From a public health perspective, the diet for the Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) solar term should be focused on warm, ascending, and life-generating foods, while also strengthening the spleen and expelling wind. Recommended ingredients include: beef, quail, eel, celery, walnuts, black beans, onions, pumpkin, potatoes, honey, jujubes, Chinese yam, and green onions, ginger, and garlic.
It can still be a bit cool in the morning during spring. To ward off wind-cold and prevent colds, you can drink a bowl of brown sugar and ginger water before heading out. In daily life, individuals can also perform their own meridian massage, such as on the Large Intestine Meridian, Gallbladder Meridian (Fengchi, Fengshi), and Triple Energizer Meridian (Yifeng, Ermen). Regular massage can help prevent pathogenic wind and resist bacteria.
Although health preservation is a common practice, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that due to individual differences in constitution, health preservation methods can vary slightly for people with different constitutions, even during the same season. Xu Zhongwen, Chief Physician of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said, "Individuals with yin deficiency, yang deficiency, damp-heat, and blood stasis constitutions should nourish themselves according to their own specific characteristics."
Individuals with a yin deficiency constitution tend to have internal heat and may experience symptoms such as hot palms and soles, dry mouth and throat, thirst, a dry tongue, dry cough with no phlegm, dry stools, and dark yellow urine. This is due to yin deficiency with blazing fire, which disturbs the mind. They should follow the principle of "tranquilizing the spirit and keeping the essence within," strengthening self-cultivation, and developing calm and composed habits. They should participate less in recreational activities that involve competition and moderate their sexual activity.
For dietary conditioning, the focus should be on preserving yin and suppressing yang. It is recommended to eat light foods, such as a decoction of 20 grams each of lily bulb and glehnia root. Eating white radish (peeled) as a fruit is also a good choice.
During physical exercise, strenuous activities should be avoided. The focus should be on nourishing the liver and kidneys, and Tai Chi is a more suitable form of exercise.
Individuals with a yang deficiency constitution tend to have external cold and may experience symptoms such as aversion to cold, a pale complexion, cold limbs, clear and frequent urination, and loose stools. Those with yang deficiency should be adept at regulating their emotions, listening to more music, and making more friends.
For dietary conditioning, it is recommended to eat more yang-strengthening foods, such as lamb, dog meat, chicken, and venison. Following the principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer," one can add dried ginger, fennel, and star anise when cooking.
Physical exercise can include activities like walking, jogging, Tai Chi, and the Five-Animal Frolics. Sunbathing and air baths are essential methods for strengthening defensive yang.
Individuals with a blood stasis constitution often have a dull complexion, dark purple lips, a tongue with ecchymosis or petechiae, and a feeling of fatigue. Cultivating an optimistic mood is crucial. A cheerful mood promotes the smooth circulation of qi and blood, and the normal operation of meridian and blood circulation is beneficial for changing a blood stasis constitution. Conversely, gloom and depression can worsen the tendency towards blood stasis.
In terms of diet, it is advisable to regularly consume foods that invigorate blood and resolve stasis, such as peach kernels, black beans, rapeseed, arrowhead, and vinegar. It is also good to often cook and eat hawthorn congee and peanut congee. One can also choose medicinal herbs that invigorate blood and nourish blood (such as Angelica sinensis, Chuanxiong, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Rehmannia glutinosa, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Acanthopanax gracilistylus) and cook them with meat in soups. In daily life, you can also choose Sanqi (Panax notoginseng) powder, taking 3-5 grams daily, divided into two doses, for 1-2 consecutive weeks.
During physical exercise, one should do more activities that benefit the heart and blood vessels, such as social dancing, Tai Chi, and health massage. These activities can activate various parts of the body and are beneficial for qi and blood circulation.
Individuals with a damp-heat constitution have heavy, turbid, and sticky dampness that easily transforms into heat. They often experience symptoms like a sensation of the head being wrapped, heavy limbs, a bitter taste in the mouth, a greasy yellow tongue coating, a stuffy and full epigastrium, nausea and loss of appetite, loose stools, and short, dark urine.
In terms of diet, it is recommended to eat more aromatic vegetables, such as cilantro, schizonepeta, and agastache rugosa. However, these vegetables are also slightly damp and should not be eaten in large quantities. They can be used as side dishes to help expel dampness. Other options like soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, winter melon, papaya, and Chinese yam can be eaten as main dishes as they have the effect of promoting urination to drain dampness. Condiments such as ginger, star anise, and cassia have effects of dispelling cold, removing dampness, and inducing sweating. Adding a small amount when cooking daily can help warm the middle jiao and remove dampness.
A soup made with an appropriate amount of winter melon, red adzuki beans, and pork ribs can clear heat and drain dampness. Porridge made with 50 grams of Job's tears can remove dampness. Eating raw, peeled white radish has the effect of removing dampness and promoting urination.
The damp-heat constitution is characterized by internal accumulation of turbid dampness and excessive yang. It is suitable for high-intensity and high-volume exercise, such as middle and long-distance running, swimming, mountain climbing, various ball games, and martial arts. This can help consume excess body heat and excrete excess water, achieving the goal of clearing heat and removing dampness. Combining strength training with middle and long-distance running is recommended. For the strength training component using a barbell with resistance, it should be done under the guidance of a gym instructor.