During the hot summer, many people experience poor appetite, reduced digestive function, and are prone to symptoms like fatigue, listlessness, and stomach discomfort. Some may also develop gastrointestinal diseases. This is because, in hot weather, people sweat a lot, causing significant loss of water, sodium chloride, and water-soluble vitamins (mainly vitamin B1 and vitamin C) through sweat. This leads to an imbalance in water and salt metabolism; it also reduces the chloride ion reserves in the blood necessary for forming stomach acid, leading to lower stomach acidity. Excessive sweating causes excessive loss of potassium ions in the body. Furthermore, to dissipate heat, blood is concentrated more on the body's surface, reducing blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract. The buildup of internal heat and excessive sweating also reduces the activity of various digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. These adverse changes can directly or indirectly cause loss of appetite and digestive dysfunction. If not handled properly, it can also induce other gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, in the hot summer, it is essential to pay attention to dietary regulation and adopt corresponding, effective, and scientific measures. Fortune comes from "bitterness."
The alkaloids contained in bitter foods have pharmacological effects such as clearing summer heat, promoting blood circulation, and dilating blood vessels. Appropriately eating some bitter foods on hot days can not only clear the mind and relieve irritability, but also awaken the mind, increase appetite, and strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach.
Beer: Beer is rich in amino acids, protein, sugar, minerals, and other components beneficial to human health, earning it the reputation of "liquid bread." Drinking a moderate amount of beer in the summer can have effects such as strengthening the stomach, brightening the eyes, dissipating heat, quenching thirst, relieving coughs, promoting urination, eliminating fatigue, and restoring strength, making it an ideal summer beverage.
Bitter Melon: Its unripe, tender fruits can be used as a vegetable, and the ripe pulp can be eaten raw. It can be served cold as a salad, stir-fried with meat, or cooked with fish, offering a fresh, tender, and refreshing taste with a unique flavor. Bitter melon has the effects of increasing appetite, aiding digestion, removing heat toxins, relieving fatigue, and clearing the mind and brightening the eyes.
Bitter Bamboo Shoots: Bitter bamboo shoots have a sweet bitterness, are cool in nature but not cold, and have effects such as clearing summer heat and detoxifying, strengthening the stomach and resolving food stagnation. People often use bitter bamboo shoots, pork ribs, green vegetables, and other ingredients to make various delicious dishes that are tasty and can be considered a top-grade summer vegetable.
In addition, bitter foods such as bitter vegetables, tea, and coffee can also be chosen as appropriate. It should be noted that excessive consumption of bitter foods may cause symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Pay attention to supplementing salt and vitamins
In midsummer, the body loses a lot of sodium chloride through heavy sweating, so it is important to supplement salt while replenishing water. Drinking some salt water daily can help maintain the relative stability of the body's acid-base balance and osmotic pressure. Nutritionists also recommend: in high-temperature seasons, it is best for each person to supplement 2 mg of vitamin B1, 2 mg of vitamin B2, and 1 g of calcium daily. This can reduce the consumption of carbohydrates and tissue proteins in the body and is beneficial to human health. Therefore, in the summer, one should eat more foods rich in the above-mentioned nutrients, such as watermelon, cucumber, tomato, beans and their products, animal liver, dried small shrimp, etc. Fruit juices can also be consumed. Do not over-consume cold drinks and beverages
When the weather is hot, eating some cold snacks or drinking some beverages in moderation can have a certain effect of relieving summer heat and lowering the temperature. Cold snacks like ice cream and ice cream bricks are made from milk, egg powder, sugar, and other ingredients. They should not be consumed excessively, as overconsumption can lower the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract, causing irregular contractions and inducing conditions like abdominal pain and diarrhea. There are many types of beverages, and excessive consumption can affect appetite, and in severe cases, it can damage the spleen and stomach or lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction. Don't forget to supplement potassium in the summer
On hot days, sweating is profuse, and a significant amount of potassium ions are lost with the sweat. The resulting low blood potassium phenomenon can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache, and loss of appetite. The most effective way to prevent potassium deficiency in hot weather is to eat more potassium-rich foods. Fresh vegetables and fruits contain relatively high levels of potassium, so one can eat more strawberries, apricots, lychees, peaches, plums, etc. Among vegetables, green onions, celery, and edamame are also rich in potassium. Tea also contains a relatively high amount of potassium. Drinking more tea on hot days can not only relieve summer heat but also supplement potassium, achieving two goals at once. Pay attention to food hygiene
Dietary hygiene is especially important in the summer, and good dietary and personal hygiene habits must be cultivated. Do not buy spoiled food ingredients. Meals should be freshly prepared and eaten immediately. Fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw should be washed and disinfected. When making cold dishes, minced garlic and vinegar should be added, which can not only season the food but also kill bacteria and increase appetite. Even in hot weather, one should not excessively seek cold food in their diet to prevent pathogenic microorganisms from taking advantage of the situation. Light nourishment is most suitable in the summer
In terms of dietary supplementation, the principle for hot weather is light nourishment, strengthening the spleen, and eliminating summer heat and dampness. Fatty, rich, and greasy foods as well as heating products should not be eaten. Instead, foods with the effects of being light in nature and nourishing yin should be chosen, such as duck meat, shrimp, crucian carp, lean meat, edible fungi (shiitake mushrooms, mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, tremella, etc.), and Job's tears. Through proper cooking, a variety of delicious dishes can be made that not only increase appetite and supplement nutrition but also relieve summer heat and strengthen the body. In addition, "detoxifying medicinal porridges" such as mung bean porridge, lentil porridge, lotus leaf porridge, and mint porridge can be consumed. They have a certain effect of expelling summer heat and promoting the production of body fluids, and they are also tasty.
Additionally, in high-temperature environments, the body's protein metabolism accelerates and energy consumption increases. Therefore, the supply of protein must be moderately increased, with a daily intake of 100-120 grams being appropriate. Moreover, more than half of this should be high-quality protein from fish, lean meat, chicken, eggs, milk, and soy products to meet the metabolic demands of the body in midsummer. At the same time, to enhance appetite, efforts should be made in cooking to make the food palatable, pay attention to increasing and varying the variety of dishes, and a moderate amount of pungent and aromatic seasonings can also be used.