🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Summer temperatures are high, often affecting appetite. Many people, unable to eat properly, opt for cool or seemingly light foods, inadvertently falling into common dietary misconceptions that seem reasonable but are actually problematic. Here are four typical practices that should be corrected:
1. Drinking fresh milk like plain water. In summer, fresh milk is nutritious, and many people drink it as if it were plain water. However, research has shown that high protein content can hinder calcium absorption. A smarter choice would be to follow nutrition experts' advice: limit milk intake to two or three cups per day.
2. Eating excessive fruit for a light diet. Summer is peak fruit season, and most people have no restraint, eating large amounts of fruit. In fact, the sugars in fruit can raise blood triglyceride levels. A smarter choice is to eat more vegetables and reduce fruit intake.
3. Drinking cold beverages immediately after meals. Due to the heat, some people drink a beverage right after eating. But one cup of pearl milk tea contains 240 calories, one can of green milk tea has 185 calories, one can of iced coffee has 115 calories, and one ice cream stick has 280 calories. When consuming these cold drinks, we may feel only thirsty relief without realizing we're ingesting significant calories. The trouble comes later: burning 100 calories requires climbing stairs for 27 minutes or walking for one hour. If you haven’t done such post-meal exercise, the smarter choice is to drink plain water or mineral water. Although it might initially taste bland, once you develop a preference for mild flavors, sugary drinks will seem unappealing.
4. Drinking mung bean soup to prevent heatstroke. Many people drink mung bean or red bean soup when they can't eat rice, but these foods, like rice, are carbohydrate-rich. Eating too much can still lead to weight gain. The smarter choice is substitution rather than addition. If you want to drink a bowl of mung bean soup after a meal, reduce your rice intake by 1/4. If you plan to use mung bean soup as a meal replacement, reduce sugar, add low-fat milk, and include some fruits—this achieves nutritional balance similar to a regular meal.