You can eat a proper amount of bitter herbs in summer, because bitter herbs can reduce fire, so what bitter herbs should you eat? Let me give you a brief introduction.

It is quite scientific for the ancient Five Elements Theory to advocate that "spring is sour, summer is bitter, autumn is bitter and winter is salty". From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bitter food is cold, which has the functions of clearing away heat and purging fire, eliminating summer heat and drying dampness, and promoting fluid production and appetizing, so it is especially suitable for eating in hot summer. The most typical bitter food is bitter gourd, in addition to bitter vegetables, lettuce, dandelion, kudingcha, almonds and so on. In addition to bitter food, eating some cool food can also play a "bitter" role, such as watermelon, cucumber, wax gourd, wax gourd, tomato, celery, lettuce and so on are all cool vegetables, so you can eat some properly at ordinary times.

Bitter gourd in summer

Bitter gourd tastes bitter and cold, refreshing but not greasy. People will feel cool and comfortable after eating. Every summer, when people don't think about eating because of the heat, if bitter gourd is used as a food supplement, it can stimulate appetite and strengthen the spleen, clear away heat and relieve summer heat; If you soak bitter gourd in herbal tea, it can relieve summer heat and relieve anxiety. As Guangdong Hakka folk songs sing: "people say bitter gourd is bitter, and I say bitter gourd is sweet;" You can choose whether it is bitter or not, and there is no sweetness without suffering. "

According to the determination, protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamins contained in bitter gourd are higher in melons and vegetables. In particular, the content of vitamin C is as high as 84 mg per 100 grams, which is about 5 times that of wax gourd, 0/0 times that of loofah, 0/4 times that of cucumber and 2/0/0 times that of pumpkin, ranking first among melons. Bitter gourd is the only vegetable with the unique characteristic of "bitterness", and its bitter element can stimulate appetite. It has been a good dish in summer for many years and is deeply loved by people.

Bitter gourd is not only a good vegetable, but also a good medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter gourd has the functions of clearing away heat and relieving fatigue, clearing away heart fire and improving eyesight, benefiting qi and strengthening yang. It is quite effective in treating stomach heat pain, damp-heat dysentery, vomiting and diarrhea, and hematuria. In recent years, scientists have also found that bitter gourd contains insulin-like substance-momordicin, which has obvious hypoglycemic effect and is an ideal food for diabetic patients. The bitter melon contains cinchona cream, which can inhibit the overexcited body temperature center and play an antipyretic role, and has a significant effect on malaria.

Bitter gourd has a bitter taste. When cooking, in order to reduce the bitterness, you can cut the bitter gourd first, marinate it with salt for a while, and then fry it. This can not only reduce the bitterness, make the bitter gourd green, but also remove the oxalic acid inside, while the flavor is still there. Or cut the bitter gourd first, soak it in boiling water for a while, and then take it out and cook it, which will also greatly weaken the bitterness. There are many ways to eat bitter gourd, such as frying, frying, burning, frying, mixing, vegetarian or meat, all of which are refreshing and delicious, as if bitter or sweet, and it is actually delicious with wine.

Bitter vegetables in hot summer

Bitter vegetables are one of the earliest edible and medicinal wild vegetables in China, which can be found everywhere in ancient books. In the Book of Songs "July", there is a poem "Reward me for picking tea, and eat my farmers". In summer, bitter vegetables are a long-standing folk custom. "When the wind blows, bitter vegetables grow, and the wasteland is a granary."

Sowthistle grows all over China, from big roots with thick roots to seedlings with small leaves. There is not much difference between bitter vegetables in China, just because the varieties are different and the taste is different. As ingredients, chefs also summarize bitter vegetables, but the functions of bitter vegetables are mostly four or five varieties, such as bitter vegetables, bitter vegetables and bitter vegetables.

Motherland medicine believes that bitter vegetables are cold and bitter, which can clear heat and cool blood, reassure and invigorate qi, detoxify and improve eyesight ... Modern nutrition research shows that bitter vegetables are rich in nutrients such as protein, carotene, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus and iron, which can be used as food in famine years and as a meal in prosperous times. It is not only a home-cooked wild vegetable side dish, but also a good food for health preservation in summer.

Bitter vegetables are tender and crisp, fragrant in bitterness and sweet in aftertaste. If you don't like bitterness, you can first remove the bitterness of bitter vegetables with water, then eat them raw and cold, and experience the unique taste of sweetness in bitterness. Mash the fresh garlic into mud, add sesame oil, vinegar and salt, stir well, pour it on the fresh bitter leaves and mix well. Crisp and refreshing, sour and spicy, a bottle of cold beer will make people feel cool in the heat. Bitter vegetables cooked food can be fried and burned, with tofu and bean gluten. It is a delicious food for clearing away heat and relieving summer heat. After passing through the water, change the knife, which can be used as a side dish of noodles, or can be directly matched with jiaozi and stir-fried dishes to make steamed stuffed buns and jiaozi.

Eating bitterness in summer is not suitable for everyone.

There is a "bitter" stress in midsummer. For people who have a bad appetite in summer, bitter food can really strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite. However, excessive bitterness or eating too much bitter food can also cause side effects such as stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, so eating bitter food in moderation varies from person to person and from living environment.

Eating "bitterness" in summer depends on personal physique and living environment, and not everyone is suitable. For example, in hot weather, you can more appropriately "suffer hardships" to clear away heat and relieve summer heat and refresh your mind; However, people who stay in the air-conditioned environment in the office for a long time and sweat less, properly adding spices in their diet is conducive to the circulation of qi and blood and yang. The weather is humid in summer, so eating more bitter vegetables helps to eliminate the moisture in the human body; However, when people with deficiency heat want to eat bitter gourd to clear away heat, it is best to slice it and eat it cold, which is closer to the original flavor and can better play the therapeutic effect.

Bitter vegetables are mostly cool and have a certain effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Eating too much can easily cause side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore, people with poor digestive function and easy diarrhea should not eat more bitter gourd and watermelon. Older people with weak constitution and patients with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, epigastric cold pain and loose stool should not eat it, otherwise it will aggravate the condition; In addition, children's spleen and stomach function development is not perfect, and it is not appropriate to eat too much bitter food.