Stay Healthy All Winter: Follow These 8 Tips

 

 

On December 21, we will usher in the Winter Solstice.

 

As the saying goes, "Winter Solstice is as significant as the New Year, a small reunion for all." The Winter Solstice marks the onset of the coldest period of the year. In ancient times, people who had been traveling would return home on this day.

 

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is said that "Yang is born on the Winter Solstice." From the Winter Solstice, the yang energy begins to regenerate. At this time, the body is most receptive to external nutrients, allowing for effective nourishment and replenishment.

 

However, during the cold days, excessive or improper supplementation can put unnecessary strain on the body and make you feel uncomfortable. What should you pay attention to when supplementing during the Winter Solstice? How can we preserve health in a more regulated way? Let's take a look.

 

Four Things to Avoid During Winter Solstice Supplementation

 

1. Avoid Excessive Salt Intake

According to the Five Elements theory, salty overcomes bitter, and kidney water overcomes heart fire. If one consumes excessive salty foods in winter, the already hyperactive kidney water will become even more exuberant, thus weakening the heart yang. Therefore, it is advisable to consume more bitter foods to strengthen the heart yang and counteract the excessive kidney water.

 

2. Avoid Prolonged Sedentary Behavior

Winter is a time for nurturing and conserving energy. Intense physical activity can lead to excessive sweating and deplete Yang energy. It is recommended to engage in moderate activities such as walking or Tai Chi. Additionally, exercises like the Eight Brocades (Ba Duan Jin) can be performed indoors without space limitations.

 

3. Avoid Significant Emotional Fluctuations

Emotional excitement is a major taboo for cardiovascular diseases. Patients with coronary heart disease and hyperlipidemia should especially maintain a peaceful state of mind and avoid excessive emotional ups and downs.

 

4. Avoid exercising too early in the day

In winter, the general rule for exercise is to "follow the sun." This means exercising during the warmest part of the day when there is sunlight. This makes it easier to warm up and reduces the risk of injury. Sunbathing your back during these times can also help replenish your body's yang energy.

 

Dietary Recommendations Around the Winter Solstice

It is recommended to consume warming foods around the Winter Solstice, such as beef, mutton, and crucian carp. Additionally, neutral foods like lotus seeds, coix seed, and red dates can also be beneficial. These "warming foods" not only help the body resist the cold but also strengthen the constitution.

 

A handful of soybeans, a boost of protein.

Proteins are the building blocks of antibodies. To ensure an adequate protein intake, it's highly recommended to consume a handful of soybeans daily, equivalent to 30-50 grams of yellow soybeans, black beans, or green peas. This simple habit provides a rich source of protein without the added cholesterol.

 

A bowl of mutton and radish soup, warming the middle and lower burners.

Mutton and radish soup is a nourishing dish that balances yin and yang. Mutton is warming and replenishing, while radish nourishes yin. When cooked together with ginger and cooking wine, this soup helps to tonify qi and blood, and warm the middle and lower burners.

 

A pear keeps dryness at bay.

Pears have the properties of generating fluids, moistening dryness, clearing heat, and resolving phlegm. Eating pears raw can quench thirst, while eating cooked pears can nourish the lungs and relieve coughs.

 

A cup of reishi mushroom tea per day can boost your immunity.

In the depths of winter, when it's ideal to nourish oneself, stewing a reishi mushroom chicken soup, a reishi mushroom old duck soup, or boiling a reishi date tea can be very nourishing and health-promoting.

 

Reishi mushrooms focus on "strengthening healthy qi and consolidating the foundation". With long-term consumption, you'll find that you catch colds less frequently and your immune system is significantly strengthened.

 

Three-Date Reishi Tea Tonifies Qi and Blood, Beautifies Skin and Calms the Mind

 

Ingredients:

10g organic red reishi slices, 3 pieces each of red dates, black dates, and honey dates

 

Instructions:

Wash the red reishi slices and pitted red, black, and honey dates. Add all ingredients to water and simmer.

 

Medicinal Food Notes:

This tea is suitable for those with qi and blood deficiency, manifesting as shortness of breath, fatigue, and pale complexion. Women can also add dried roses for an excellent effect of nourishing blood and beautifying the skin.

 

 

Beneath the blanket of snow, life is quietly gathering its strength. Warmth is gradually emerging, and the harsh winter is carefully nurturing the next spring. Finally, Happy Winter Solstice to everyone!