After the start of winter, the weather starts to turn cooler, and many people may experience symptoms of qi deficiency. At this time, it is important to nourish qi and blood to keep the body healthy. Below, we will introduce several dietary therapies for nourishing qi and blood in winter.
Medicated diet one: Astragalus Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 50g astragalus, 30g red dates, 10g licorice, 1 black-boned chicken (about 500g), salt.
Preparation: Slice the astragalus and licorice, wash the red dates, remove the feathers and internal organs from the chicken, put them all in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, remove any impurities, add salt and cooking wine, simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender.
Benefits: Nourishes qi and blood, boosts yang and strengthens the middle.
Suitable for: People with internal injuries and fatigue, qi deficiency and blood deficiency, diarrhea, uterine prolapse, rectal prolapse, and kidney prolapse.
Medicated diet two: Golden Sand Corn Porridge
Ingredients: 80g corn kernels, 40g glutinous rice, 40g brown sugar.
Preparation: Soak the corn and glutinous rice in water for 2 hours, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until soft and cooked. Add sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.
Benefits: Nourishes qi and blood, strengthens the body.
Suitable for: This porridge is beneficial for people with qi deficiency and weak constitution because corn contains antioxidants and other beneficial substances for health.
Medicated diet three: Lotus Seed Cake
Ingredients: 125g lotus seeds, 125g glutinous rice (different from regular rice), 60g poria cocos, sugar as needed.
Preparation: Stir-fry the lotus seeds and glutinous rice until fragrant and cooked, grind them with poria cocos into a fine powder, mix with sugar, steam into cakes, and eat on an empty stomach.
Benefits: Nourishes the middle, strengthens the spleen, removes dampness.
Suitable for: Used for weak spleen and stomach, indigestion, loose stools, and diarrhea.
Medicated diet four: American Ginseng Winter Melon Bowl
Ingredients: 1 winter melon (about 2.5-3.5kg), 10g American ginseng, 25g cooked ham, 50g fresh shrimp, 100g lean meat, 30g bamboo shoots, 30g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 20g dried scallops, 1000ml chicken broth, 15g greens.
Preparation: Wash the winter melon, cut it horizontally at one-third from the top (two-thirds for the bowl, one-third for the base), remove the seeds, carve patterns on the outside of the bowl and base, place the base on a large plate, cut the American ginseng into slices, cut the ham, lean meat, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into 1.5cm cubes. Blanch the greens in boiling water. Mix the shrimp with wet starch and salt, and slide cook in oil heated to 60% hot. Steam the scallops until fully cooked, then place all the prepared ingredients into the winter melon bowl. In a pot, add the chicken broth, soy sauce, salt, and Shaoxing wine, bring to a boil, remove any impurities, add MSG, then pour into the winter melon bowl. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes, then remove.
Benefits: Nourishes qi and yin, clears deficiency heat, generates body fluids, and relieves thirst.
Suitable for: Suitable for edema, bloating, urinary tract infections, phlegm noises, wheezing and coughing, heart, liver, and kidney diseases, summer heat and deficiency heat in the elderly, it is a delicious dish for replenishing during the hot summer.
Warm recommendation: People with qi deficiency should eat more foods that are slightly warming and have nourishing effects, such as red dates, raisins, apples, sweet potatoes, Cistanche, pumpkin, Chinese yam, glutinous rice, millet, dried radish, tofu, chicken, rabbit meat, beef, catfish, and grass carp, etc.
