Great cold
The Great Cold is the last of the twenty-four solar terms of the year. Every year around January 20 of the Gregorian calendar, when the sun reaches 300 ° ecliptic longitude, it is "great cold". Great cold means that the weather is extremely cold.
Traditional diet
In ancient times, working people attached great importance to the cultivation of the body in the great cold festival. In the cold season, Guangdong people want to eat glutinous rice, Nanjing people love to drink chicken soup to supplement, of course, some people eat Eight Treasure Rice, and old Beijingers want to eat rice cakes on this day.
Sticky rice
There is an old saying: "Small cold big cold no wind cold self-cold". It is a traditional custom to eat sticky rice in the morning to drive away the cold. Folk believe that glutinous rice has a higher sugar content than rice, and the whole body feels warm after eating, which is conducive to driving away cold. Chinese medicine theory believes that glutinous rice has the effect of tonifying the qi, and it is most suitable to eat glutinous rice in the cold season. In addition, sticky rice means warmth, and from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, "warm Kasa", it is even more auspicious.
chicken soup
In the cold winter season, the daily diet of Nanjing people is more stewed soup and soup. The great cold is the lunar calendar around the fourth and ninth, the traditional one nine a chicken food custom is still respected by many citizen families, Nanjing people choose mostly for the old hen, or single stew, or add ginseng whiskers, goji berries, black fungus and other stew, drinking chicken soup in the cold winter is really a kind of enjoyment.
A pressure cooker should not be used in stews, as nutrients can only be slowly released during a slow simmer over low heat. Although the use of a pressure cooker can shorten the time to cook meat, it does not achieve the effect of making soup. Therefore, when boiling chicken soup, you should use a casserole, first boil on high heat for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat and simmer slowly. In addition, when boiling soup, try not to open the lid of the pot, otherwise it is easy to "run gas" to affect the taste of chicken soup.
Eight treasure rice
Folk have a saying that glutinous rice is eaten in the cold festival, because glutinous rice can nourish the body's righteous qi, and after eating it, it will be feverish all over the body, playing a role in cold, stomach and nourishment. The most typical food made of sticky rice is eight treasure rice. Steamed glutinous rice, mixed with sugar, lard, osmanthus flowers, poured into a utensil containing red dates, barley, lotus seeds, cinnamon balls and other fruits, steamed and then poured with sugar marinade. It tastes sweet and is a great product for festivals and hospitality.
There are different theories about the origin of the Eight Treasure Rice, one is that it is a celebratory delicacy after the King of Zhou, and the so-called "Eight Treasures" refers to the eight sages who assisted the King of Zhou. However, the more reliable explanation is that the Eight Treasure Rice originated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and was transmitted to the north through Jiangnan masters who went to Beijing as a royal cook. Nowadays, Ningbo, Shengzhou and Jiaxing also retain the custom of eating eight treasure rice for the New Year.
rice cake
The custom of eating "cold cake" has a long history in Beijing. "Cold cake" is a kind of rice cake, not only because of its glutinous rice than rice sugar content is higher, after eating the whole body feels warm, has the effect of warming the wind and cold, moisturizing the lungs and spleen and stomach, and the people choose to eat rice cakes on the day of "big cold", as well as the meaning of "high year", with auspicious wishes, annual peace, step by step good color head.
Therefore, in the custom of old Beijing, on this day of great cold, the family eats rice cakes, which not only carries an auspicious taste, but also dispels the chill on the body, so it is called "cold cake".
Therapeutic diet
In the cold season, people who are afraid of cold and afraid of cold are often yang deficiency and physical weakness, often tepid limbs, white and thin, poor appetite, shortness of breath and weakness. Such people generally have chronic diseases or usually lack of physical exercise, and the quality and quantity of diet and nutrition are insufficient. Therefore, in addition to strengthening physical exercise and treating its existing diseases, improving diet and nutrition is also a very important aspect. The following introduces some foods that are beneficial to people with weak constitution and yang deficiency during the cold season, for selection.
Warm food
Chinese medicine believes that mutton, dog meat, cinnamon balls, leeks, walnuts, millet and other foods have the effect of warming and yang, and eating more in moderation can improve the ability to withstand cold. Conversely, it is best to eat less cold or cold foods such as duck, crab, banana, cucumber, pear, mung bean, watermelon, and rock sugar.
Foods containing methionine
Low temperature increases the amount of creatine excreted in the human urine and accelerates fat metabolism. Both the synthesis of creatine and the metabolism of fat require methyl groups, which can be provided by methionine. Methionine is one of the 8 essential amino acids, and amino acid-rich foods include sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy vegetables and so on. For the elderly, it is advisable to eat more pig blood. The proportion of amino acids in pig blood is very close to that of the human body, easy to absorb, and suitable for the elderly with reduced digestive function.
Foods containing calcium
Medical research has proved that cold intolerance is related to mineral deficiencies in the diet, especially calcium deficiency, which affects the elasticity and excitability of the heart muscle, blood vessels and muscles. Therefore, in winter, you may wish to eat more calcium-rich foods such as milk, soy products, and shrimp skins. In addition, carrots, sweet potatoes, lotus roots, green onions, potatoes and other rhizome vegetables contain a lot of minerals, and regular consumption can also enhance the body's cold resistance.
Contains vitamin foods
Low temperature will accelerate the metabolism of vitamins in the body, and the diet should be replenished in time. For example, vitamin A can enhance the body's hardiness to cold; Vitamin C improves the body's ability to adapt to cold. Therefore, in winter, the intake of vitamin A-rich foods such as animal liver, carrots, and pumpkins, and vitamin C-rich foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits should be appropriately increased.
Iodine-containing foods
The human thyroid gland secretes a hormone called thyroxine, which has a thermogenic effect. Thyroxine is composed of iodine and tyrosine, which can be synthesized in the body, but iodine must rely on "foreign aid". Therefore, in winter, it is appropriate to eat more iodine-rich foods such as kelp, seaweed, and shellfish.
Iron-containing foods
Studies have shown that many women's winter cold intolerance is associated with iron deficiency in the body. Therefore, women who are afraid of cold can appropriately consume more iron-rich foods, such as animal blood and liver. The iron in animal foods is heme iron, which has a high absorption rate after being ingested by the human body, especially in animal blood, and its iron absorption rate can be as high as 22 or more. Plant foods such as fungus, kelp, sesame, etc., although the iron content is also higher, but the absorption rate is low, mostly around 10.
In short, the weather is cold, no matter what you like to eat, you must eat enough to withstand the cold!!!