Even when trying to gain weight for autumn, you should still pay attention to a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

Introduction: Although the Start of Autumn has passed, the weather remains very hot. According to custom, one should "fatten up" after the Start of Autumn, but due to the high temperatures, many people are afraid that eating too much meat will cause "internal heat" (上火). So, is there a scientific basis for "fattening up"? Is the current weather suitable for eating more meat? Let's see what traditional Chinese medicine and nutrition experts have to say.

In terms of the 24 solar terms, after the Start of Autumn, it is often hot during the day and cool at night, with a larger temperature difference between morning and evening. In nature, yang energy gradually recedes and yin energy grows, marking a turning point from a predominance of yang to a predominance of yin. The body's metabolic transition of yin and yang naturally also enters a period of yang declining and yin growing. After the Start of Autumn, it is a folk custom in China, especially in the north, to "fatten up." Is this custom correct? What kind of meat should one eat to "fatten up"?

It should be said that "fattening up" has a certain theoretical basis. On one hand, it serves to "carry on from the past." Because of the hot summer weather, many people have poor appetites and eat very little. Eating greasy food can make them feel uncomfortable, and even if they eat it, their digestion and absorption are poor. Therefore, to some extent, it limits the natural intake of food.

Therefore, when the weather cools in autumn, it is time to nourish the body, which is "carrying on from the past." On the other hand, it "prepares for the future." For the upcoming cold winter, the body needs to mobilize more energy to keep warm, so the consumption is greater. This creates a physiological reserve that falls precisely on this critical period in autumn, which is why we say "fatten up."

Traditional "fattening up" mainly involves eating more livestock meat. Beef, mutton, chicken, and pork are the most commonly eaten meats. Which meat is more nourishing?

Eating pork does not cause "internal heat"

Pork is the main meat for the Han people, rich in nutrition and has a delicious aroma. Its nature is neutral in nature, with a sweet and salty taste. It can nourish yin, treat febrile diseases, reduce fever, and replenish fluids. It can moisten the skin, promote urination and bowel movements, and treat dry skin, and difficulty with urination or bowel movements. It can quench thirst, benefit qi and blood, boost energy, and treat anemia, emaciation, and physical weakness.

The climate after the Start of Autumn is dry. The lungs belong to the element Metal, which has a dry nature. After the Start of Autumn, the function of the lungs begins to be in a prosperous period. Therefore, dietary conditioning should focus on nourishing yin, promoting the production of fluids, and moistening dryness.

Pig is cool in nature, so pork has an effect that beef and mutton do not: nourishing yin and reducing fire. Why does the pig have such an effect? This is actually closely related to its living environment and habits.

Everyone knows that pigs are lazy and嗜睡 (嗜睡 means fond of sleeping), lying down all day and only moving when they eat. In addition, pigs are raised in pens in a humid environment. According to the theory of "yin is quiet, yang is active" from the "Huangdi Neijing" (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), animals that are more active and lively are considered to have a hot nature, such as flying birds and most land animals like cattle, sheep, dogs, and wild animals. Those that are less active and quiet are considered to have a yin nature. Therefore, the ancients believed that pigs had a "water nature" and were cool in nature.

Therefore, eating more pork generally does not cause "internal heat" symptoms. However, those with a damp-heat constitution or phlegm stagnation should be cautious. "Phlegm" and "dampness" are both caused by the spleen and stomach's failure to transport and transform food. Eating too much rich and greasy food will worsen the spleen and stomach's "difficulty in transporting and transforming, leading to dampness and phlegm accumulation." Over time, this can lead to stagnation and various "metabolic abnormalities."

Beef nourishes qi and blood

Beef is high in protein and low in fat. The protein content of beef is more than twice that of pork, and it contains many essential amino acids, making it highly nutritious. The ancients believed that beef has the effect of nourishing qi and blood. The "Han Shi Yi Dao" records that "yellow beef, which nourishes qi, has the same effect as Astragalus root." Water buffalo meat is cool in nature, while yellow cattle meat is warm in nature. It can tonify the spleen and stomach, benefit qi and blood, and strengthen muscles and bones. It is suitable for those with a weak spleen and stomach, poor digestion, or those who are chronically ill, weak, fatigued, short of breath, pale lips, sallow complexion, cold limbs, aversion to cold, and soreness in the lower back and knees.

Beef is more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people with insufficient qi and blood. At the same time, because the fat content of beef is significantly lower than that of pork (the fat content of 100g of lean beef is 2.3%, while that of lean pork is 65%), for people with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and other conditions where absorbing too much fat is not beneficial, they should eat more beef and less pork. However, it should be noted that those with symptoms of "fire abundance," such as dark urine, dry stools, dry mouth and tongue, and a yellow cough, should try to eat less beef.

Those with constipation should eat less mutton