Recommended! Four Meats Perfect for Summer.

Introduction: It is advisable to eat less meat in the summer, but not to avoid it altogether. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "cooling the heat with cold-natured foods, and warming the cold with hot-natured foods." Choosing the right kind of meat can also have health benefits. So, what meat should you eat in the summer? Here are four types of meat recommended for summer consumption.

1. Duck

People often speak of the "four great meats": chicken, duck, fish, and pork. Duck meat has a much higher protein content than other livestock meats, with a moderate and evenly distributed fat content. Afflicted by summer heat, people often have a poor appetite and less sleep, and many lose weight, requiring nourishing foods. For summer nourishment, it is not advisable to eat greasy and heat-inducing foods. However, to combat the scorching heat, duck is actually very beneficial.

Duck meat is cooling in nature and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and Qi, nourishing Yin, and moistening the stomach, as well as promoting urination and reducing swelling. The choice of duck breed is also important. Peking Duck is delicious, but its fat content can be as high as 40%, making it too greasy for summer consumption. It is best to choose leaner breeds like Lake Ducks or Blue-headed Ducks (with greenish feathers on their heads), as they have less oil and a stronger effect on promoting urination and resolving dampness.

However, it should be noted that although duck is nutritious, consumption should be mindful: Duck is a high-fat food and should not be eaten in excess. Especially for those who are obese or have arteriosclerosis, it should be eaten in moderation. It is not suitable for patients with colds. Those with colds should eat pungent and diaphoretic foods, while duck's nourishing nature can trap pathogens, prolonging the illness. Patients with chronic enteritis should use it with caution, as duck meat is sweet, salty, and has a lubricating effect that, combined with its high oil content, can worsen diarrhea and inflammation in the intestines.

Tree Ear Mushroom Duck Soup

2. Rabbit

Rabbit meat is cooling in nature and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing the middle burner, cooling the blood, and detoxifying, making it suitable for summer consumption. Rabbit meat is known as "health meat," "vegetable in the meat category," "beauty meat," and "versatile meat." Regular consumption of rabbit meat can strengthen the body without accumulating fat, making it an ideal meat for obese individuals. For women, it can help maintain a slim figure and has the effect of preventing disease and strengthening the body. Rabbit meat is a high-protein, low-fat, low-cholesterol meat with a fine texture, delicious flavor, and rich nutrition. Compared to other meats, it has a very high digestibility (up to 85%) and is easily digested and absorbed after consumption, a quality not found in other meats.

3. Pork

Pork is neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, with the effects of moistening the intestines, promoting body fluids, tonifying kidney Qi, and clearing heat toxins. It is indicated for conditions such as injury to body fluids from febrile diseases, emaciation from diabetes, weakness due to kidney deficiency, postpartum blood deficiency, dry cough, constipation, deficiency, Yin nourishment, moistening, liver Yin nourishment, skin moisturizing, promoting urination, and quenching thirst. Drinking pork soup can quickly replenish fluids to relieve restlessness, dry cough, constipation, and difficult labor caused by fluid deficiency. Pork is neutral, so it is fine to eat in the summer. Modern medical research suggests that pork contains a large amount of high-quality protein and essential fatty acids for the human body, which can promote iron absorption and effectively improve iron-deficiency anemia.

Although pork is a common food for both healthy and sick individuals, excessive consumption can lead to weakness and obesity, and can stir up phlegm. Eating it cold or in large quantities can easily cause bloating or abdominal pain and diarrhea. For fatty pork and lard, patients with hypertension or hemiplegia (stroke), as well as those with a weak and cold stomach, obesity, excessive phlegm-dampness, or indigestion, should consume it with caution or in moderation. Generally, lean pork is used for medicinal purposes.

Honey-Glazed Pork Jerky

4. Fish

Eating fish also depends on the season. Nutrition experts suggest that summer is definitely a "golden season" for eating fish. Fish near their spawning period, such as yellow croaker, are the top choice for summer. Currently, it is the spawning season for large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker, mackerel, Spanish mackerel, salmon, and turbot, making these the most suitable fish to eat in the summer.

Eating more fish has many health benefits. Fish has a protein content of about 18%, with excellent composition and a rich and comprehensive amino acid content, containing over 20 essential amino acids for the human body. The unsaturated fatty acids rich in fish can reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and prevent blood clots, acting as a protector for the heart and blood vessels. Eating fish in the summer is also more beneficial for reducing the burden on the digestive system.

Steamed Spanish Mackerel