Will eating ginger, duck and mutton make you feel hot and hurt your health? Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners: Keep in mind the 3 principles to avoid "overfilling"
After the “beginning of winter”, the temperature gradually turns colder, and the human body begins to enter the “storage” stage in winter, which is the best time to take supplements. Dr. Yang Peiyu, Director of Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine at Yiyun Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, pointed out that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes on taking supplements in winter to enhance physical fitness and reserve energy for the coming year. However, taking supplements in winter is not just a big supplement. You should choose suitable ingredients and supplement methods according to your personal constitution to achieve the best results. “Tonic but not drying” effect.
What is the healthiest way to take winter supplements? Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners: Remember 3 Principles
Dr. Yang Peiyu said that when taking supplements in winter, people should keep in mind the three principles of “symptomatic, mild, and appropriate amount.” Among them, “symptomatic” refers to making the best adjustments according to different physical conditions. For example, those with yin deficiency (those who are prone to dry mouth and dry skin) can choose foods that nourish yin and moisturize, such as white fungus, lotus seeds, etc.; while those with yang deficiency (those who are prone to cold hands and feet and are afraid of cold) are suitable for warming and tonic foods, such as angelica root, Scutellaria baicalensis, etc., give full play to their tonic effects.
Furthermore, “mild” means avoiding hot and dry foods. Most of the food ingredients used for supplements are warm in nature. Excessive consumption or improper combination of food ingredients can easily lead to “heat” symptoms. Too hot and dry food can easily lead to dry mouth, constipation and poor sleep. etc. questions. While replenishing qi and blood, you can use an appropriate amount of ingredients that nourish yin and moisturize dryness, such as wolfberry and red dates, to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the body.
Finally, “appropriate amount” refers to taking supplements step by step and avoiding excessive supplementation. For example, when consuming ginger duck, mutton stove and other pot dishes, it is not advisable to overdose or take a large amount of supplements at one time. If you “overdo it”, it may easily lead to indigestion, so it is better to take an appropriate amount each time. Each supplement can be increased or decreased appropriately according to personal conditions, and the body can be regulated step by step.
Don’t just eat mutton stove and ginger duck! Must-learn “Four Recipes” for winter supplements
As for how to replenish the required nutrients when taking supplements in winter, and avoid the situation of “replenishing without drying out”? Dr. Yang Peiyu recommends the following 4 winter tonic recipes to help relieve dryness:
1. Angelica and Huangqi chicken soup
Ingredients: Angelica sinensis, astragalus, red dates, wolfberry, chicken
Stew the chicken, add angelica root, astragalus root, red dates and wolfberry (a few slices, appropriate amount), and stew until the meat is tender and smooth. Angelica sinensis and astragalus can replenish qi and blood, while red dates and wolfberry nourish yin and blood, which can help improve complexion and strengthen the body. It is especially suitable for women to supplement in winter.
2. Codonopsis, Huaishan and Wolfberry Soup
Ingredients: Codonopsis pilosula, yam, wolfberry, lean meat
Stew lean meat, add dangshen, yam, wolfberry and other tonic ingredients and cook until the flavor is good. It can replenish the spleen and qi, improve resistance, and solve problems such as fatigue, loss of appetite, and decreased immunity caused by seasonal changes.
3. Astragalus seabass soup
Ingredients: Astragalus root, seabass, red dates, ginger slices
After frying the sea bass until fragrant, add astragalus root, red dates, and ginger slices, and simmer together until the soup is rich. Seabass is rich in protein, and combined with Qi-tonifying astragalus, red dates, and ginger slices, it can not only enhance the transportation and transformation functions of the spleen and stomach, but also enhance body protection, making it very suitable for winter maintenance.
4. Longan, Lotus Seed and Lily Porridge
Ingredients: longan, lotus seeds, lily, glutinous rice, rock sugar
Add the ingredients to water to make porridge, and finally add rock sugar to taste. It is a dessert suitable for drinking at night in autumn and winter. Longan, lotus seeds, and lily all have the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep. They can relieve discomfort such as cold hands and feet, and help relieve insomnia and cold hands and feet that are prone to occur in winter.
Dr. Yang Peiyu emphasized that supplements should comply with physical and seasonal needs. Many people will choose ginger duck, sesame oil chicken, and mutton stove. The appropriate amount should be based on personal constitution. Excessive supplements that are not suitable for the physical constitution may lead to imbalance of yin and yang, which may lead to physical discomfort. Only by taking supplements suitable for your own constitution, developing good living habits, and maintaining physical and mental comfort can you achieve the best results from winter care.
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