Introduction: As the saying goes, "Minor Heat and Major Heat, the weather is scorching hot like steaming and boiling." During this period, be mindful of heatstroke, drink water proactively, and if you sweat a lot, you can drink some salt water appropriately. Don't rush to take a cold shower to cool down quickly, don't stay in air-conditioned rooms for long periods, eat less cold food, and maintain a light diet. Professor Ma Guansheng, from the School of Public Health at Peking University and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, also reminds everyone to pay attention to dietary conditioning during Major Heat, eating more vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
Major Heat is one of the 24 solar terms, generally falling between July 22nd and 24th of the Gregorian calendar each year. As the saying goes, "The heat is in the Sanfu days," and Major Heat is the hottest solar term of the year, usually during the middle "fu" period of the Sanfu.
During Major Heat, the climate is characterized by: first, high temperatures, with the daily maximum temperature generally above 30°C, and in some regions, it can even reach 40°C or higher. Second, frequent thunderstorms and high humidity. Such weather can have adverse effects on people's physical and mental health. High temperatures and high humidity can easily make people irritable and impatient. To cool down, some people consume too much raw and cold food, causing digestive problems. If heatstroke prevention is not taken seriously and water and nutrients are not replenished in time, it can also lead to diseases such as heatstroke.
Therefore, during Major Heat, the first thing is to maintain an optimistic mindset. Second, pay attention to preventing heatstroke and cooling down. Avoid going out during the high noon heat and try to avoid working outdoors for long periods. Third, do not overindulge in coolness. Do not stay in an environment with too low a temperature for a long time, do not sit or lie in damp and cold places, do not sleep directly facing a fan, and do not eat too much raw and cold food, such as popsicles and cold drinks. Especially for the elderly, children, and pregnant women, protection should be strengthened, and they should not avoid heat and overindulge in coldness.
Traditional Sour Plum Soup
Diet during Major Heat should still follow the principle of food diversity, while being light, and eating more vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
1. Drink more soups and water to replenish fluids. You can prepare mung bean soup, sour plum soup, etc., at home, or make dishes like dried shrimp and winter melon soup, lotus root and pork rib soup.
2. Eat dark-colored vegetables every day. Vegetables come in various colors, and dark-colored vegetables generally have higher nutritional value than light-colored ones. Dark-colored vegetables are rich in carotene and also contain beneficial health substances such as chlorophyll, lutein, lycopene, and anthocyanins. Examples include spinach, celery leaves, water spinach, broccoli, watercress, crown daisy, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, red amaranth, and purple cabbage.
Make full use of the natural flavors and colors of vegetables for pairing. You can make a vegetable salad with tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots, which is colorful, has a unique taste, and stimulates the appetite while also supplementing vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals.
Tuna Vegetable Salad
3. Eat fruit every day. Fruits are an important source of vitamin C, carotene, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber. Different fruits have different nutrient contents. To supplement carotene, choose red and yellow fruits like mangoes, citrus, papayas, and hawthorns. Fruits like jujubes, oranges, grapefruits, and kiwis are high in vitamin C. Bananas, jujubes, red fruits, and longans are high in potassium.
In addition, fruits contain organic acids such as fruit acid, citric acid, and malic acid, which can promote the secretion of digestive juices, increase appetite, and aid digestion.
4. Eat fresh beans often. There is a rich variety of fresh beans during the summer season, including cowpeas, edamame, green beans, fava beans, lentils, and snow peas. Fresh beans are nutritious and can be prepared in various ways. Edamame and fava beans can be boiled directly. Cowpeas can be blanched and then served cold with sesame sauce dressing.
Green Beans Stir-fried with Eggs
Tuna vegetable salad
Pancakes
White pheasant