Summer is here, the weather is getting hotter, and everyone’s appetite is changing. To stay healthy and full of energy in the sweltering weather, there are some dietary tips. Today, let’s talk about the diet advice of “3 beans and 3 meats,” these ingredients are not only delicious but also help us cope better with high temperatures. Don’t underestimate these simple dietary adjustments, they have significant benefits for our bodies. They not only help us replenish nutrients but also strengthen our constitution, allowing us to stay energetic in the hot summer days, benefiting early, so let’s take a look!
Eating Three Beans
There is an old saying in health preservation that goes: It’s better to eat no meat than to eat no beans! Beans are excellent plant-based protein sources, with high-quality protein content comparable to various meats, even higher than eggs and milk. Beans have a protein content of over 30%, three times that of eggs and ten times that of milk. In summer, it’s good to eat more black beans, mung beans, and adzuki beans.
1. Mung Beans
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mung beans are considered sweet and cool in nature, with the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, good for relieving summer heat. It is known as the “nourishing valley of summer.” Additionally, from the perspective of modern nutrition, mung beans are rich in Vitamin B1, B2, potassium, and phenolic substances, which can replenish the nutrients lost due to sweating easily in summer.
Recommended Recipe [Mung Bean Soup]
1. Wash 100g of mung beans with clean water and soak them overnight, you can refrigerate them to prevent sprouting, as the recent temperatures are too high.
2. The next day, boil the mung beans in a pot with clean water and a handful of rock sugar, boil on high heat for half an hour to fully bloom the mung beans.
3. After the mung beans are cooked, pour them out and blend half of them either with a spoon or a blender until they become a paste, then mix them evenly with the other half.
4. Next, boil water in a pot, add small glutinous rice balls, cook until they float up, then remove and rinse them with cold water for better texture and to prevent sticking together.
5. When serving, scoop the small rice balls into the mung bean soup, for those who prefer it sweet, you can drizzle some honey or sprinkle some dried osmanthus.
2. Adzuki Beans
Adzuki beans can invigorate the spleen, remove dampness, enhance spleen and stomach functions, and help dispel internal dampness, making them very suitable for summer.
Recommended Recipe [Adzuki Bean Cake]
1. Soak 500g of adzuki beans overnight.
2. Steam the adzuki beans, it takes about an hour with high heat.
3. After steaming the adzuki beans, mix them with 600g of milk, then add 500g of glutinous rice flour, continue mixing, then brush oil in a mold and pour the mixture in.
4. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, poke a few holes for ventilation. Continue steaming with high heat for about 40 minutes until the glutinous rice paste is cooked.
5. Take it out to cool for a while, then unmold and cut into small pieces, for those who like it sweet, you can drizzle some osmanthus honey.
3. Black Beans
Black beans are known as the “valley of the kidneys,” their black color corresponds to the kidneys and they have many benefits, such as nourishing the kidneys, promoting urination, reducing swelling, detoxifying, and purging.
Recommended Recipe [Black Bean Milk]
1. Prepare 20g of black beans, red beans, adzuki beans, and black sesame seeds, wash them clean. Black beans, soybeans, and red beans can be soaked in advance or used directly.
2. Wash 5 red dates, remove the pits, and cut them into small pieces.
3. In a blender, add water, then add all the ingredients and a little rock sugar, use the hot soy milk mode for 30 minutes.
4. Once it’s ready, you can drink it directly without straining.
Eating Three Meats
Duck meat, chicken, pork trotters are all meats suitable for summer, not only are they rich in nutrients but they can also help us deal with various discomforts in summer. Don’t overlook the importance of meat just because you’re concerned about fat!
1. Duck Meat
Duck meat is best eaten in summer and autumn, it has cooling properties, compared to chicken, it is less likely to cause internal heat, and it can effectively clear heat and relieve summer heat.
Recommended Recipe [Potato and Duck Stew]
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces, add oil to a hot pan, fry the potatoes until golden brown on both sides, then set aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté minced garlic and diced millet chili, add the duck meat and stir-fry.
3. Season with a little salt, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, a little dark soy sauce, a little chicken powder, stir-fry until well combined.
4. Then add the potatoes, add an adequate amount of water, simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, sprinkle some chopped green onions before serving.
2. Chicken
As the summer temperature is high and the body is weak, eating chicken can supplement the body with a large amount of calcium and iron, in addition, it can improve yang deficiency, promote metabolism, and enhance beauty.
Recommended Recipe [Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken Thigh]
1. Debone the chicken thigh and cut it into small pieces, marinate with a little salt, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Wash the green and red peppers, then cut them into pieces and set aside.
3. Stir-fry minced ginger and garlic in hot oil, add the chicken and stir-fry until the surface turns slightly yellow.
4. Then add the green and red peppers, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, half a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, stir-fry for 5 minutes, then it’s ready to serve.
3. Pork Trotters
Pork trotters are mainly composed of collagen, an important substance for cellular metabolism in the body, especially beneficial for the skin, eating some in summer can improve complexion.
Recommended Recipe [Yellow Bean Braised Pork Trotters]
1. Soak yellow beans overnight; blanch the pig trotters in cold water with ginger, spring onion, and cooking wine, remove, wash, and drain.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add rock sugar, stir-fry on low heat until the sugar melts, then add the pig trotters, stir-fry until colored, then add 1 tablespoon of yellow bean sauce to sauté until fragrant.
3. In a clay pot, add ginger slices, add the pig trotters, add star anise, bay leaf, dried chili, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, then pour in beer and enough water to cover the trotters.
4. Simmer on low heat for an hour, then add the soaked yellow beans to braise for another half hour until the trotters are tender, sprinkle with chopped spring onions and serve.
