bean varieties are generally low in carotene. Therefore, as autumn arrives, the body's vitamin A reserves can easily become depleted. If not replenished in time, problems like decreased night vision, dry eyes, and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections can occur during the winter and spring. Thus, it's important to eat more orange-yellow vegetables, such as pumpkin, carrots, and tomatoes. Additionally, melon and bean foods are also low in vitamin C. A long-term deficiency in vitamin C can lead to a weakened immune system, making one more prone to catching colds during seasonal changes. Therefore, it is also necessary to eat more leafy greens to replenish vitamin C, such as kale, spinach, and broccoli.
Fermented foods. In autumn, one should appropriately eat more nutrient-rich and easily digestible foods, and fermented foods have this benefit. During fermentation, microorganisms produce a large amount of B vitamins. At the same time, microbial action eliminates anti-nutritional factors in food, partially breaks down proteins, and allows for better absorption and utilization of trace elements and various active substances. For staple foods, one can choose fermented wheat products like leavened flatbreads and steamed buns. Mixed-grain rice cakes are particularly recommended, as combining coarse and fine grains provides higher nutrition. For side dishes, one can eat more fermented bean products like douchi (fermented black beans), bean sauce, fermented tofu, madohu (a type of fermented tofu), and soybean milk. Also, dairy products like yogurt and rice wine made from fermented rice are good choices.
Various tubers. Autumn is the peak season for tuber crops. Many tuber foods are strengthening for the body, rich in B vitamins and minerals like potassium and magnesium. Traditionally, tuber foods are believed to tonify the middle jiao (spleen and stomach). Modern research also suggests that consuming them as staples helps prevent obesity and various chronic diseases. Regularly eating Chinese yams, sweet potatoes, taro, and potatoes as substitutes for refined white rice and flour is an excellent wellness practice.
Eight Dietary Taboos for Autumn
Overeating. In autumn, due to the pleasant climate and abundant food, people tend to overeat. Excess calorie intake is converted into fat, leading to weight gain. In autumn, it's important to practice moderation and not indulge one's appetite with excessive eating and drinking.
Spicy and raw/cold foods. In autumn, one should also eat less pungent, spicy, and dry-heat foods, such as hot chili peppers. It's also advisable to avoid the accumulation of damp-heat. Foods with a pungent aroma have a dispersing function, so it's recommended to eat foods like celery. Additionally, as the weather turns cool from hot, the body's physiological metabolism changes to adapt. It's particularly important not to eat food that is too raw or cold, to prevent indigestion and various digestive tract disorders.
Overly dry foods. TCM believes that bitter and dry foods can easily damage body fluids and qi. In autumn, the pathogenic dryness prevails. The lungs are delicate organs and are closely related to autumn's dryness, making them susceptible to attack by this pathogenic factor. Many chronic respiratory diseases often relapse or gradually worsen in autumn. Therefore, autumn diet should avoid overly dry foods, such as fried foods. Furthermore, to prepare for winter, the body stores fat for warmth. Thus, calorie intake exceeds expenditure, and weight can easily increase if one is not careful. Therefore, those who are overweight should pay special attention to weight loss in autumn and eat more low-calorie foods, such as red beans, radishes, bamboo shoots, coix seed, seaweed, and mushrooms. Additionally, after the Start of Autumn, ordinary people should increase sour foods in their diet to enhance liver function. Eating more sour, juicy fruits like apples, grapes, hawthorns, and grapefruits is also beneficial for treating hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes.
Oily and fried foods. Oily and fried foods are difficult to digest and can accumulate in the stomach, increasing internal heat accumulation, which is not conducive to moistening the body. Many chronic respiratory diseases often relapse or worsen in autumn for this very reason.
Aquatic plants. Most aquatic plants mature in autumn, but this is also when they contain the most cysts. Eating them raw at this time can easily lead to infection, causing inflammation, bleeding, edema, ulcers, diarrhea, loss of appetite in the intestinal mucosa. In children, it can lead to facial swelling, developmental delays, and intellectual retardation. In severe cases, it can even lead to death from exhaustion or collapse.
Eating foods outside their safe periods. Some foods, while beneficial for wellness, should not be consumed at certain times. For example, if the food itself is in a risky period, or if one's body is in a phase that conflicts with the food's properties, special attention is needed. For instance, honey has the effect of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, but it should not be eaten in the seventh lunar month because most toxic plants bloom during this time, and honey made from their nectar can be poisonous. During the eighth and ninth lunar months, the body needs to replenish yin for the coming winter, so one should eat more foods that nourish yin and moisten the lungs. Ginger is a pungent food that can easily cause autumn dryness, depleting qi and harming the spirit, so it's best to avoid it. Melons belong to the category of yin-cold foods and can harm the spleen and stomach if eaten in excess, so they should be eaten less in autumn.
Blind diet control. The nutrients and energy reserves the body needs should be comprehensive and balanced, which must be provided through a rich and varied diet.
Blindly eating crabs. Autumn is when crabs are at their plumpest and most delicious. They are large, fat, and flavorful, and in autumn, they crawl onto the shore, making them easy to catch. Therefore, autumn is the best time to eat crabs. Although crabs are delicious, there are many precautions to take. Crabs must be washed thoroughly. The crab's body contains a large amount of bacteria and sediment. If not cleaned properly, these bacteria and parasites from the sediment can enter the body, turning the delicious crab into a harmful one that is extremely detrimental to health.