Now that winter has arrived, if one consumes a large amount of nourishing supplements, especially those overly rich in yin-nourishing ingredients, it can further burden the spleen and stomach. The gastrointestinal system, which is often in a "weakened" state, cannot handle such an abrupt intake, leading to digestive dysfunction. People with habits like drinking alcohol or smoking should be particularly mindful and practice moderation.
(1) Nutritious Nourishment for Health, Yet Easy to Digest
As autumn and winter approach and temperatures gradually drop, people instinctively think about replenishing their bodies. After enduring the hot summer, the body experiences significant depletion and reduced food intake. When the weather cools down, it becomes necessary to restore health. However, blindly consuming various supplements and tonics, such as ginseng, deer antler, chicken, and mutton, all at once, referred to as "big tonification," is not scientific. Not only does this fail to benefit health, but it also wastes resources and may even harm the body. Therefore, the dietary principle during the six seasonal periods of autumn and winter should be both nutritious and easily digestible. Moreover, when seasons change, human resistance is at its weakest. If one’s constitution is poor, they are more susceptible to illness. Eating foods that enhance immunity and resistance during this time greatly benefits overall health.
(2) Reduce Spicy Foods, Increase Sour Foods
Reducing spicy foods means eating fewer pungent items. This is because the lungs belong to metal in the five-element theory and are associated with autumn and winter. Lung qi is abundant during these seasons. Reducing spicy foods prevents lung qi from becoming too strong. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), metal overcomes wood, meaning excessive lung qi can damage liver function. Therefore, during autumn and winter, it's important to "increase sourness" to boost liver function and resist excessive lung qi. Based on TCM nutritional principles, during these six seasonal periods, one should eat fewer pungent foods like onions, ginger, leeks, garlic, and peppers, and instead consume more sour fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, remember the saying "Autumn and Winter Melon Ruins the Stomach." During summer, watermelon is excellent for cooling heat, but after the beginning of autumn, eating too much watermelon, cantaloupe, or other melons can harm the yang qi of the spleen and stomach. TCM health preservation experts also recommend eating porridge every morning during these six seasonal periods. Ming Dynasty scholar Li Ting believed that "eating porridge in the morning promotes metabolism, benefits the diaphragm and stomach, generates body fluids, makes one feel refreshed all day, and provides significant benefits."
(3) Sweet, Light, and Moistening
During the six seasonal periods of autumn and winter, a diet should ideally be sweet, light, and moistening. One can consume more fresh fruits and vegetables that moisturize the lungs and relieve dryness, such as pears, persimmons, oranges, bananas, carrots, winter melon, silver ear fungus, beans, bean products, edible fungi, kelp, and purple seaweed. These can be processed into delicious dishes with color, aroma, and flavor, or made into side dishes or beverages, such as honey-steamed silver ear fungus, various fresh fruit juices, or processed into soups, powders, and congees like mushroom tofu soup, flat bean porridge, lotus root powder congee, etc., providing both nutrition and moisture. Moreover, fruits and vegetables contain abundant water, vitamins, and fiber, which effectively prevent common symptoms during autumn and winter, such as dry mouth, nose, eyes, rough skin, and constipation.
(4) Drinking Porridge in the Morning
TCM health preservation experts advocate eating porridge every morning during these six seasonal periods, especially at the beginning of autumn and winter when many places still experience damp-heat. This weakens the spleen and reduces resistance. At this time, eating warm food, especially medicinal porridge, is highly beneficial to the body. This is because rice or glutinous rice, key components of medicinal diets, have excellent functions in strengthening the spleen and stomach and replenishing central qi, praised by predecessors for their health benefits. Currently, popular porridges during the six seasonal periods include sugarcane porridge, rehmannia porridge, American ginseng porridge, and Polygonatum porridge.
(5) Balanced Nutrition
A diverse diet provides comprehensive nutrition to the body. For example, grains mainly supply energy and vitamin B1; beans and their products mainly supply plant protein; vegetables and fruits mainly supply vitamin C, minerals, and dietary fiber. During autumn and winter, it is even more important to focus on the diversity of food and balanced nutrition to make up for the nutrient deficiencies caused by decreased appetite due to hot weather in summer. It is particularly recommended to eat chewy, fiber-rich foods. Autumn and winter diets should, based on balanced flavors, appropriately increase the intake of sweet, bland, sour, and moistening foods according to individual conditions, but not excessively. When eating, one should chew slowly, which aids in thorough digestion and complete absorption of nutrients, while fiber-rich foods help maintain intestinal moisture and generate saliva to prevent dryness, achieving the purpose of preventing throat dryness and constipation in autumn and winter.
(6) Avoid Bitter and Drying Foods
In TCM, bitter-tasting and drying foods easily deplete body fluids and exhaust qi. "Eating too much bitter food dries the skin and causes hair loss." During autumn and winter, dryness prevails, and the lungs, being delicate organs, are connected to the dryness of these seasons, making them susceptible to autumn and winter dryness. Many chronic respiratory diseases often recur or worsen starting from autumn and winter. Therefore, dietary health preservation during autumn and winter should avoid bitter-drying foods. In autumn, it is not advisable to eat grilled or fried foods. When processing food, it is best to use methods like stewing or boiling to preserve the original taste and nutritional components of the food, providing balanced nourishment to the body.
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