Winter Nourishment: Targeted Strategies for Health and Wellness

    There is a saying in folk culture that "summer replenishes the three fu and winter replenishes the three nines". There are three different opinions on winter nourishment: one is from the beginning of winter to the end of spring, the second is around the winter solstice, and the third is during the three nine days. Folk beliefs suggest that the best time for winter nourishment is around the winter solstice. However, experts believe that the choice of winter nourishment time varies from person to person. People with chronic diseases and yang deficiency constitution need to nourish for a long time, starting from the beginning of winter until the end of spring; people with average constitution and do not need excessive nourishment can focus on nourishment during the three nine days.
    
    Of course, health preservation is a lifestyle habit, including daily activities and meals. Food nourishment is better than medicine nourishment, and mental nourishment is better than food nourishment. Winter is suitable for nourishment, but it is not advisable to blindly take various supplements. As a reference for climate change, nourishment should be targeted and adjusted based on different constitutions, regions, and climatic characteristics, including detoxification, nourishing, warming, and tonifying. In general, there are several principles to follow for winter nourishment:

    1. Detoxification and Nourishment
    
    Targeted audience for detoxification and nourishment: expectant mothers, middle-aged and elderly people with various chronic diseases, and cancer patients. For these people, the ideal winter nourishment is "detoxification and adjustment". Detoxification focuses on dietary adjustments, and commonly used detoxification foods include lily, Chinese yam, sugarcane, honey, etc.; detoxification medicines include American ginseng, sand ginseng, dwarf lilyturf, dendrobium, etc. It is important to control smoking and drinking, and minimize the consumption of dog meat and mutton. Chicken soup is also not suitable for excessive consumption.

    2. Warming and Tonifying
    
    Warming and tonifying emphasizes the nurturing of various deficiency constitution types. For example, for yang deficiency constitution, one can consume more lamb, dog meat, beef, etc.; for vegetables, it is recommended to eat leek, ginger, fennel, etc.; and for fruits, one can eat jujube, apple, citrus, etc. For yin deficiency constitution, emphasis should be placed on nourishing yin. Qi deficiency and blood deficiency can also be targeted for continuous nourishment based on individual constitution characteristics, achieving better results with less effort.
    
    Suitable foods for winter warming and tonifying include: lamb, beef, their offals, dog meat, rooster, goose, sea cucumber, squid, deer meat, jujube, walnut, mung bean, potato, onion, garlic, leek, ginger, broad bean, wheat flour, alcohol, etc.

    3. Nourishing
    
    Ordinary healthy people can choose nourishing methods for health preservation. The focus should be on nourishing the kidneys, strengthening the body, and enhancing the constitution.