Four vegetables to eat more at the start of spring.

Introduction: As the saying goes, a year's plan starts with spring. Have you made your diet plan for the spring? The following four vegetables are beneficial for health and wellness in spring and should be eaten more.

Sprouts prevent symptoms of dry mouth and chapped lips. The spring climate is dry, making one prone to symptoms like dry mouth and chapped lips, which are associated with angular cheilitis. Sprouts are delicious and a great choice for nourishing the body, moistening dryness, and clearing heat and toxins. Compared to the original beans, both soybean sprouts and mung bean sprouts have increased vitamin content, improved mineral utilization, and their protein and polysaccharides are more easily absorbed. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, eating sprouts in early spring helps the five organs transition from winter storage to spring growth, promoting the smooth flow of liver qi and strengthening the spleen and stomach. There are many ways to eat sprouts: they can be blanched and served as a cold salad, used in soups, or for hot pot.

Cold Mung Bean Sprouts Salad

Shepherd's purse can supplement calcium. Although it hasn't truly warmed up yet, the hardiest of vegetables, shepherd's purse, is already on the market. Shepherd's purse is nutritious, with high levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, and various minerals. Notably, its calcium content is nearly three times that of milk of the same weight. Shepherd's purse also has medicinal value; traditional medicine believes it can be used as an adjunct in treating dysentery, enteritis, and stomach ulcers. It can be used as a filling for dumplings, blanched for a cold salad, scrambled with eggs, or used in soups and congee.

Shepherd's purse and egg pancake

Lettuce can help with allergies. Also known as "spring vegetable," lettuce is one of the most suitable vegetables to eat in spring. Lettuce is rich in vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and dietary fiber. Japanese research has found that a certain substance in lettuce can resist rhinitis caused by spring allergies and can alleviate the suffering of allergy sufferers. Lettuce can be eaten cold, braised, stir-fried, or processed into pickles and other preserved vegetables.

Stir-fried lettuce with dried tofu

Chives can boost immunity. Although chives can be eaten year-round, they are at their best quality in early spring. Chives are rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, effectively prevent habitual constipation and colon cancer, earning it the nickname "intestinal cleanser." Chives are considered "warming" in nature, so eating them in spring can help consolidate yang energy and improve the body's immunity. People who often have cold hands and feet might consider eating more chives. There are many ways to cook chives; stir-frying them with eggs or lean pork are both good choices. However, chives are not suitable for everyone. People with canker sores, a sore throat, or excess "liver fire" should avoid eating them.

Stir-fried chives with dried tofu