Summer offers a variety of dietary choices; here are seven cool dishes to clear heat and reduce inflammation.

How to choose your summer diet. The summer weather is hot, and most people have poor appetites; nothing tastes delicious. However, sweating a lot means the body consumes a great deal of energy, so you need to quickly find ways to improve your appetite. Below, we recommend 7 cold dishes that clear heat, reduce internal fire, and are nutritious, making them the top choice for summer dining.

1. Cold Dressing with Lettuce

Lettuce has a sedative effect. Regular consumption helps to relieve tension and improve sleep. Unlike common vegetables, it is rich in fluorine, which is involved in the growth of teeth and bones. It can improve the digestive system and liver function, stimulate the secretion of digestive juices, promote appetite, and help resist rheumatic diseases and gout. On a hot day, a plate of refreshing vinegar-dressed lettuce can help relieve tension, ease stress, and boost your appetite.

Sesame Oil Lettuce

2. Cold Dressing with Celery

Celery is beneficial for the throat, improves vision, boosts energy, nourishes blood, strengthens the spleen, relieves coughs, and promotes urination. Eating celery regularly can enhance resistance. Especially in the summer, people often experience sore throats, mouth ulcers, and irritability. Eating cold-dressed celery can help alleviate these symptoms.

3. Cold Dressing with Black Fungus

It should be known that nutritionists call black fungus the "king among vegetarian dishes" and the "carnivore among vegetables." With such a prestigious title, black fungus can boost immunity, and regular consumption can also prevent cancer.

4. Cold Dressing with Cucumber

Cucumbers have a water content of up to 96.7%, the highest of all foods, making them excellent for replenishing body fluids. The nutrient-rich cucumber is beneficial for "cleaning" internal waste, and regular consumption can help prevent kidney stones. Cucumbers are rich in various vitamins, such as B vitamins and vitamin C. The best way to eat them is cold-dressed with a vinegar sauce and garlic. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that vinegar and garlic are "warm" foods that can prevent the cool nature of cucumbers from damaging the spleen.

Old Vinegar and Cucumber Salad with Black Fungus

5. Cold Dressing with Enoki Mushrooms

Studies have shown that enoki mushrooms have a good resistance effect on human inflammation. People with low resistance can improve their immunity and resist bacterial infections by eating enoki mushrooms. The meat people usually eat may lead to high blood sugar and blood lipids, and some can increase the body's cholesterol levels. Regular consumption of enoki mushrooms can effectively lower cholesterol and prevent blood lipids from rising.

6. Cold Dressing with Bitter Melon

Bitter melon glycosides and bitter substances can whet the appetite, strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, and have effects such as improving eyesight, aiding digestion, cooling and detoxifying, and promoting urination. Bitter melon is very high in vitamin C, more than twice that of oranges. It can interrupt the process of melanin production, interfere with its biosynthesis, effectively fight melanin, and prevent and treat spots.

7. Cold Dressing with Lotus Root Slices

Lotus root has various therapeutic effects. Modern scientific analysis shows that lotus root contains a large amount of iron, which has a blood-enriching effect. Its rich vitamin C, antioxidants, polysaccharides, and polyphenols can achieve anti-cancer effects. Eating some crispy and sweet lotus root slices on a hot day not only whets the appetite and is refreshing but also has the effect of clearing heat and moistening dryness. After blanching, the nature of lotus root changes from cool to warm, giving it the effect of nourishing the stomach and strengthening the spleen.

Sour and Spicy Pinkish Lotus Root Slices