This article is transferred from: Guangming.com
I often eat melons in summer, and Chinese medicine does not need to be caught. Many people know that eating melon in summer can clear away heat and dampness, but if you only know to eat watermelon, the loss will be too great! A must-eat in summer is winter melon!
Winter melon likes temperature and heat resistance and matures in summer. In fact, it is “summer melon”. The reason why it is called wax gourd is because the white wax on the outer skin of the wax gourd can protect the wax gourd from overwintering and play a role in storage. It is often called “the first melon in summer”, and it is good for both medicine and food.
Winter gourd edible nutrition
High water content
Winter gourd contains 96.9 grams of water per 100 grams of edible part, which is higher than loofah and cucumber, and has very low energy , only 10 kcal, rich in dietary fiber, strong satiety, and helpful for weight loss.
Rich in vitamins
There are 16 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of wax gourd, more than the content of tomatoes (14 mg/100 mg).
High potassium and low sodium
Every 100 grams of wax gourd contains 57 mg of potassium and 2.8 mg of sodium, which is a good food for kidney disease and hypertension patients who need to eat low-salt food. food.
Contains wax gourd polysaccharides
Winter gourd contains wax gourd polysaccharides, which can increase the body’s resistance. Winter melon also contains glyceric acid, a small molecule organic acid that inhibits the conversion of carbohydrates into fat in the body, helping to control weight.
Winter melon has a very high water content, and the price is relatively cheap. It doesn’t cost much to buy a large one. Let’s look at its nutrition and efficacy. Really – if you don’t eat it, you will lose a lot! Especially the following types of people-
people who are prone to edema
In summer, people drink more water, but some people can’t drain the water after drinking, and accumulate in the water. The skin becomes puffy. Winter melon can transport the excess water on the muscle surface downward, and guide it into urine and excrete it, so winter melon is often called “swollen melon”. However, because wax gourd itself is cold, it is only suitable for hot edema that occurs in summer, accompanied by burning yellow urine and not smooth discharge, and thirsty and fond of cold drinks. Conversely, it is not suitable for edema caused by qi deficiency and spleen deficiency or heart and kidney disease.
People who are prone to getting angry
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that winter melon is sweet and light in taste, cool, beneficial to water, eliminates phlegm, clears heat, and detoxifies. It is suitable for edema of the limbs, heat and thirst , urinary tract infection, hemorrhoids and other diseases.
People who are losing weight
Winter melon has high water content and very low energy, rich dietary fiber, and strong satiety. In addition, it also contains compounds that can inhibit the conversion of sugars into fat, which can prevent the accumulation of fat in the human body, and has the effects of weight loss, lipid reduction and beauty.
People with poor immunity
Vitamin C can improve the immunity of the body. Winter melon is a food rich in vitamin C, containing 16 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of winter melon, more than the content of tomatoes (14 mg/100 mg).
People with elevated blood pressure
Winter melon is high in potassium and low in sodium. Every 100 grams of wax gourd contains 57 mg of potassium and 2.8 mg of sodium. A good food for patients.
People with dyslipidemia
Winter melon is rich in various amino acids needed by the human body, and has a high content of dietary fiber, which is very important for control Both cholesterol and blood lipids are good.
People with elevated blood sugar
diabetic patients can use wax gourd as a daily food, because the carbohydrate content of wax gourd is very low, which is 1/40 of that of ordinary rice. Little effect on blood sugar.
Don’t throw melon seeds and melon rinds
Winter melon seeds and melon rinds have good medicinal effects and can be used in combination to make Erdong Ergen Soup, suitable for daily abdominal distension, People with stomach heat with symptoms such as less stool, difficult stool, dry throat and nasal cavity, and bad taste in the mouth.
Composition: wax gourd rind, wax gourd seeds, reed roots, and Rhizoma Imperatae.
Practice: For adults, each ingredient needs to use 30 grams, heated and boiled, and can be used to dispel anger in the body.
Which is the best wax gourd to buy?
Black-skinned wax gourd
Black-skinned wax gourd has a dark green rind and a large volume. Because it is easy to transport, there are many markets See. In order to facilitate sales, many merchants often slice them and sell them. Its meat is thick and not hollow, and the taste is relatively crisp and refreshing, which is suitable for stir-frying, stewing soup, and hot pot. However, due to the easy deterioration of ingredients in summer, everyone should pay attention to distinguish the quality of ingredients when buying cut wax gourd slices.
White-skinned wax gourd
White-skinned wax gourd has a turquoise appearance, often with a thick layer of white wax powder on its surface. This kind of winter melon is slightly smaller in size. It is characterized by thick skin and thin meat. The melon meat is suitable for stir-frying and hot pot, but it is not suitable for stewing soup. It is easy to stew for a long time. Both kinds of winter squash are very nutritious, and you can choose according to the cooking method.
Delicious recipe
Winter Melon Pork Ribs Soup Ingredients: 500 grams of wax gourd, 50 grams of barley, 400 grams of pork ribs, a little salt, some ginger . Practice: soak the barley in water for 1 hour, cut the wax gourd into small pieces (you don’t have to peel it); cut the ribs into pieces, wash them, blanch the water with the ginger slices first to remove the fishy smell, then add the barley, add water to boil, and then turn small Cook for half an hour, then add winter melon and cook for 15 minutes, season with salt.
Efficacy: It is suitable for people who are prone to edema after drinking water in summer, or who feel that their abdomen is full after drinking water, accompanied by yellow urine and poor discharge. People who are usually tired and weak, have loose stools and do not like cold food should not eat it.