It is important to adapt to the season. Spring is the season when all things grow. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the Five Elements, the organ corresponding to spring is the "liver". Therefore, nourishing the liver in spring is a key focus of TCM seasonal health care.
Nourishing by shape: Eat pig liver to nourish the liver in spring.
TCM theory believes that there is a close relationship between health preservation, disease management, and diet. Especially the theory of "nourishing by shape" advocates that regulating the functions of the five organs can be achieved by eating the five organs of livestock and poultry.
"The response to spring qi is the way. Going against it will harm the liver, leading to cold changes in summer and less ability to follow growth." If one does not pay attention to nourishing the liver in spring, it will damage the liver qi's ability to grow among the five organs, affecting growth in summer and often causing problems such as diarrhea.
Pig liver is nutritionally rich.
In TCM, pig liver has a sweet and bitter taste, warm nature, and belongs to the liver meridian. It has the effects of replenishing the liver, improving eyesight, and nourishing blood.
In Western medicine, pig liver is rich in iron and phosphorus, which are indispensable raw materials for blood production. Pig liver is also rich in protein, lecithin, and trace elements, which are beneficial for children's intellectual development and physical growth. Pig liver contains abundant vitamin A, and eating it regularly can gradually eliminate eye diseases. Modern medical research has found that pig liver contains multiple anti-cancer substances, such as vitamin C and selenium, and the liver also has strong anti-cancer and anti-fatigue properties.
Recommended liver-nourishing soup for spring: Tomato, Pig Liver, and Lean Meat Soup
Pig liver replenishes the liver, nourishes blood, and improves eyesight. Lean meat moisturizes muscles, tomato quenches thirst, invigorates the spleen, aids digestion, reduces heat, lowers blood pressure, and sweet potatoes tonify qi and strengthen the spleen.
Main ingredients: 250 grams of tomato, 150 grams of sweet potato, 100 grams of pig liver, 100 grams of lean pork
Seasonings: 3 grams of ginger, 5 grams of soy sauce, 2 grams of pepper powder, 5 grams of pea starch, 15 grams of peanut oil, 3 grams of salt, 5 grams of vinegar. Here’s how to make delicious Tomato, Pig Liver, and Lean Meat Soup:
Instructions:
1. Peel and wash the sweet potatoes, cut them into slightly thick pieces. Wash the tomatoes, cut them into pieces and remove the seeds. Wash the lean meat, pat dry with paper towels, and slice thinly.
2. Cut the pig liver into thin slices, wash thoroughly several times with water to remove blood.
3. Pat the pig liver dry, add one teaspoon of vinegar, marinate for ten minutes to prevent bloody water after cooking, then wash and pat dry again.
4. Marinate the lean meat and pig liver for ten minutes, then blanch in boiling water until half-cooked, and set aside.
5. Heat up one tablespoon of oil, sauté the ginger until fragrant, add five cups of water or an appropriate amount, then add the sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the pig liver and lean meat, cook until done, then season with salt.
Precautions for eating pig liver:
Pig liver should not be eaten together with fish, sparrow meat, buckwheat, cauliflower, soybeans, tofu, quail meat, or pheasant. It should not be eaten with foods rich in vitamin C such as bean sprouts, peppers, edamame, and hawthorn. Animal liver should not be eaten together with vitamin C, anticoagulant drugs, levodopa, eldepryl, and phenelzine.
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