4 Sour Foods to Whet Your Appetite and Aid Digestion for Summer.

The consecutive days of hot weather have made people uncomfortable. At this time, consuming some sour foods in moderation is beneficial to health. Sour foods can astringe sweat, stop diarrhea, and expel dampness, preventing excessive sweating from depleting qi and yin. They can also promote saliva production to quench thirst, and invigorate the stomach to aid digestion. You might want to try the following few.

1. Tomato Soup

Tomatoes are rich in nutrients and have various functions, earning them the name "magical fruit among vegetables." The organic acids in tomatoes, such as malic acid and citric acid, can increase the acidity of gastric juice, aid digestion, and regulate gastrointestinal function. The citric acid in tomatoes can lower cholesterol levels, making them very beneficial for hyperlipidemia. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, as well as carotene and various elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and iodine. They also contain protein, carbohydrates, organic acids, and cellulose.

Salmon and Tomato Soup

2. Vinegar

In the height of summer, when you sweat a lot, eating more vinegar can help prevent excessive sweating. It can also stimulate the appetite and promote the secretion of digestive juices. Furthermore, people tend to get tired easily in the summer. The acetic acid in vinegar can boost metabolism, helping people recover their energy and prevent arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. Vinegar also has strong antibacterial properties and can help prevent intestinal infectious diseases such as typhoid and dysentery.

There are many ways to "eat vinegar." You can use it as a dip, or add a little bit when your stir-fry is almost done. You can also add a little vinegar when stewing meats, bones, or skin. This not only helps these foods cook faster but also promotes the full breakdown of their protein.

3. Yogurt

Yogurt not only retains the nutritional components of fresh milk, such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates, but also stimulates gastric acid secretion, increases the appetite, promotes human metabolism, and makes nutrients easier to be absorbed. Yogurt is also very effective for summer diarrhea. Because the Lactobacillus in yogurt can regulate the pH value in the intestines, inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria, and reduce the harm of toxic substances to the human body.

Sugar-Free Yogurt with Fruit

4. Hawthorn Tea

Hawthorn has the effects of lowering blood lipids and blood pressure, strengthening the heart, and resisting arrhythmia. It is also a good remedy for strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, promoting digestion and resolving stagnation, invigorating blood and resolving phlegm. It has a good therapeutic effect on symptoms such as chest and diaphragm fullness, hernia, blood stasis, and amenorrhea. The flavonoid compound vitexin in hawthorn is a substance with strong anti-cancer effects, and its extract has a certain effect on inhibiting the growth, proliferation, and invasion and metastasis of cancer cells in the body.

Moreover, many people lose their appetite during the "bitter summer," but hawthorn can whet the appetite and aid digestion, and also eliminate indigestion from eating too much meat. Many people cannot adapt to the overly sour taste of hawthorn, so they can slice it and make tea. It should be noted that hawthorn tea should not be consumed on an empty stomach, and people with excessive stomach acid or weak stomachs should also drink it with caution.

Baked Hawthorn Tea