Lidong is one of the twenty-four solar terms in the lunar calendar and one of the traditional Chinese festivals. The time point is between November 7-8 each year in the Gregorian calendar, that is, the sun is at 225° in the yellow longitude. At this time, the earth is at declination -16°19', and the height of the sun at noon in Beijing is only 33°47'. After the beginning of winter, the duration of sunshine will continue to shorten, and the height of the sun will continue to decrease at noon. Chinese folks regard Lidong as the beginning of winter. During Lidong, there is a food custom that needs tonic to survive the severe winter.

Lidong Health

After the beginning of winter, it means that winter is officially here. The vegetation is withered, the stingworm is dormant, and all activities tend to cease. Although human beings do not have the theory of hibernation, the Chinese folks have the custom of establishing and replenishing winter. In cold weather, you should eat more warm and nourishing foods. This will not only make your body stronger, but also play a good role in keeping out the cold.

eat dumplings

Why does Lidong eat dumplings? This is because dumplings are derived from the saying "when you are a child". Lunar New Year’s Eve is the turn of the old year and the New Year, and Lidong is the turn of autumn and winter, so dumplings must be eaten at the time of "coming". People have gradually restored this ancient custom, and on the day of Li Dong, all kinds of dumplings are very popular. Of course, on the winter solstice day, for example, there is a custom of drinking mutton soup in Zaozhuang, Shandong.

1 Eat more staple foods, eat lamb, quail and sea cucumbers appropriately

Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are called thermogenic nutrients. Therefore, in winter, we must appropriately increase the intake of staple foods and fats to ensure the supply of high-quality protein. Dog meat, lamb, beef, chicken, venison, shrimp, pigeon, quail, sea cucumber and other foods are rich in protein and fat, produce more calories, and have the best protection against cold.

The temperature drops sharply, and some parts of the body are particularly sensitive to the cold, so special care should be taken to keep warm.

2 Kelp and seaweed can promote thyroxine secretion

The human body’s thyroid secretion contains thyroxine, which can accelerate the oxidation of many tissue cells in the body, increase the body’s heat production capacity, increase the basal metabolic rate, accelerate the skin’s blood circulation, resist cold and keep cold, and iodine-containing food can promote Thyroxine secretion. Foods rich in iodine are: kelp, seaweed, hair vegetable, jellyfish, spinach, Chinese cabbage, corn and so on.

3 Animal liver and carrots can increase cold resistance

The cold climate causes significant changes in human vitamin metabolism. Increasing intake of vitamin A and vitamin C can enhance cold tolerance and adaptability to cold, and has a good protective effect on blood vessels. Vitamin A mainly comes from animal liver, carrots, dark green vegetables, etc., while vitamin C mainly comes from fresh fruits and vegetables.

4Sesame and sunflower seeds can provide the human body with the necessary elements for cold resistance

Cold weather increases the demand for methionine in the body. Methionine can provide a series of methyl groups necessary to adapt to the cold through transfer. Therefore, in winter, you should consume more foods containing more methionine. Such as sesame, sunflower seeds, dairy products, yeast, leafy vegetables, etc.

5 nourishing principles

Starting from Lidong. The cold climate affects the human body’s endocrine system to increase the body’s ability to keep out the cold, which causes the body to lose too much heat. Therefore, nutrition during the beginning of winter season should be based on increasing heat energy. Eat more lean meat, eggs, fish, milk, beans and foods rich in carbohydrates and fats.

In terms of diet and health in winter, traditional Chinese medicine believes that you should eat less salty and more bitter foods. The reason is that the kidneys are strong in winter, and the kidneys govern saltiness and the heart governs bitterness. According to the theory of the five elements of Chinese medicine, salt overcomes bitterness and kidney water overcomes heart and fire. If you eat too much salty taste, it will make the already hyperactive kidney water more hyperactive, thereby weakening the power of the heart yang, so you should eat more bitter food to help the heart yang. This can resist excessive kidney water. As the "Six Seasons Tiaoshe Note" said: "Winter Moon Kidney water tastes salty, fearing that water will overcome fire, so it is appropriate to nourish the heart."

Ancient Chinese Medicine

 The diet and recuperation should follow the ancient precepts: "Nourishing Yin in Autumn and Winter", "No Disturbance of Yang", "Insufficient people make up for it, cold ones warm up", and adjust the diet according to the changes in climate in the four seasons. "Drinking Zheng Yao" by Hu Sihui in the Yuan Dynasty said: "Winter Qi is cold, it is advisable to eat millet to cure the cold." Yang, high-calorie diet is advisable. At the same time, eat more fresh vegetables to avoid vitamin deficiency, such as: beef and mutton, black-bone chicken, crucian carp, drink more soy milk, milk, eat more radish, green vegetables, tofu, fungus, ginkgo fruit Wait.

It should be noted here that China has a vast territory, different geographical environments, and people’s lifestyles. They belong to the same winter season. The climatic conditions in the northwest and southeast coastal areas are quite different. In winter, the weather in the northwest is cold, which makes it suitable for tonics. Food, such as beef, sheep, dog meat, etc.; while the area south of the Yangtze River has entered winter, the temperature is much milder than that in the northwest. The tonic should be refreshed with sweet and warm flavors, such as chicken, duck, and fish; In plateaus and mountainous areas, where the rainfall is less and the climate is drier, fruits, vegetables and rock sugar that are moisturizing and healthy should be used.

In addition, it also differs from person to person. Because eating is divided into grains, fruits and vegetables, people are different between men and women, old and young, and there are differences in physical (physical) between cold and heat. Based on the law of human growth and the principles of TCM health preservation, young people are important Support, middle-aged re-adjustment, old-age re-protection, and senile re-delay. Therefore, the "winter tonic" should be selected according to the actual situation in a targeted manner: clear tonic, warm tonic, small tonic, and large tonic, and never blindly "tonic".