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Dietary regimen for health preservation during the Greater Cold: Beware of wind and cold in diet; eat "three winters" and cook Laba porridge
Greater Cold dietary regimen: Beware of wind and cold, and adjust your diet; eat "three winter" foods and cook Laba porridge
At 5:43 pm on January 20th, we will usher in the last solar term of the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar - "Greater Cold". The period before the Greater Cold is the "four nines". At this time, the weather is severely cold, and "walking on ice during the three nines and four nines" is precisely this period before and after the Greater Cold. After the Greater Cold, it is a new year. The Greater Cold is the last solar term of the year, an important time for the transformation of yin and yang, and a turning point from the end of winter to the arrival of spring. 15 days after the Greater Cold, the yang energy will emerge from the ground and drive away the cold, which is the beginning of spring.
Greater Cold health preservation: Beware of wind and cold, and adjust your diet
The cold weather can cause poor blood flow in the body's blood vessels, causing blood stasis and thus increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. It can also cause the body's muscles to tense, causing pain and discomfort, as well as various diseases. For patients with hypertension, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, etc., after entering the Greater Cold period, they should pay more attention to keeping warm, adding clothes in time, and avoiding wearing clothes that are too tight to facilitate smooth blood flow. In addition, they should also reasonably adjust their diet and daily routine.
The amount of tonic during the Greater Cold should be gradually reduced to adapt to seasonal changes. In the tonic, some foods with uplifting and dispersing properties should be added to gradually adapt to spring. In addition, the Greater Cold period is a high-incidence period for colds and other respiratory infectious diseases. It is advisable to eat more foods that warm and disperse wind and cold to prevent the invasion of wind and cold evils. Commonly used foods with pungent and warm properties that relieve the exterior and disperse wind and cold in daily diets include perilla leaves, ginger, scallions, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and cassia bark.
Eat "three winter" foods during the Greater Cold: winter melon, winter jujube, and winter sugarcane
Winter melon is rich in dietary fiber, which can help lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, lower blood lipids, and prevent atherosclerosis. Winter melon is high in potassium and low in sodium, making it a good dietary therapy for hypertensive patients.
Winter jujube is very nutritious, containing 19 essential amino acids for the human body, such as aspartic acid, threonine, and serine. It is particularly rich in vitamin C and is known as the "living vitamin pill." It can detoxify and protect the liver, prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, improve human immunity, and prevent colds.
Winter sugarcane can replenish blood and moisten dryness, not only invigorating the spirit but also clearing heat, descending qi, and benefiting the lungs and stomach. Sugarcane contains a large number of trace elements essential for the human body, such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc, with particularly high iron content, hence the name "blood-replenishing fruit." In winter, many office workers often feel dizzy, sleepy, and have reduced reaction ability. Eating some sugarcane at this time is very beneficial.
Reminder: The "three winter" foods are cool in nature. Do not eat too much at once, and do not eat them raw. You can add them when making soup or porridge.
Greater Cold customs: Cook a pot of Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month
In ancient northern China, although the weather was cold during the Greater Cold, people began to busy themselves with cleaning and decorating, pickling New Year's dishes, preparing New Year's goods, and welcoming the most important festival for Chinese people - the Spring Festival, as spring was approaching. There is a very important day during this period - Laba, which is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Legend has it that the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when Sakyamuni attained enlightenment. The four Heavenly Kings came down to earth from heaven and offered the World Honored One with eight-treasure rice in golden, silver, crystal, and agate bowls. After the World Honored One happily accepted them, he combined the four bowls into one. To commemorate the Buddha's enlightenment, some Buddhist temples will cook porridge to offer to the Buddha on this day and distribute it to the faithful. This day (the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month) is also traditionally called "Laba Festival" (or "Fa Bao Festival"). The Laba porridge that evolved from this has become a porridge that is available in all four seasons.
Traditional Laba porridge ingredients include glutinous rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, water caltrop, chestnuts, red adzuki beans, peeled jujube paste, etc., cooked together with water. Dyed red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and white sugar, brown sugar, and raisins are used as decorations.
With the passage of time, the ingredients of Laba porridge today are determined according to personal taste. Generally, there are rice, peanuts, mung beans, red beans, lotus seeds, etc. Other optional ingredients include lentils, red dates, longans, yam, lily, goji berries, barley, millet, and other beans. In the south, people especially like to add sugar to make it a dessert.
Laba garlic
Pickling Laba garlic is a custom in North China. As the name suggests, it is the pickling of garlic on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. The materials are actually very simple: vinegar and garlic cloves. The method is also extremely simple: put the peeled garlic cloves into a sealable jar or bottle, then pour in vinegar, seal it, and put it in a cold place. Slowly, the garlic soaked in vinegar will turn green, and finally become completely emerald green, like jade.
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