What traditional food do we eat during the Great Cold? What should we pay attention to during the Great Cold?

What traditional food do we eat during the Great Cold? What should we pay attention to during the Great Cold?
Dahan is the last solar term among the 24 solar terms. Want to know more details about the Great Cold solar term? "La means connection, the handover between the new and the old, so grand sacrifices are held to reward merits." The twelfth month of the lunar calendar has passed, and the new year has arrived. Click on Mr. Shui Mo's website to learn more about the twelfth month of the lunar calendar in 2021.

What traditional food do we eat during the Great Cold?

1. Rice cake
In Beijing, there is a custom of eating "Cold-eliminating Cake" during the Great Cold. "Xiaohan Gao" is a kind of rice cake. Not only because its glutinous rice has a higher sugar content than rice, it makes the whole body feel warm after eating it. It has the effects of warming up the wind and cold, moistening the lungs and strengthening the spleen and stomach. In addition, people choose to eat rice cake on the day of "Dahan", which also means "older year", bringing good luck, peace every year, and promotion step by step. Therefore, according to the old Beijing custom, on the day of the Great Cold, the whole family shares rice cakes, which not only bring auspiciousness but also can dispel the coldness in the body, so it is called "Xiao Han Cake".
2. Chicken soup
The Great Cold falls around the 49th day of the lunar calendar. The traditional custom of eating one chicken for every 19th day of the lunar calendar is still respected by many families. Nanjing people mostly choose old hens, either stewing them alone or adding ginseng, wolfberries, black fungus, etc. Drinking chicken soup in the cold winter is really a pleasure.
It is not advisable to use a pressure cooker for stewing soup, because the nutrients can only be released slowly during the slow cooking process over low heat. Although using a pressure cooker can shorten the time to cook meat, it cannot achieve the same effect as making soup. Therefore, you should use a casserole when making chicken soup, boil it over high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer. In addition, when making soup, try not to lift the lid of the pot, otherwise it will easily cause gas to escape and affect the taste of the chicken soup.
3. Glutinous Rice
There is an old saying: "It is cold even in the Lesser Cold and the Greater Cold without wind." It is a traditional custom to eat glutinous rice in the morning of Lesser Cold and Greater Cold to ward off the cold.
People believe that glutinous rice has a higher sugar content than rice. Eating it will make the whole body feel warm and help drive away the cold. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, glutinous rice has the effect of nourishing the middle and replenishing qi, and it is most suitable to eat glutinous rice in cold seasons. In addition, glutinous rice symbolizes warmth, and "warm Li Li" from the beginning of the year to the end of the year is even more auspicious. Glutinous rice is sweet and warm in nature. It has the effect of keeping out the cold and nourishing the body. People can steam glutinous rice, or they can steam glutinous rice, rice, red beans, coix seeds, lotus seeds, wolfberries, longan meat, jujube, etc. together over high heat, and then add some white sugar. It is suitable for people with deficiency of qi and blood such as physical weakness, fatigue, etc.

What should we pay attention to in diet during the Great Cold?

1. Avoid eating cold food
Lesser Cold and Greater Cold are the coldest periods of the year, so you should avoid eating cold foods, which can easily burden your stomach and intestines, such as raw or cold foods or seafood. For example, duck eggs, duck blood, snails, crabs, bananas, persimmons, grapefruit, watermelon, pears, bitter melon, winter melon, water chestnuts, mung beans, kelp, green tea, etc. In addition, some Chinese medicinal materials that are too cold in nature and flavor are not suitable for consumption, such as honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, locust flower, mint, dendrobium, American ginseng, etc.
2. Avoid spicy food
Although the weather is cold during the Lesser Cold and Greater Cold periods, it is also relatively dry, especially in the northern regions. Therefore, eating too much spicy food can easily cause damage to the stomach and intestines. For example, if the foods such as chili peppers, Sichuan pepper, pepper, and ginger are of the type that cause heat in the body, you should try to eat less or no food at all to avoid problems such as getting angry, constipation, gastroenteritis, and sore throat.
3. Avoid high-sugar and greasy foods
During cold weather periods like Lesser Cold and Greater Cold, many people like to eat high-sugar, high-fat, and high-protein foods. However, eating too much of these foods can easily lead to problems such as anorexia and diarrhea, cause gastrointestinal dysfunction, and make people prone to obesity. Moreover, foods that are too high in sugar and calories can easily burden the stomach and intestines. High-salt and high-oil foods such as barbecue are also difficult to be absorbed by the stomach and intestines, and they also contain a certain amount of carcinogens, which affect your health.

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