Introduction

As practitioners of life cultivation, we adapt our lifestyle with the changing seasons to live more comfortably and healthily. With autumn upon us, it’s crucial to adjust our diet and habits to strengthen our physical fitness and prevent illnesses.

Here are some health and diet tips to help you thrive this autumn.

04 Recommended Soups for Autumn

In the dry autumn season, enjoy soups that moisturize your skin and give your face a radiant glow.

Shaseng Soup to Combat Dryness

Ingredients:

• 500g lean pork
• 30g shaseng (Adenophora odoratum)
• 30g yuzhu (Polygonatum odoratum)
• 20g lily
• 6 figs
• 1 snow pear

Preparation:

1. 
   Wash and cut the lean meat into pieces, blanch, and set aside.
2. 
   Wash the snow pear, remove the core, cut it into pieces, and set aside.
3. 
   Wash the Adenophora odoratum, Polygonatum odoratum, figs, and lily.
4. 
   Add all ingredients to a pot. Add water. Cook on high heat for 15 minutes, then simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours. Season with salt.

This sweet-tasting soup is perfect for the dry autumn season.

Papaya Soup for Dry Skin

Ingredients:

• 1 papaya
• 2 apples
• Half a black chicken (about 300g)
• 3 slices of ginger

Preparation:

1. 
   Wash, peel, and cut the papaya and apples into pieces.
2. 
   Wash the black chicken, peel off the skin, cut into pieces, blanch in water, and let dry.
3. 
   Wash and slice the ginger.
4. 
   Put all ingredients into a clay pot, add 2000-2500 ml of water, boil over high heat, then simmer over medium heat for about 1 hour. Add salt to taste.

This soup is great for nourishing yin and moisturizing dryness, especially for women with poor blood and qi. Apples and papayas are rich in nutrients and pair well together.

Yam Soup to Combat Dryness

Ingredients:

• 250g iron-stick yam
• 1 carrot (about 150g)
• 1 corn
• 500g snails
• 250g pork ribs
• 3 red dates
• 3 slices of ginger

Preparation:

1. 
   Wash the snails, cut the tails, and clean them thoroughly.
2. 
   Wash and chop the pork ribs into small pieces, blanch with the snails, and rinse to remove blood foam.
3. 
   Peel and wash the yam and carrots, then cut them into thick pieces.
4. 
   Remove the husk and silk from the corn, wash, and cut into sections.
5. 
   Split the red dates and remove the core. Wash and slice the ginger.
6. 
   Put all ingredients in a casserole, add 2500 ml of water and a little white wine, boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours. Season with salt.

This soup combines ingredients that nourish the spleen, lungs, kidneys, and yin, making it ideal for the dry autumn season. It clears heat, promotes diuresis, stimulates appetite, quenches thirst, resolves phlegm, and relieves cough.

05 Recommendations for Combating Skin Dryness

Cleaning and Cleansing

Proper skin cleansing is essential. Opt for an amino acid cleanser that is both effective and gentle. Use warm or cold water to wash your face, and keep bath water at around 37°C, limiting bath time to 15 minutes. Choose a moisturizing shower gel and apply a moisturizer after bathing, such as Vaseline or vitamin E lotion.

Moisturization

Moisturizing is crucial, especially after autumn begins. Use moisturizing skincare products like hyaluronic acid, cod liver oil, or urea cream. For sensitive skin, consider using medical-grade skincare products for added safety.

Sun Protection

Even in autumn, ultraviolet rays can be strong. Use sunscreen with an SPF of around 25 to protect your skin from sunburn.

06 Common Autumn Eating Mistakes to Avoid

Many people make dietary mistakes in autumn that can harm their stomach and spleen. Here is a checklist to help you avoid these pitfalls:

Overconsumption of Alcohol

Alcohol can directly damage the gastric mucosa and lead to cirrhosis and chronic pancreatitis, which further aggravate stomach damage.

Excessive Smoking

Smoking causes gastric mucosal vasoconstriction and reduces the synthesis of prostaglandins, which protect the mucosa. It also stimulates the secretion of gastric acid and protease, worsening mucosal damage.

Overeating and Irregular Eating

When hungry, high concentrations of gastric acid and protease can cause the mucosa to self-digest. Overeating can damage the stomach’s self-protection mechanism, leading to excessive expansion of the stomach wall and prolonged food retention, which can harm the stomach.

Consuming Unhygienic Foods

Helicobacter pylori infection is a major cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers, with a high detection rate in ulcer patients. This bacterium can be transmitted through close contact and unclean food.

Overeating at Dinner

Concentrating nutritional intake at dinner or having late-night snacks can disrupt sleep, lead to obesity, and stimulate the gastric mucosa, causing excessive gastric acid secretion and potential ulcer formation.

Eating Too Quickly

Not chewing food thoroughly and swallowing hastily increases the burden on the stomach, prolongs food retention, and can damage the gastric mucosa. Chewing slowly increases saliva secretion and reduces gastric acid and bile secretion, protecting the stomach.

Drinking Coffee and Strong Tea

Both are central nervous system stimulants that can cause ischemia of the gastric mucosa, destroy its protective function, and promote ulcer formation.

Consuming Cold Foods or Drinks

Cold foods can cause stomach discomfort, especially in autumn when the temperature difference between day and night is significant. This can lead to gastrointestinal diseases or aggravate existing stomach problems. Keep the stomach warm and cover it with a quilt at night.

Recap

People with chronic gastritis, yang-deficiency, or qi-deficiency should pay extra attention to nourishing their stomach in autumn. Yang-qi warms the limbs and internal organs, and its deficiency can lead to symptoms of cold. Qi-deficiency often results in fatigue, loss of appetite, and a sallow complexion. Adding ginger and pepper to food can help strengthen and warm the stomach.

Remember these points to maintain a healthy stomach in autumn.

07 Summary

As autumn arrives, it’s essential to adjust our lifestyle and diet to maintain health and well-being. Here are key recommendations:

1. 
   Nourish Your Lungs: Consume foods like lily, white fungus, lotus seeds, and pears to moisturize the lungs and nourish yin, combating the dryness of autumn.
2. 
   Strengthen Your Stomach: After the summer, focus on strengthening the spleen and stomach with foods like Chinese yam, lentils, and barley, which are easy to digest and support digestive health.
3. 
   Moisturize Your Skin and Mouth: To alleviate dry skin, mouth, nose, and throat, eat foods that nourish yin and moisten dryness, such as honey, sesame seeds, walnuts, and duck meat.
4. 
   Opt for Less Spicy, More Sour Foods: Reduce spicy foods to protect the lungs and consume more sour foods like hawthorn, grapes, and lemons to nourish the liver and spleen.
5. 
   Practice Mild Tonification: Autumn is a good time for mild tonification with foods like red dates, goji berries, and astragalus, especially for older or weaker individuals.
6. 
   Adjust Your Daily Routine: Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier to ensure adequate sleep, which helps calm the spirit and relax the lungs.
7. 
   Stay Physically Active: Engage in moderate exercise like walking, jogging, or tai chi to strengthen the body and boost immunity without overexertion.
8. 
   Recommended Foods for Autumn: Include corn, apples, kidney beans, black beans, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, oats, and pomelo in your diet to support overall health.
9. 
   Recommended Cold Plates for Autumn: Enjoy vegetable salads, liangpi, and shredded kelp as refreshing and nutritious cold dishes.
10. 
    Recommended Soups for Autumn: Prepare soups like Huangjing soup, American ginseng soup, Shaseng soup, papaya soup, and yam soup to moisturize the skin and combat dryness.
11. 
    Combat Skin Dryness: Focus on gentle cleansing, thorough moisturization, and consistent sun protection to maintain healthy, hydrated skin throughout the season.
12. 
    By following these tips, you can enjoy a healthier and more comfortable autumn.

Looking ahead

For more information about living with seasonal changes and other dietary techniques, and how they help in rejuvenating our health, stay tuned for the next episode or visit our website.

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