People often talk about dampness, thick greasy tongue coating, loose stools, dizziness, fatigue in the limbs, some may experience loss of appetite, or even diarrhea. In severe cases, joint pain and arthritis may occur. Especially in the humid summer, dampness in the body becomes more serious. Ultimately, the reason for excessive dampness in the body is due to lack of attention to diet, overeating, weakening the spleen and stomach. The spleen is responsible for transforming dampness, once the spleen is weak, dampness will linger in the body, leading to various ailments.
Dampness expulsion is a key aspect of summer health care. In fact, there are many seasonal vegetables that are good for expelling dampness. Here are some seasonal vegetables with good dampness-expelling effects: ginger, Chinese yam, persicaria, coix seed, adzuki bean, soybean, coriander, red radish, winter melon, bitter melon, mushrooms, and chili peppers, all of which have varying degrees of dampness-expelling effects. Below are two of the best damp-expelling (delicious) ways to consume them!
(1) Yellow Bean Bitter Melon Pork Bone Soup
【Ingredients for Yellow Bean Bitter Melon Pork Bone Soup】
200g pork bone, 20g yellow beans, 1 bitter melon, 5 slices of ginger, salt, cooking wine
【Cooking Steps for Yellow Bean Bitter Melon Pork Bone Soup】
1. Slice the ginger
2. In cold water, add pork bones, ginger slices, and cooking wine, bring to a boil and blanch
3. Remove seeds from bitter melon, cut into pieces, if bitter, sprinkle with salt and rinse with clean water
4. Place all ingredients into a clay pot, add two more slices of ginger
5. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, simmer on low heat for 2 hours
6. Season with salt, the soup should be clear and smooth
(2) Winter Melon Kelp Soup
【Ingredients for Winter Melon Kelp Soup】
Winter melon, kelp, dried baby shrimp, oil, salt
【Cooking Steps for Winter Melon Kelp Soup】
1. Wash and cut winter melon into chunks, soak dried baby shrimp
2. After soaking, wash and cut kelp into chunks
3. Place all ingredients in an electric rice cooker, add water and a small amount of oil
4. When done, season with salt to taste
Don’t underestimate bodily dampness, when it turns into stagnation, mild discomfort all over the body, severe stagnation can make a person collapse. It is important to pay attention to dampness removal and regulate dampness blockage. Green foods are valuable, vegetables are effective in dampness prevention; onions, celery, persicaria, bitter melon, hyacinth bean, green chili, winter melon, eggplant, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, black fungus, persicaria, Chinese yam, fresh ginger, mung beans, mushrooms, kelp, fish, corn silk infusion, red beans, coix seed soup together, most vegetables have dampness-expelling effects and are beneficial for health. Don’t overeat, incorporate regular exercise; get plenty of sunlight, rest well; maintain a brisk pace when walking or running, the more exercise, the less dampness. Dietary therapy and exercise nurture the body and mind, the more active the body, the higher the vitality.
