The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and autumn is already halfway through. The climate in autumn is dry, which can harm the lungs and lead to coughs, and coughs caused by the dryness of autumn are often prolonged and difficult to cure. Therefore, people refer to the warm dryness of autumn as the “Autumn Tiger.” As the yang energy of autumn gradually diminishes and the yin energy grows, it becomes essential to maintain yin and prevent dryness, while paying attention to guarding against cold and protecting the lungs. To prevent the harm of the “Autumn Tiger,” dietary precautions are necessary.
With the arrival of the Autumn Tiger, remember the principle of “three more, four less” in your diet to nourish yin, prevent dryness, and reduce illnesses in winter!
Three More
1. Drink more water and eat a light diet
Autumn is relatively dry, and the body tends to lose a lot of water. We should drink more water to replenish our body’s moisture, aiming for at least 1000 milliliters of water every day. A light diet can clear heat, prevent heatstroke, reduce sweating, replenish fluids, and stimulate appetite. Regularly eating congee, such as mung bean porridge, lotus seed porridge, or lotus leaf porridge, is advisable. It’s also good to drink some refreshing beverages like sour plum soup, green tea, chrysanthemum tea, or fruit juices.
2. Eat more fruits
Autumn is a season of abundant fruits, with many fruits ripening during this time. It’s beneficial to consume some fresh fruits, as they can meet our nutritional needs and help prevent heatstroke. For example, eating 1-2 pears (snow pears or sand pears), watermelons, bananas, mangosteens, and other cooling fruits daily is recommended.
3. Eat more foods that clear heat, generate fluids, and nourish yin
As the yang energy wanes and yin energy increases in autumn, we should eat more foods that clear heat, generate fluids, and nourish yin. Such foods include radishes, ramos, water chestnuts, tomatoes, tofu, arrowroot, lotus root, lean meat, wood ear mushrooms, green fish, snow fungus, lilies, seaweed, lotus seeds, fox nuts, walnuts, black plums, and sesame.
Four Less
1. Eat less barbecued food
It tends to be cooler in the evenings during autumn, and many people enjoy gathering to eat barbecued food. However, the already dry climate can lead to constipation, and barbecued food can easily cause internal heat, worsening the condition.
2. Eat less greasy food
Eating too much greasy food, especially excessive intake of unhealthy fats, can hinder the immune system’s ability, making immune cells sluggish and unable to function properly. It is advisable to reduce the amount of cooking oil used and limit high-fat, high-salt foods, particularly fried items and fatty meats.
3. Eat less spicy and stimulating food
Many people love spicy food and even consider it essential. When cooking, many like to add scallions, ginger, chili, and garlic for flavor, but it’s best to limit these types of foods. Overconsumption can easily lead to autumn dryness, which is detrimental to health.
4. Eat fewer dried fruits
Consuming a moderate amount of dried fruits is beneficial for the body, but eating too many can cause internal heat because dried fruits are warming foods with low moisture content. Frequent consumption can raise the body’s temperature, affecting the health of organs, and may lead to thyroid issues due to prolonged overactivity. Therefore, it is recommended to control the quantity of dried fruits in daily life. Furthermore, many dried fruits available in autumn are from previous years, while fresh dried fruits are about to come in shortly. Why not wait a bit longer to enjoy fresh dried fruits then?
