Six Essential Summer Salads

Introduction: During the hot summer, many people lose their appetite. Refreshing, delicious, and simple cold dishes become the stars of the dining table. In this issue, I recommend a few cold dishes suitable for summer.

Cold Cucumber Salad. Cucumber is the best food for hydration in the summer, with the highest water content of all foods. Cucumber contains cucurbitacin, which has certain anti-cancer properties. Additionally, cucumber is cooling in nature and has the effects of clearing heat, promoting urination, and detoxifying. Cucumber is very suitable for making cold dishes, such as cucumber with wood ear fungus or garlic cucumber salad.

Cold Lotus Root Salad. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," lotus root is known as the "spiritual root." Eating crisp and sweet lotus root slices on hot days not only whets the appetite and is refreshing but also has the effect of clearing heat and moistening dryness. When blanched, the nature of lotus root changes from cool to warm, giving it the benefits of nourishing the stomach and strengthening the spleen. Ginger juice lotus root slices are a great choice.

Cold Lotus Root Salad

Cold Shredded Potato Salad. Potatoes are not only rich in potassium but also essential minerals like calcium and zinc, as well as nutrients like vitamin C. People sweat a lot in the summer, so eating potatoes can help replenish these nutrients. Furthermore, potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, which promotes gastrointestinal motility and accelerates cholesterol metabolism in the intestines, aiding bowel movements and lowering cholesterol. Compared to stir-frying, blanched potatoes served cold are crisp and delicious, such as vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes.

Cold Bitter Melon Salad. The momordicoside and insulin-like substances in bitter melon have a good blood-sugar-lowering effect, making it an ideal food for diabetics. Momordicoside and cucurbitacin can also stimulate the appetite, strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, and have therapeutic effects such as improving eyesight, aiding digestion, cooling and detoxifying, and promoting urination. A plate of cold bitter melon is a good choice on a scorching summer day.

Cold Bitter Melon Salad

Cold Lettuce Salad. Lettuce has a fresh taste with a slight bitterness that can stimulate the secretion of digestive juices and increase the appetite. Lettuce is rich in inorganic salts and vitamins, has a high potassium content, which is beneficial for controlling high blood pressure, and it also affects a person's basic metabolism and even mood regulation. A plate of refreshing vinegar-flavored lettuce on a hot day can help relieve tension, reduce stress, and enhance the appetite.

Cold Celery Salad. Celery has benefits for the throat, improves vision, replenishes qi, nourishes blood, strengthens the spleen, relieves coughing, and promotes urination. Regular consumption of celery can boost immunity. Especially in the summer, when people are prone to sore throats, mouth ulcers, and irritability, eating cold celery can provide some relief.

Finally, it should be noted that except for cucumber, the other dishes need to be blanched in boiling water. After draining, you can season them according to your taste with salt, vinegar, garlic, etc.

Cold Shredded Lettuce