During the Xiaoshu solar term, eat bitter melon to relieve heat and provide nourishment

　　■In the hot summer, bitterness reigns supreme

　　The ancient Five Elements Theory advocates that "spring is more sour, summer is more bitter, autumn is more pungent, and winter is more salty" has scientific truth. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bitter foods are cold in nature and have the functions of clearing away heat and purging fire, dispelling heat and dampness, and promoting fluid production and appetizing, so they are especially suitable for consumption in hot summer. Among all bitter foods, the most typical one is bitter melon. In addition, there are bitter herbs, lettuce, dandelion, Kuding tea, almonds, etc. In addition to bitter foods, eating some cold foods can also play the same role as "eating bitterness", such as watermelon, cucumber, winter melon, muskmelon, tomato , celery, lettuce, etc. are all cold vegetables, so you can eat them in moderation.

　　● Momordica charantia

　　Bitter melon is bitter in taste and cold in nature, refreshing but not greasy. People will feel cool and comfortable after eating it. Every summer, when people don’t want to eat due to the heat, cooking with bitter melon can stimulate the appetite, strengthen the spleen, clear away heat and relieve summer heat. ； For example, drinking bitter melon as a herbal tea can relieve the heat and relieve thirst. As the Guangdong Hakka folk song sings: "People say bitter melon is bitter, I say bitter melon is sweet." ； You can choose sweetness or bitterness. If it's not bitter, there's no sweetness. ”

　　According to measurements, the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc. contained in bitter melon are all higher among melon vegetables. In particular, the vitamin C content is as high as 84 mg per 100 grams, which is about 5 times that of winter melon, 10 times that of loofah, 14 times that of cucumber, and 21 times that of pumpkin, ranking first among melons. Bitter melon is the only vegetable among vegetables that is unique in its "bitterness". The bitter elements it contains can stimulate appetite and increase appetite. It has been a good summer vegetable for many years and is deeply loved by people.

　　Bitter melon is not only a good vegetable, but also a good medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter melon can clear away pathogenic heat, relieve fatigue, clear the heart and improve eyesight, and replenish qi and strengthen yang. Use it to treat stomach heat pain, damp-heat dysentery, and vomiting diarrhea It is quite effective in treating diseases such as hematuria and hematuria. In recent years, scientists have also found that bitter melon contains an insulin-like substance called charantin, which has obvious hypoglycemic effects and is an ideal food for diabetic patients. ； Bitter melon contains cinchona, which has an extremely bitter smell. It can inhibit the over-excited body temperature center, play an antipyretic effect, and has a significant effect on malaria.

　　Bitter melon tastes bitter. In order to reduce the bitterness when cooking, you can cut the bitter melon into pieces, marinate it with salt for a while, and then fry it. This can not only reduce the bitterness, make the bitter melon green and green, but also remove the oxalic acid inside, while the flavor remains.； Or cut the bitter gourd first, soak it in boiling water for a while, then take it out and cook it, which will also greatly weaken the bitter taste. Bitter melon can be eaten in many ways, including frying, stir-frying, roasting, stir-frying, and mixing. It can be eaten as a vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It is refreshing and delicious, with a bitter yet sweet taste. It is actually a delicacy that goes well with wine and rice.

　　● Bitter herbs

　　Bitter vegetables are one of the earliest edible and medicinal wild vegetables of our people, which can be found everywhere in ancient books. In "The Book of Songs, Binfeng·July", there is a poem about "picking tea and firewood to feed my farmers". Eating bitter vegetables in midsummer is a long-standing custom among the people. "When the wind blows, bitter vegetables grow, and the deserted land is a granary."

　　Bitter greens grow all over our country, ranging from big ones with thick roots to small leaves with thin leaves. There is not much distinction between bitter greens in our country, but the tastes are also different due to different varieties. As an ingredient, chefs also treat bitter vegetables in general terms, but the role of bitter vegetables in dishes is mostly four or five varieties, such as endive, bitter endive, bitter endive, and sourdough.

　　Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter herbs are cold in nature and bitter in taste, can clear away heat and cool the blood, replenish qi, detoxify and improve eyesight... Modern nutritional research shows that bitter herbs are rich in protein, carotene, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients.

　　Bitter vegetables are tender and crisp, with a bitter taste and a sweet aftertaste. If you don’t like the bitter taste, you can first boil the bitter vegetables in water to remove the bitterness, and then eat them cold and raw to experience the unique taste of bitter sweetness. Smash the new garlic into a puree, add sesame oil, vinegar, and salt, stir well, pour it on the fresh bitter leaves, mix well, and eat it. It is crisp and refreshing, spicy and sour, and has a bottle of ice-cold beer. It is refreshing and refreshing in the hot weather. Cooked bitter vegetables can be stir-fried or roasted, and paired with tofu and bean tendons. When stir-fried, they become pure and white, with a delicate texture. It is a delicacy that can clear away heat and relieve summer heat. After the bitter vegetables are soaked in water and cut with a knife, it can be used as a side dish for noodles, or directly added to the noodles to make vegetable dumplings, fried vegetables, and stuffed buns or dumplings.

　　● lettuce

　　Lettuce, also called lettuce, lettuce, etc. According to Tao Gu's "Qing Yi Lu" of the Song Dynasty: "The envoys from the Kuo Kingdom came to the Han Dynasty, and the Sui people asked for vegetable seeds and paid them very generously, so they were named Qianjincai, which is also called lettuce today. ”Li Shizhen said: "Lettuce comes from the country of Kui, hence its name. ”

　　Lettuce has white and delicate flesh and is rich in nutrients. According to analysis, every 100 grams of lettuce contains 0.6 grams of protein, 0.1 grams of fat, 1.9 grams of carbohydrates, 7 mg of calcium, 31 mg of phosphorus, 2 mg of iron, and a variety of vitamins. The nutritional value of its leaves is even higher, containing up to 110 mg of calcium per 100 grams, which is approximately 15.6 times that of the stems. ； Carotene 2.24 mg, about 112 times that of the stem ； Vitamin C 31 mg, about 31 times that of the stem.

　　Lettuce is cool in nature and bitter in taste. When eaten cold, it can benefit the five internal organs, open the meridians, open the chest and diaphragm, benefit qi, strengthen muscles and bones, remove bad breath, whiten teeth, improve eyesight, promote lactation, facilitate urination, as well as digestion, insecticide, and detoxification of snake venom. Lettuce leaves have high nutritional value and should not be thrown away. They can be blanched and eaten cold with seasonings added, or they can be pickled and dried, mixed with sesame oil and steamed. ； Or add a little salt, mix it into batter, and fry it. They are all very flavorful delicacies. But no matter which way you eat it, you should cook lettuce in a light way, and don't add too much salt. If it is too salty, it will taste bad.

　　In addition, vegetables that can clear away heat and reduce internal heat include watermelon, cucumber, loofah, wax gourd, melon, tomato, celery, lettuce, etc., which can be eaten alternately in summer.

　　■"Bitterness" is not suitable for everyone

　　There is something special about "enduring hardship" in midsummer. For people with poor appetite in summer, bitter food can indeed strengthen the spleen and appetizer. However, excessive bitterness or eating too much bitter food can also cause side effects such as gastric discomfort, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore, eating bitter food in an appropriate amount varies from person to person and living environment.

　　Eating "bitterness" in summer depends on your personal physique and living environment, and is not suitable for everyone. For example, in very hot weather, you can eat more "hardships" to clear away heat and relieve heat, and make you feel refreshed and appetizing. ； For those who stay in the air-conditioned office environment for a long time and sweat less, appropriate "increasing pungency" in the diet will have certain benefits for promoting qi and nourishing yang. In hot and humid weather, eating some bitter vegetables can help eliminate dampness in the human body. ； But for those who have excessive heat and want to eat bitter melon to clear away heat and reduce internal heat, it is best to cut it into thin slices and eat it cold. This approach is closer to the original flavor and can better exert its therapeutic effects.

　　Bitter vegetables are mostly cold and have a certain stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Eating too much can easily cause side effects such as stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore, people with poor digestive function and prone to diarrhea should not eat more bitter melons and watermelons.； weak constitution elderly Patients with spleen and stomach deficiency, cold and painful epigastrium and abdominal pain, and loose stools should not eat it, otherwise it will aggravate the condition.； In addition, children's spleen and stomach functions are not yet fully developed, so they should not eat too much bitter food.

　　■Different bitter foods should be treated differently

　　The so-called "bitter food" is because the food contains certain bitter chemical components, which is where the bitter taste lies. Some bitter foods contain bitter chemical components that are beneficial to the human body. For example, the bitter melon in bitter melon has a blood sugar-lowering effect, the apigenin in celery has a blood pressure lowering effect, and the alkaloids and polyphenols in tea have refreshing and antioxidant effects. Eating in moderation is beneficial to the human body.

　　However, some bitter foods contain chemicals that are toxic to the human body. For example, the pedicles and roots of immature melons are bitter and contain bitter melon toxins. Once eaten, they can cause stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, they can be life-threatening. clinical There have been reports of poisoning caused by eating. In addition, bitter almonds cannot be eaten because the amygdalin in them will be hydrolyzed into highly toxic hydrocyanic acid under the action of acids and enzymes, causing acute poisoning and must be thoroughly processed before consumption.