Dietary Caution Against the "Autumn Tiger"
After entering autumn, although day-night temperature differences increase, daytime temperatures can still be very hot, especially after prolonged sunny days without rain, when the lingering heat feels oppressive—hence the folk term "Autumn Tiger." However, by paying attention to diet, the "Autumn Tiger" can be effectively subdued!
First, cooling and heat-clearing foods should not be immediately removed from the dining table. Generally, such foods help prevent heatstroke, retain sweat, replenish fluids, and stimulate appetite. Drinking mung bean soup or eating lotus seed porridge and mint porridge is highly beneficial. Additionally, consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables satisfies nutritional needs and replenishes potassium lost through sweating. However, after a long summer, the body suffers significant depletion, especially older adults whose spleen and stomach are often weak and cold. Thus, when selecting foods, one must pay attention to their nature and taste, avoiding overly cold foods such as watermelon, pear, and cucumber, which are cold in nature and may harm the spleen and stomach if consumed excessively, hindering recovery from deficiency.
Second, dryness is the dominant factor in autumn. Dryness easily injures the lungs, so prevention of autumn dryness is crucial. Therefore, one should drink more plain water, rock sugar water, or green tea daily to moisten internal organs. Additionally, consider the following herbal remedies:
① 10 grams each of white fungus and black fungus, 30 grams of rock sugar, stewed and consumed. It nourishes yin, tonifies the kidneys, and moistens the lungs.
② 15 grams of black sesame, crushed, mixed with appropriate honey and taken orally. It nourishes yin and moistens dryness.
③ 60 grams of Trichosanthes root (ground into powder), 60 grams of Rehmannia (washed and wrapped in cloth), and 200 grams of glutinous rice, cooked into porridge and consumed in portions. It nourishes yin and moistens dryness.
Additionally, one may eat snow pears or winter pears—raw consumption clears heat, while steaming helps nourish yin. One may also take autumn pear syrup, nourishing yin and clearing lungs ointment, or turtle jelly, all of which help moisten the lungs and prevent dryness.
In such weather as the "Autumn Tiger," people may become careless about cold exposure. Especially at night, the first half might remain stiflingly hot, but the second half or early morning could turn chilly. Therefore, one must dress warmly in the morning and evening, avoid going bare-chested, and prevent catching cold.