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One autumn rain, one autumn chill. With the arrival of a rain, it feels much cooler in the morning and evening. The appetite that hasn’t been opened all summer seems to have suddenly opened up. The meat that felt greasy before now feels especially fragrant.
As the weather cools down, people regain their appetite for meat. So, what’s the best meat to eat at this time? Duck meat must be the first choice!
For nourishment in early autumn, duck is the preferred choice!
We often say that autumn is the time to nourish the body, but many times, the nutrients are not yet replenished, and people start getting angrier, having poor digestion, and the more they try to replenish, the more weakened they become!
This is because we haven’t grasped the essence of health preservation in autumn. Although autumn is cool, the weather is particularly dry, which can cause dryness and easily lead to internal heat. Eating more hot and tonifying foods at this time will only worsen the situation.
At this time, duck is a good choice. Duck meat has a cooling nature, not only helping to clear heat and moisten dryness, but also stopping coughs, benefiting the spleen, and nourishing the stomach…
1
Cleansing, nourishing, and moisturizing
In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a saying “nourishing yin in autumn and winter,” and duck meat is a nourishing yin food. There’s a saying, “Drinking duck soup, eating duck meat, no coughing throughout the year.” Duck meat has a sweet taste and cooling nature, neither warm nor hot, it clears heat and fire, which aligns well with the characteristics of autumn health maintenance.
“Compendium of Materia Medica” records: Duck meat “mainly tonifies deficiency caused by overwork, disinfects heat, promotes urination, reduces edema, relieves bloating, aids the function of organs, reduces swellings and sores, and controls epilepsy.”
2
Ducks are best eaten in autumn
Ducks are aquatic birds that eat more and move less in autumn to store energy for the winter. Therefore, their meat is more fatty, firm, and tender in autumn compared to summer, which is why ducks taste better in autumn.
3
Nourishment without burden
As one gets older, they tend to be cautious about eating meat as it may be hard to digest and might lead to “three highs.” However, duck meat can be eaten with confidence because it has moderate fat content, mainly unsaturated and low-carbon fatty acids that are easy to digest.
Furthermore, the fats in duck meat are different from other animal fats; the proportion of various fatty acids is close to ideal values, which helps reduce cholesterol levels, especially suitable for people with atherosclerosis. Research has also found that duck meat is rich in potassium, which is effective in counteracting sodium, helping maintain stable blood pressure.
Here’s a healthy duck soup recipe suitable for family use:
Chinese Yam Duck Stew
Ingredients: 1 kg duck, 500 g Chinese yam, scallion, ginger, star anise, cooking wine, salt to taste.
Method:
1. Clean and chop the duck, peel and dice the Chinese yam, slice the ginger, cut the scallion into segments;
2. Blanch the duck in water, then put it in a pot with cold water to boil, add scallion, ginger, star anise, and cooking wine;
3. After about 40 minutes, once oil floats to the surface of the soup, add the Chinese yam and cook until the ingredients are tender. Season with salt and serve.
Efficacy:
Duck meat has a cooling nature, nourishing yin and lungs, and relieving coughs and phlegm. Chinese yam benefits the lungs and relieves coughs, strengthens the spleen, and nourishes the stomach. Eating Chinese yam along with duck meat can lower cholesterol levels, making it a great choice for autumn nourishment.
People who particularly benefit from eating duck meat:
1. People with weak constitution, prone to coughs, colds, especially elderly or children, as well as middle-aged individuals who are often fatigued;
2. Those with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat, such as those with a thin physique, hypertension, diabetes, etc.;
3. Women’s skin tends to be extra dry in autumn, and drinking duck soup can help with nourishment.
Avoid eating these two types of meat in autumn!
When it comes to nourishment, the first thing everyone thinks of is various meats. Apart from duck meat being suitable for consumption in autumn, it’s best to eat less lamb and dog meat, with dog meat being preferably avoided altogether.
Lamb meat:
Lamb meat is also a nourishing food with good health benefits, but it’s more suitable for winter.
Eating lamb in the cold winter can warm and nourish the body, invigorate the Qi, promote blood circulation, and enhance the body’s resistance. However, in the current dry and hot season, consuming too much “heat” is not beneficial for health.
Lamb meat is warm and very hot in nature, colloquially referred to as “food that generates heat.” In addition, lamb meat has higher protein and fat content, making it unsuitable for people with internal heat symptoms (easily get hot, toothache, sore throat, bitterness in the mouth, dry mouth, ulcers, dry stools, etc.) or liver disease patients.
Dog meat:
Compared to lamb meat, dog meat is highly controversial because it is not a mainstream meat for consumption. While dog meat has certain nutritional value, it is warm and hot in nature like lamb meat and is not suitable for consumption in this season. Furthermore, dog meat lacks proper quarantine standards, making its consumption safety hard to guarantee. Even setting aside emotional considerations, it is not recommended to eat it.
