The ancients paid attention to keeping in line with the seasons and climate. Especially for the elderly, we must abide by the law of the ups and downs of yin and yang in spring, summer, autumn and winter, adapt to the climate change of a year, and adjust our diet according to different seasons. "Life Times" specially invited authoritative experts to introduce some ingredients and practices suitable for the elderly in four seasons. The solstice of winter has arrived, and "counting nine cold days" has begun. Let's talk about winter diet first.

Variety is often changed in winter.

The cold climate will affect the endocrine system of human body, increase the secretion of thyroxine and adrenaline, and promote the decomposition of nutrients in protein, fat and carbohydrates, thus increasing the body's ability to keep out the cold and leading to excessive heat loss. Zhang Yonghui suggested that the elderly should ensure the intake of essential nutrients in winter and improve their cold tolerance. They can eat more foods rich in carbohydrates and fat, but not too much fat. Lean meat, eggs, fish, milk, beans and their products are all suitable for the elderly to eat in winter.

Winter is the off-season of vegetables, and there are not many kinds and quantities. Especially in the north of China, when a winter passes, residents are troubled by aphtha, oral ulcer, gingival bleeding, constipation and so on, all of which are related to insufficient vitamin intake. In today's winter vegetable market, there are all kinds of vegetables. Experts suggest that the diet of the elderly should be changed frequently and matched reasonably. Besides Chinese cabbage, radish and apples, we should eat more green vegetables and fruits, such as pears and oranges. Winter is the season when all kinds of potatoes are on the market, such as sweet potato, purple potato and potato. , rich in vitamins and minerals, can also play the role of clearing away heat and fire.

Spring focuses on rich nutrition.

Spring turns from cold to warm, and the temperature changes greatly. Bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms began to multiply in large numbers, and their vitality increased, making them easy to invade the human body. The resulting angular stomatitis, glossitis and some facial diseases are all common diseases in spring. Therefore, we should first take enough vitamins and trace elements in spring. For example, eating fresh vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, rape, green pepper and tomato, and fruits rich in vitamin C such as citrus and lemon can enhance immune function; Yellow-green vegetables such as carrots and amaranth are rich in carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body, which helps to protect epithelial cells of upper respiratory mucosa and lungs and enhance the ability of mucosa to resist foreign bodies.

Secondly, it is still cold in early spring, and the nutritional structure should be dominated by high calories. In addition to cereals, you should also eat some foods such as soybeans, sesame seeds, peanuts and walnuts in order to replenish energy substances in time. High-quality protein such as eggs, fish, shrimp, beef, chicken and bean products is also essential.

Finally, the elderly are prone to "spring sleep". Eating some foods rich in various vitamins such as potatoes, carrots, lean meat and bean products can enhance sugar metabolism, improve the energy supply of brain tissue and eliminate fatigue. As the "first fruit of spring", strawberries should not be forgotten. Research by Ohio State University shows that strawberries are rich in iron, fructose, malic acid, citric acid and other substances, which can be used as an adjuvant treatment for diseases such as sore throat and cough that are prone to occur in spring.

In terms of cooking techniques, Zhu Huilian said that the spring diet should be light and delicious, avoid greasy, cold and * * * food, and do not recommend frying and spicy frying. Especially the digestion and absorption ability of the elderly is declining, and a light and mild diet can adapt the gastrointestinal tract to the process of changing from cold to warm.

Do a good job of color and fragrance in summer

In hot summer, the human body consumes a lot, and the nutritional metabolism function of the elderly will be affected to some extent. Zhu Huilian said that people's demand for protein, water, vitamins and trace elements has increased. Wang Yi believes that there are abundant fruits and vegetables in summer, and the elderly can adjust their diet and physiological functions by eating more fruits and vegetables. Generally speaking, foods with heat-clearing and summer-relieving effects include bitter gourd, amaranth, eggplant, fresh lotus root, mung bean sprouts, loofah, cucumber, wax gourd and watermelon. Experts especially recommend watermelons and tomatoes, which can quench thirst and nourish.

Many old people can't eat in summer and have no appetite for big fish and meat. However, in summer, people sweat a lot, consume a lot, and catabolism in the body is vigorous, so it is necessary to appropriately increase the intake of protein. Experts believe that some cooking skills can improve the appetite of the elderly. First, the principle of summer diet is light and refreshing, using the natural color of food to increase appetite through the combination of color, fragrance and taste of ingredients. For example, beef tenderloin with fragrant awn straw mushroom, golden mango, beige straw mushroom and red beef tenderloin greatly increase people's appetite, and a dish can meet the needs of protein, trace elements, dietary fiber and some vitamins. Second, eat some cold dishes, such as chives, bean curd, vegetable salad, etc., but pay attention to hygiene, and separate raw and cooked when cutting to prevent the disease from entering the mouth. Adding less vinegar when making cold cuts can increase appetite, sterilize and protect vitamin C. Third, bitter food, bitter gourd and lettuce, which are essential in summer, are all helpful for purging fire.

Pay attention to nourishing yin and moistening dryness in autumn

Autumn is a mature season, and the human body changes from active to quiet. Because summer consumes more and winter is coming, we should pay attention to supplementing nutrition in autumn, but the elderly should not supplement too much, especially not overeating. In autumn, you should choose tonics, such as water bamboo, pumpkin, lotus seeds, longan, black sesame, red dates, walnuts and so on.

Autumn is dry, dryness hurts the lungs, and the elderly often have yin deficiency of liver and kidney. Feeling dry is more likely to lead to lung diseases, so the diet should follow the principle of promoting fluid production and moistening the lungs. Sesame, Sydney, water chestnut, honey, tremella, apples, bananas, grapes, radishes, lotus roots, bean products and other foods all have the effect of nourishing yin and moistening dryness.

Diet, you can often eat rock sugar, tremella, autumn pear water, astragalus codonopsis duck soup and so on. Autumn diet should also be "colorful", especially some dark vegetables, such as purple cabbage and spinach, whose antioxidant function also helps to resist aging and enhance immunity. Zhu Huilian suggested that the elderly should eat more cruciferous vegetables in autumn, such as broccoli, which has a significant anti-cancer effect.

It should be reminded that the high incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is from late autumn to winter, while the taste of the elderly decreases, which often leads to taste deviation. Once the intake of salt, oil and sugar is high, it may "help others" and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents. Therefore, the elderly should properly control the "heavy taste" when cooking. Finally, Zhang Yonghui said that malnutrition and overnutrition of the elderly are outstanding problems at present. No matter which season, the elderly should eat widely and eat more omnivores in order to achieve the effect of healthy diet and scientific tonic.