Introduction: A wide variety of vegetables are edible in the summer, but which ones are more suitable?
First, it is advisable to consume more cool-natured vegetables. The most significant impact of summer on the human body is summer heat and dampness. After invading the body, summer heat and dampness can cause pores to open, excessive sweating, leading to a deficiency of Qi, as well as disrupting the function of the spleen and stomach, causing indigestion. Consuming too much meat can make the body's constitution acidic and increase internal heat. The appropriate intake of cool-natured vegetables helps to promote the production of fluids to quench thirst, relieve restlessness and summer heat, clear heat and drain dampness, and detoxify and promote bowel movements. Commonly eaten vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, lotus root, mung bean sprouts, water spinach, Chinese cabbage, white radish, winter melon, loofah, bitter melon, eggplant, spinach, bok choy, rape lettuce, amaranth, water bamboo, seaweed, etc., all belong to this category of cool-natured vegetables. Because these vegetables are cool in nature, attention should also be paid when consuming them. Those who are chronically ill, weak, or have a cold-deficient constitution should not eat too many cool-natured vegetables, lest it adds cold to the cold and adversely affect the body.
The second category is gourds. Summer is the peak season for gourds such as cucumbers, loofah, bitter melon, chayote, pumpkin, and winter melon. They have a high water content and are characterized by high potassium and low sodium, making them suitable for replenishing water and lost inorganic salts after excessive sweating in the summer. Especially bitter melon, not only does it clear pathogenic heat and relieve fatigue, but it can also increase appetite and refresh the mind. Gourds can be eaten cold, stir-fried, made into soup, or cooked with meat and fish. They are crisp, refreshing, and have a unique flavor.
The third category is "antibacterial" vegetables. This mainly refers to allium vegetables such as garlic, onions, chives, scallions, green onions, garlic sprouts, etc. They are rich in plant broad-spectrum bactericides that can kill and inhibit various cocci, bacilli, fungi, and viruses.