In the hottest days of summer, remember “three eating, three avoiding”! Cleanse the intestines, dispel evil cold, and keep you healthy all year round!
Now, our country has officially entered the hottest days of summer. The hottest period of the year, known as “San Fu Tian,” lasts for about 30 to 40 days from the beginning to the end of this period. This time is also known to doctors as a peak time for illnesses.
Common diseases in summer such as heatstroke, colds, fever, and heatstroke are the most prevalent during San Fu Tian. At the same time, cardiovascular diseases, high blood sugar, and hypertension among middle-aged and elderly friends are also very dangerous during this period.
Therefore, during San Fu Tian, people need to pay extra attention to health and well-being. Today, let’s talk about the issues related to diet and health during San Fu Tian.
[San Fu Health Care]
San Fu Tian is the hottest season of the year, not only hot but also humid and sultry, making it very uncomfortable. San Fu Tian falls between Xiaoshu and Chushu. Currently, we have just entered San Fu Tian, also known as the beginning of the period. According to traditional Chinese medicine, people enter the most thriving period of yang energy in the year starting from the beginning of San Fu.
During this period, our body’s pores are open, and the flow of qi and blood in the meridians is optimal for the penetration and absorption of medicines, making it the best time to dispel internal cold evils. Many chronic diseases that people developed in winter, such as chronic bronchitis, arthritis, asthma, cough, emphysema, periarthritis of the shoulder, chronic diarrhea, can be thoroughly cured during this San Fu period. This is also known as “curing winter ailments in summer.” Therefore, paying attention to health and healthcare during San Fu Tian is very important; it not only prevents diseases but also aids in curing them!
[San Fu Time]
Many friends are not familiar with the timing of solar terms, and hence, do not know the best time to regulate the body during sleep. Let’s take a look at the specific timing of San Fu this year!
San Fu 2017
Early Fu: July 12, 2017, to July 21, 2017
Mid-Fu: July 22, 2017, to August 10, 2017
Late Fu: August 11, 2017, to August 20, 2017
[San Fu Tian “Three Avoidances”]
To adjust your body during San Fu Tian, it’s essential to understand what harms your body. Many friends neglect their diet during San Fu Tian, leaving underlying health issues. Let’s take a look at the dietary taboos during San Fu Tian.
1. Avoid icy food
Many people find the scorching heat of San Fu Tian unbearable and consume a lot of cold drinks and frozen foods to cool down. However, this dietary habit is very harmful to the body, especially for women.
Firstly, consuming a lot of cold drinks during San Fu Tian may provide temporary relief, but it can be very damaging to the stomach and intestines. Secondly, consuming cold drinks during San Fu Tian can also cause the accumulation of cold energy in the body, leading to the recurrence of old illnesses or laying the foundation for new ones.
Many cases of rheumatoid arthritis, chronic bronchitis, and chronic diarrhea are attributed to this. Therefore, excessive consumption of cold drinks during San Fu Tian is highly discouraged. For individuals who are naturally cold, it’s best to avoid cold drinks altogether to help dispel cold and improve overall health.
2. Avoid spicy and greasy foods
Avoid consuming spicy and greasy foods during San Fu Tian as it is the time of the year with the heaviest summer dampness. Overconsumption of spicy food during San Fu Tian can lead to excessive sweating, damaging the body’s vital energy. Greasy foods are not only detrimental to health, causing cardiovascular diseases, but also decrease appetite, which is not favorable for health. It’s best to refrain from such foods.
3. Limit sugar intake
Due to the heat of summer, many people have reduced appetites and tend to consume sweets and beverages. However, excessive sugar intake during the summer can lead to various diseases like high blood sugar and prickly heat. Therefore, it is advisable to consume less sugar during San Fu Tian.
[San Fu Tian “Three Things to Eat”]
1. Bitter foods
During San Fu Tian, it is essential to consume bitter foods. Although bitter foods may not be appealing, they are treasures during these hot days. Why is that? Consuming a moderate amount of bitter foods during San Fu Tian can clear heat, aid in dispelling summer heat, stimulate appetite, invigorate the spleen, prevent malnutrition caused by poor appetite, keep away dampness, prevent heatstroke, and have excellent effects in detoxification and disease prevention.
Recommended dietary therapy: Bitter melon fried with eggs
Preparation method:
1. Wash the bitter melon, slice it, crack the eggs, and beat them into an egg flower;
2. Heat some oil in a pan, stir-fry the bitter melon until it changes from dark green to light green and soft, then add the egg flowers; stir-fry for another two minutes, add salt and monosodium glutamate as needed.
Effect: Has the effect of clearing heat, relieving summer heat, and alleviating fatigue.
2. Consume ginger
There’s a saying: “Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer,” a proverb that has been passed down for thousands of years, filled with rich health knowledge. Why consume more ginger in summer? This is because summer is hot, and many people tend to seek coolness, leading to the accumulation of cold energy in the body. Ginger is an excellent food for dispelling cold. Modern people tend to stay in air-conditioned rooms and consume cold drinks during summer, which can prevent the normal process of sweating and result in the accumulation of dampness in the body, which is detrimental to health. Ginger is excellent for inducing sweating. Therefore, ginger is an essential food in people’s diets during summer, indispensable for health.
Recommended dietary therapy: Red date ginger tea
Preparation method:
1. Wash seven to eight red dates, three to four slices of ginger, and prepare boiling water;
2. After rinsing, put them into a thermos cup, seal the lid tightly;
3. It can be consumed after an hour. You can add brown sugar or honey before drinking.
3. Consume coix seed
When talking about the benefits of consuming ginger during San Fu Tian, I mentioned that this period is the most prone to dampness accumulation. However, it is also the ideal season for dampness elimination and detoxification. Therefore, I would like to recommend the best food for dispelling dampness and detoxifying during San Fu Tian, which is coix seed!
During the rainy and humid period of San Fu, the air is sticky, many people are prone to dampness-related ailments, and coix seed can play a role in treating damp arthralgia, promoting intestinal and stomach health, reducing edema, invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting metabolism, and reducing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
For individuals with acne, oily skin, acne, body edema, listlessness, chronic diarrhea, and joint discomfort, consuming coix seed during San Fu Tian can be very effective in treatment and relief.
Recommended dietary therapy: Coix seed duck soup
Preparation method:
1. Remove the head, feet, and tail of the duck, wash thoroughly, and chop into large pieces. Cut the spring onions into sections, slice the ginger, cut the winter melon into large pieces, and wash the coix seeds.
2. Place the duck pieces in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for three minutes to remove the blood water, then remove and rinse with clean water.
3. Add oil to the pot, add the spring onions and ginger slices when the oil is half hot, fry until fragrant, then pour in the duck pieces to stir-fry until they change color, then add boiling water to stew with coix seeds for an hour.
4. Add winter melon and a pinch of salt to the soup pot, simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, and it’s ready to serve.
Effect: Relieves summer heat, eliminates dampness, invigorates the spleen, and eliminates dampness.
