Expert advice: Laba FestivalSoupProper consumption can be more beneficial to health

In many parts of China, people traditionally eat a special food during the Laba FestivalLaba porridge.Due to different local customs and traditions, the ingredients used in making laba porridge vary.Experts suggest that it is best to consume laba porridge according to individual needs during winter to enhance health.

LonganLaba Porridge: Warming up against cold

In January, temperatures are low, and many office workers often experience cold hands and feet, especially in the morning and evening.According to Associate Chinese Medicine Doctor Wang Dongxu from Nanjing Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Combined Hospital, from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, coldness in the limbs is mostly due to qi deficiency, blood deficiency, and yang deficiency leading to poor circulation of blood.People with such conditions should consume porridge that can strengthen qi, invigorate blood, and warm yang.Longan, also known as dragon eye, has a warm nature and sweet taste; it benefits the heart and spleen, and nourishes blood and qi, having excellent nourishing effects.Therefore, longan should be the primary ingredient for this type of laba porridge.Red datesLaba Porridge: Warming up against cold (continued)Other ingredients like red dates, peanuts, adzuki beans, brown sugar, chestnuts, and goji berries can also nourish blood and warm the yang, making good matches with longan.Together with glutinous rice, they can be cooked into a warming porridge for cold protection.Red datesRaisinPeanutAdzuki beanBrown sugarChestnutGoji berryGlutinous riceare all good choices to enhance these effects.Job's tearsRice Porridge: Strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomachAlthough many people dislike end-of-year gatherings, business engagements are hard to avoid in a professional setting.As the year draws to an end, office feasts, client appreciation events, and family reunions become frequent.

Overindulgence can lead to digestive issues for some people.Doctors have noticed a significant increase in patients with digestive disorders due to excessive social engagements at the end of the year, ranging from mild indigestion to severe conditions such as alcohol-induced gastritis, gastric bleeding, and acute pancreatitis.

Associate Professor Guo Haiying from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine suggests that those who frequently engage in business meals can use this Laba Festival opportunity to take care of their digestive system, which can also be used regularly for stomach health.For such porridge, Job's tears should be the main ingredient.According to "Compendium of Materia Medica," Job's tears can strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach.As one of the highest-fiber grains, it helps eliminate excess food from gatherings.

Job's tears contain a lot of soluble fiber that adsorbs bile acids, reducing fat absorption in the intestines.Therefore, Job's tears porridge is suitable for those who frequently drink alcohol or enjoy meat-heavy meals during business engagements.WalnutRice Porridge: Nourishing the kidneys and benefiting qiWinter is a great time to eat chestnuts, as it is also when roasted chestnuts are popular.However, few people think of using them in porridge. According to Associate Medical Practitioner Wang Chengsheng from Nanjing Natural Medicine Society, laba porridge with chestnuts can be a good method for kidney tonification and qi strengthening during the cold season.

According to "Compendium of Materia Medica," chestnuts have a sweet taste and warm nature; they enter the spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians. Chestnuts treat kidney deficiency and weak waist and legs, enhancing vital energy.In addition, due to winter's cold and dry climate, some people may experience cracked lips, which can lead to symptoms like cheilitis or glossitis.

This is mainly caused by a lack of vitamin B2. Therefore, one should consume more foods rich in vitamin B2.Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, participates in the catalytic process of biological oxidation enzymes.A deficiency can lead to glossitis, conjunctivitis, corneal inflammation, and seborrheic dermatitis.In temperatures below 0°C with low humidity, vitamin B2 deficiencies are more likely or exacerbated.Chestnuts contain at least four times the amount of vitamin B2 in rice and also have 24 mg per 100 grams of vitamin C. This makes them superior to grains for nourishment.When made into porridge, the benefits are even greater!The Compendium of Materia Medica records that chestnuts taste sweet and are warm in nature, entering the spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians... Chestnuts treat kidney deficiency, weakness in the waist and legs, and can invigorate the kidneys.Tang Dynasty health expert Sun Simiao also said, "The chestnut is a fruit of the kidney; those with kidney ailments should eat it."In addition, due to the cold and dryness in winter, some people's lips may become cracked, severe cases leading to cheilitis, glossitis, etc.The main reason for this is a lack of vitamin B2. Therefore, one should eat more foods containing vitamin B2.Vitamin B2 is also known as riboflavin; it participates in the catalytic process of biological oxidase within the human body.A deficiency in vitamin B2 affects biological oxidation and can lead to glossitis, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and seborrheic dermatitis, among other conditions.When temperatures are below 0℃ and relative humidity is also low, it is easier to trigger or exacerbate a lack of vitamin B2 symptoms.The content of vitamin B2 in chestnuts is at least four times that ofrice,with each 100 grams containing 24 milligrams of vitamin C, which cannot be compared to grains.After making it into Laba porridge, the nourishing effects are even better!