Introduction: During the cold winter season, red foods are most suitable for consumption. Rich in protein, high-quality vitamins, minerals, and other elements, they can maintain physical health, improve the body's immunity, and thereby enhance the body's ability to resist cold. Traditional Chinese medicine has a saying: "The five colors nourish the five organs." Red nourishes the heart. Eating more red foods like sweet potatoes not only helps to ward off cold but also protects the heart and prevents certain diseases.
To learn more about winter warming and nourishing recipes, we recommend the "Hearty Stews" special feature: Nourishing Winter Season for the Twelve Zodiac Signs.
Eat more red foods to prevent colds.
Generally, red foods are rich in natural iron, and also contain sufficient protein, high-quality vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. They have the effects of maintaining physical health, improving immunity, antioxidant, and antimicrobial, which can enhance the body's ability to resist cold. Therefore, eating red foods often in winter not only helps to ward off cold but can also prevent colds. At the same time, red foods can also provide a visual stimulus, whetting the appetite and increasing one's desire to eat.
Red Vegetables: Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Red Bell Peppers.
Tomatoes lower blood lipids. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant that protects low-density lipoprotein from oxidative damage, thereby lowering blood lipids and preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Red bell peppers prevent aging. Red bell peppers are the vegetable with the highest vitamin C content. Abundant vitamin C can prevent coronary atherosclerosis and lower cholesterol. In addition, β-carotene in red bell peppers is one of the most effective antioxidants, which can slow down human aging.
Red Fruits: Cherries, Red Dates.
Cherries beautify the skin. Currently recognized by all nutrition organizations as a fruit with super "detoxifying" properties! Cherries are very high in iron, can promote the regeneration of hemoglobin, improve human immunity, and also contain sugar, protein, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin C, B vitamins, and other components. Regular consumption can beautify the skin, making it ruddy and fair, especially for preventing anemia and physical weakness in girls during menstruation! However, cherries are warm in nature, and people with febrile diseases and deficiency-heat cough should not eat them.
Red dates nourish the blood and prevent aging. The main function of red dates is to replenish qi in the middle jiao. Red dates are rich in calcium and iron, which play an important role in preventing and treating anemia. Regular consumption of red dates can treat symptoms such as disharmony of the spleen and stomach and physical weakness. There is also a folk saying: "Eat three red dates a day, and your youthful complexion will not show." Girls can add 6-8 red dates to barley tea during their menstrual period to effectively relieve cold hands and feet.
Red Meats: Beef, Lamb.
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, beef and lamb are warm in nature but not drying. They have the effects of tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang, dispelling cold, and warming and nourishing qi and blood. Therefore, eating some beef and lamb appropriately in winter can relieve these symptoms, both warding off cold and having a very good nourishing effect.
Lamb warms the body to resist cold. It is warm in nature. Eating lamb often in winter can not only increase the body's heat to resist the cold, but also increase digestive enzymes, protect the stomach wall, repair the gastric mucosa, help the spleen and stomach digest, and play an anti-aging role.
Beef enhances immunity. The protein and amino acids in beef are closer to the body's needs than those in pork, which can improve the body's disease resistance.
Red Beverages: Red Wine, Black Tea.
Red wine prevents atherosclerosis. Polyphenols in red wine have strong antioxidant effects, which can inhibit vascular growth factors and avoid arteriosclerosis. Drinking red wine appropriately in winter can dilate blood vessels, which is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but excessive drinking should be avoided.
Black tea promotes blood circulation. Black tea is rich in trace elements, which can help with gastrointestinal digestion and promote appetite. Potassium in black tea can promote blood circulation and has the effect of enhancing heart function. Clinical studies abroad have shown that black tea contains various plant compounds such as tea polyphenols and catechins. Regular tea drinking can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The following are several recommended diet therapy recipes:
Tomato and Pork Liver Soup
Ingredients: 250g pork liver, 25g shrimp, 40g mushrooms, 1 egg, 150g tomatoes, appropriate amount of yellow wine, green onion, ginger slices, pepper, and salt.
Method: Cut off the fascia from the pork liver, wash it, and dice it. Add wine, ginger juice, egg mixture, salt, and pepper to the diced liver, and stir to form a paste. Steam over high heat for 10-15 minutes until set. Boil water with shrimp and yellow wine for 5 minutes, then add mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and the liver paste, and bring to a boil. Season to taste.
Function: Nourishes the liver and improves eyesight, enhances immunity. Used for preventing colds, night blindness, and for those with low immunity.
Analysis: Pork liver can nourish the liver, improve eyesight, and enhance immunity; mushrooms replenish the spleen and stomach, nourish yin and the liver, lower blood pressure, lower lipids, moisten dryness and resolve phlegm, and increase white blood cells; shrimp and tomatoes are both foods that enhance immunity. Tomatoes can enhance nutrition and reduce the occurrence of colds.
Carrot and Beef Stew
Ingredients: 250g beef, 250g carrots.
Method: Cut the beef into small pieces, add ingredients such as yellow wine, ginger, and green onions, then add carrot pieces, and stew until cooked. Ready to serve.
Function: Tonifies qi and nourishes the stomach, strengthens bones and muscles, enhances immunity. Suitable for preventing colds, low immunity, emaciation due to deficiency, and soreness in the lower back and knees.
Analysis: Beef tonifies the spleen and stomach, benefits qi and blood, and strengthens bones and muscles. Carrots enhance immunity, prevent colds, strengthen the spleen, nourish the blood, and aid digestion.
Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup
Peel a large sweet potato and cut it into small pieces. Slice a piece of ginger. Add six bowls of water and cook until done. Then add an appropriate amount of brown sugar. Drink a cup after breakfast and dinner every day. Sweet potatoes provide nutrition, ginger dispels cold, and it is more suitable for wind-cold colds.