Winter is a cold and dry season, which is the best time for tonifying. During this period, paying attention to dietary adjustments can not only supplement nutrients but also have significant nourishing effects. It is beneficial for improving cold resistance and immune function. So what should we eat for tonifying in winter?
Lotus Root: Fresh and Calming
In addition to containing a large amount of carbohydrates, proteins, various vitamins, and minerals, lotus root is also rich in dietary fiber, which is helpful for relieving constipation and promoting the elimination of harmful substances in the body. In the dry winter weather, consuming lotus root can nourish Yin, clear heat, calm the mind, and relieve dryness, cough, and thirst.
How to Eat Lotus Root in Winter for Nourishment
Boil one section of lotus root with one kilogram of pork ribs. When the soup boils, add cooking wine, salt, soy sauce, and a little bit of scallion, ginger, and garlic for seasoning. Finally, add ingredients like carrots, mushrooms, and tofu, and simmer for a while before consuming. Lotus root has the function of cooling and nourishing the blood, while pork ribs contain high-quality calcium and collagen. Mushrooms, tofu, and carrots are rich in vitamins. Eating them in moderation in winter can have good nourishing effects.
Pear: Moistening and Relieving Dryness
Pears are fresh, juicy, and delicious, with a sour and sweet taste. They contain 85% water and trace elements such as vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and iodine. In the dry winter weather, the body is prone to dehydration. Eating pears regularly can effectively relieve thirst, moisturize the lungs, and assist in the treatment of symptoms such as dry and itchy throat, pain, hoarseness, constipation, and dark urine caused by upper respiratory tract infections. Steaming or boiling pears can help nourish Yin, moisten the lungs, and relieve cough and phlegm. It has certain therapeutic effects on lung heat cough, throat swelling and pain, rheumatism, and gout.
How to Eat Pears in Winter for Nourishment
The most classic way to eat pears is to steam them with rock sugar and Fritillaria Bulb. Soak Fritillaria Bulb in cold water until soft, then slice the pear and remove the core. Put the Fritillaria Bulb into the pear and steam it for half an hour. Eating the pear flesh afterward has excellent effects on the treatment of respiratory infections and cough with phlegm caused by wind-heat.
Peanuts: Invigorating the Spleen and Stomach
Peanuts are neutral in nature and have a sweet taste. They enter the spleen and lung meridians and contain a large amount of protein, amino acids, vitamin E, and other nutrients. They can invigorate the spleen and stomach, moisten the lungs, transform phlegm, invigorate Qi, and stop bleeding. They can be used for symptoms such as spleen deficiency and thinness, poor appetite, dry cough with little phlegm, and insufficient postpartum milk. The fats in peanuts can decompose cholesterol in the liver into bile acids, promote excretion, and reduce blood cholesterol levels, preventing atherosclerosis. Peanuts also have the functions of stopping bleeding and enhancing platelet production, making them effective for spleen deficiency and blood deficiency, especially suitable for women.
How to Eat Peanuts in Winter for Nourishment
It is best to cook fresh peanuts with the shells on. Cooked peanuts are not only easy to digest and absorb but can also fully utilize the health benefits of the peanut shells and inner red skins. Peanut red skins can inhibit the dissolution of fibrinogen, promote platelet production, and treat platelet reduction and bleeding diseases. Peanut shells can lower blood pressure and regulate cholesterol.
Yellow Wine: Warming the Stomach and Dispelling Cold
Yellow wine contains 18 amino acids and relatively high amounts of functional oligosaccharides, which can improve immunity and disease resistance. It has a warm, sweet, and bitter taste and has therapeutic effects such as promoting meridian circulation, improving blood circulation, warming the spleen and stomach, moisturizing the skin, and dispelling dampness. Drinking heated yellow wine in moderation in winter can promote blood circulation, nourish body fluids, and replenish blood.
How to Drink Yellow Wine in Winter for Nourishment
Yellow wine is generally boiled before drinking. When boiling, add ginger slices and a suitable amount of brown sugar. This can not only evaporate some of the alcohol but also improve the taste. Ginger can enhance the blood circulation-promoting effect, and brown sugar can enhance the moisturizing and blood-replenishing effect. If consumed with Chinese plum, it has the additional effects of nourishing Yin, moisturizing the lungs, and protecting the liver.
