In the summer to nourish the mind, eating red foods is best. So what are red foods?

Oriental medicine believes: "Spring nourishes the liver, summer nourishes the mind, autumn nourishes the lungs, and winter nourishes the kidneys". Following the weather is one of the ways to nourish health, so if you follow nourishment, the health improvement effect will be doubled.

So in the summer, how to maintain health in hot weather? 

Oriental medicine believes that summer should nourish the "Heart"

According to Secretchina , chive season symbolizes Fire. Red is the color of Fire, the mind according to Eastern philosophy is the fire element in the Five Elements, so fire foods will nourish the mind and replenish blood. That's why there is a saying that eating red food in summer nourishes the mind...

When temperatures increase in summer, we are easily irritated, angry and frustrated and this will indirectly affect blood pressure. Frequently going in and out of air-conditioned rooms is also harmful to your health, and the difference in indoor-outdoor temperature is especially harmful to your heart.

The concept of "Mind" in Eastern and Western medicine has many disagreements. The mind (heart) of Western medicine only talks about the heart, while the mind of Eastern medicine includes two types: the first is the heart organ and the internal and external functions of the heart - with the task of presiding over the internal matter. the body, second is the spiritual heart - the master of the spirit.

According to the perspective of Oriental medicine, summer belongs to the fire element and the fire element is connected to the mind. The nature of fire is dynamic and it easily causes the mind to become disturbed, manifesting symptoms such as thirst, chest tightness, palpitations, and insomnia. That's why it is said that summer needs to nourish the mind and protect the positive mind.

According to the correspondence between the five organs and the five colors, the heart corresponds to the color red, so red foods are often used to nourish the mind in the summer.

In summer, eat the following red foods to nourish your mind

Red dishes, according to the five elements and Oriental medicine, when entering the heart will replenish blood. From the perspective of Western medicine, red fruits and vegetables contain rich antioxidants such as lycopene and anthocyanin, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Here are 5 red foods you should eat more of in the summer:

1. Watermelon

Watermelon has always been considered a good heatstroke prevention measure with plenty of water. Watermelon is cold and enters the heart, stomach and bladder. Watermelon has the effect of cooling, reducing stress and quenching thirst, lowering blood pressure, diuretic, and reducing gas.

Watermelon has the effect of cooling, reducing stress and quenching thirst, lowering blood pressure, diuretic, and reducing gas... suitable for eating in the summer.

Watermelon contains a lot of lycopene. The redder the watermelon, the more lycopene - one of the natural substances with the strongest antioxidant power, can promote body metabolism, fight aging and prevent heart disease. circuit. Current research shows it also has positive effects on breast cancer and prostate cancer.

However, Ngo Quoc Ban, director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, noted that: in the summer, the human body's energy has the characteristic of " Yang energy is external, yin energy is internal ", that is, yang energy is outside. The air goes out, the negative energy goes in. If you eat watermelon at night, when the body's yin energy is stronger, it is easy to accumulate cold and low energy, damage digestion, and easily cause vomiting and diarrhea in the middle of the night.

2. Jujube (red jujube)

According to Oriental medicine, jujube tastes sweet and warm and can nourish the mind and soothe the stomach and strengthen digestion. Eating jujubes regularly is good for the mind.

Doctor of Oriental Medicine Do My Hien in China said that jujubes are mainly used in clinical treatment of poor digestion, jaundice anemia, insomnia due to anemia and excessive dreams.

Eating jujubes is especially good for women during menstruation.

For women with anemia due to heavy menstruation, drinking jujube juice regularly can improve pale skin and cold hands and feet.

Wu Mingzhou is a Chinese doctor who once wrote that eating jujubes can dilate blood vessels, enhance the contractility of the heart muscle, and can quickly increase the oxygen content in the blood, thereby increasing its supply. oxygen for the heart. While accelerating metabolism, it can also improve myocardial nutrition.

3. Red bean curd

Oriental medicine stores all have Red bean, also known as red bean, and more accurately, Hong bean - looks like red bean, but slightly smaller and longer. The red bean enters the heart meridian and the small intestine (small intestine).

Eating red bean in the summer can reduce thirst and heat in the body.

Eating a lot of these foods in the summer can reduce thirst and heat in the body. At the same time, it can reduce low blood pressure, so it has the effect of reducing blood fat, losing weight, and especially reducing edema in some people with physiological edema.

4. Cherries

Cherries have a sweet and warm taste and can be used as medicine. According to the book " The List of Medical Records ", cherries treat people with weakness, replenish vital energy, nourish blood, moisturize and beautify the skin. Cherries can be eaten raw, or if boiled to drink, they can treat fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, insomnia and some other diseases.

Cherries can treat fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, insomnia and some other diseases.

The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) states that cherries are one of the main sources of anthocyanin compounds. Anthocyanins not only have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, but also have various effects on blood vessels, platelets and lipoproteins and the risks of heart disease.

5. Tomatoes

Tomatoes also contain a large amount of lycopene. Nutrition expert Tran Tieu Vi points out that lycopene in cooked fried tomatoes is easier to absorb than when eaten raw.

It is better to eat cooked tomatoes

Traditional Chinese medicine also believes that tomatoes have cold properties so it is best to cook them before eating. People with poor digestion, cold constitutions (cold palms and feet), or people who have a cold and cough, should not eat too many raw tomatoes.

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There are also some other healthy red foods including: carrots, red apples, hawthorn, roses, red beans, beef and lamb.