[Health and Wellness] Radish after Autumn is as Good as Ginseng! The Most Recommended Way to Eat It, Don't Eat It Wrong~

As the saying goes, "In November, radish is as good as ginseng." Here, radish refers specifically to white radish. It is now the cool autumn season, have you been eating radishes?

Why do we eat white radish in the cold weather when it has a cooling property?

White radish has a cooling property with a sweet and spicy taste, and it has the effects of clearing heat and generating body fluids, relieving gas, promoting appetite, and invigorating the spleen.

Many people have found that eating some white radish in the autumn and winter seasons makes our bodies feel very comfortable.

Li Shizhen, a physician from the Ming Dynasty, highly recommended radishes and even advocated eating them at every meal. He said radishes can "relieve gas, aid digestion, dispel pathogenic heat" (Compendium of Materia Medica).

However, why is it beneficial to eat white radish in the autumn and winter seasons when it has a cooling property?

There are two reasons for this:

01. Clearing internal heat.

In the autumn and winter seasons, people tend to seek warmth. Although it feels comfortable when the heater or warm air blows, it naturally accumulates internal heat. It is very necessary to consume cooling foods like radishes to counterbalance the internal heat.

02. Adjusting the diet.

When it gets colder, people tend to unconsciously increase their intake of meat, which can easily lead to food stagnation and internal heat. From the perspective of balanced food pairing, eating some radishes can help balance the heat in the diet.

In addition, white radish is rich in vitamin C and trace elements, which can help enhance the body's immune system. In autumn, children and the elderly, who tend to have weaker constitutions, are more prone to catching colds. Eating some white radish at this time can not only replenish moisture but also prevent diseases.

Raw and Cooked White Radishes Have Different Effects

Raw and cooked white radishes have different effects.

Raw consumption - generates body fluids, moisturizes the lungs, and clears heat and toxins.

Raw radish is suitable for those who have dry mouth and tongue, dry eyes, and constipation with yellow urine.

Especially for those with sore throat and even tonsillitis in the autumn, drinking raw radish juice can relieve discomfort. It can also be used for mouth ulcers as a mouth rinse.

Cooked consumption - relieves gas, aids digestion, dissolves phlegm, and relieves stagnation.

Cooked radish can be used to alleviate the discomfort caused by weak spleen and stomach leading to bloating, overeating causing food stagnation and bloating, constipation and bloating caused by insufficient gastrointestinal motility, cold-induced cold-type bloating, and excessive phlegm and cough, among others.

01. Tips for Raw Consumption

Different parts of white radish have different textures and require different ways of eating. It is important to choose the appropriate part for raw consumption.

A reminder: those who do not usually eat cooling foods or have weak spleen and stomach functions should opt for cooked radish.

Radish Head:

The top part of the radish, about 3-5 centimeters, contains less moisture and has a very hard texture. It is suitable for shredding and stir-frying, making soup, or even using it as a filling with lamb, which tastes excellent but should not be eaten raw.

Middle Section of Radish:

The middle section of the radish has a higher sugar content and is sweeter. It has a crispy and tender texture, making it the most enjoyable part of the radish for raw consumption.

Sweet and Sour Radish Slices:

Ingredients: Vinegar, sugar, salt (appropriate amount), 500 grams of white radish

Steps:

1. Wash the white radish and slice it with the skin on. Sprinkle some salt and marinate for about 20 minutes to release water.

2. Pour vinegar and sugar into a bowl, stir well to make a sweet and sour sauce.

3. Squeeze out the moisture from the radish slices and pour them into the sweet and sour sauce (the sauce should cover the radish slices). Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 24 hours.

Radish Tail:

The lower section of the radish, from below the middle section to the tail, contains more amylase and mustard oil, giving it a pungent flavor. It can help invigorate the stomach and aid digestion.

If you like the spicy taste of radishes, you can choose to eat this section raw or pickle it to make dried radishes.

For those who cannot tolerate the spicy taste, it can be cooked by stir-frying, stewing in soup, or used as a filling to reduce its spiciness.

Radish + Pear

This combination can moisturize the lungs, clear heat, and dissolve phlegm.

Pears have the effects of moisturizing the lungs, cooling the heart, and relieving phlegm and heat. When juiced together with white radishes, not only can it mask the spicy taste of radishes but also enhance the therapeutic effect of the diet.

In winter, for those with poor spleen and stomach function who cannot drink too cold fruit juice, they can boil both ingredients together and drink the water.

Radish + Green Onion

In winter, it is the season when wind-cold colds are more common. Using white radish together with green onion, which has the effect of dispersing the surface and dispelling cold, can be used for prevention.

Two-White Soup:

Ingredients: 15 grams of green onion, 30 grams of white radish, 3 grams of coriander

Method: Wash the three ingredients mentioned above, add an appropriate amount of water and boil, then drink it while it's hot.

Remember These Three Steps When Choosing Radishes

Look at the color: Fresh white radishes have a tender white color.

Weigh them: Fresh white radishes feel heavier when held, and the surface is harder when squeezed. On the contrary, if the radish feels light and the surface feels soft, it indicates that the radish is not fresh.

Look at the root: If the root of the white radish is straight, in most cases, it is fresh. Conversely, if the root of the white radish is messy and has multiple forks, it may be a fibrous white radish.