Major Cold is coming, the last solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. Cold as it is, it also happens to be the beginning of a freezing week as another round of very cold weather is ready to sweep across China starting. What should you eat to stay warm? Are there any eating taboos to help avoid the chilly weathers? Let’s hear what Chinese doctors say.

　　中国农历的最后一个节气，大寒到了。天气已经相当冷了，恰逢又有新一轮冷空气横扫中国。那么吃点什么保暖呢？在冷天里有没有什么饮食讲究呢？让我们来听听中国医生们的建议吧。

　　Chinese yam meat balls

　　山药肉丸子

　　First things first. For staples, you may replace or add to rice or wheaten food starchy foods that are more tonic, like the Chinese yam. It helps strengthen the spleen and reinforce deficiency, and it is best for those who have deficiency in the blood and easily feels tired, says doctor Xia Gongxu from the Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

　　吃可是头等大事。南京市中西医结合医院夏公旭医师介绍说，在寒冷冬季，我们的主食可换些花样，比如将平时吃的大米或者面食换成、或加上一些更滋补的食材，比如山药。山药能健脾补虚，对那些血虚体质、易疲劳的人来说有很好的补益效果。

　　Mashed potato.

　　土豆泥

　　Another staple you might consider add to your diet is potato, which helps fill you up and avoidovereating. Potatoes are low in calories and fat, and are a good staple food choice for those whowant to keep fit and stay in shape at the same time.

　　再者你可以考虑将土豆作为主食加入到你的日常饮食中，它饱腹性好，能避免过量饮食。同时土豆的热量和脂肪都较低，对于那些希望保持健康的同时又保持体形的人来说，是主食的一个很好的选择。

　　Angelica with beef soup

　　当归牛肉汤

　　For the main courses, Dr. Zhang Zhongai from Nan Jing Jinlin said that nutritious food like the carp, chicken and mutton are good choices to beat the cold.

　　对于主菜的选择，南京金陵的张中爱医生介绍说，营养丰富的食物，如鲤鱼、鸡肉和羊肉都是御寒不错的选择。

　　Zhang also warns, however, to avoid the trap of eating high calorie food to beat the cold, as such food may accumulate excessive internal heat, which in turn may makes one irritable and fretful.So, instead of eating fried chickens, it’s better to enjoy chicken soup. Stewed mutton is betterthan mutton kababs.

　　不过，张医生也警告说，不要为了御寒而陷入吃高热量食物的陷阱，因为这类食物可能加重身体的内热，让人上火而焦躁易怒。所以不要吃炸鸡，最好是喝鸡汤，炖羊肉也比烤羊肉串要好。

　　Angelica with beef soup is a good choice. As it helps enrich the blood and promotes blood circulation. The soup is especially good for menstruating women.

　　当归牛肉汤是一个很好的选择，它能补血，促进血液循环。而且它对月经期的女性特别有益。

　　Astragalus with chicken soup

　　黄芪鸡汤

　　The soup is quite nourishing in several ways. For one, the astragalus may dilate the blood vessels, and thus reduce blood pressure; for another, astragalus cooked with chicken may improve the immune system. The soup is good for the heart and it is especially suitable for those weak people, like the aged, women who just gave birth to babies,and those sweat easily.

　　这个汤非常滋补，体现在多方面，其一，黄芪可以扩张血管，从而降低血压；其二，黄芪和鸡肉搭配可以提高免疫力；其三，它对心脏有好处，尤其适合那些身体虚弱的人，比如老人，产妇，多汗的人。

　　Aside from staples and the main courses, you might want to have some soup during these cold days, as cold days are usually accompanied with chilly dry wind. Three soups are recommendedas they are conducive to enriching the blood, nourishing the lungs and invigorating the spleen.

　　因为冷天常常伴有干燥凛冽的寒风，除了这些主食和主菜，你可能还想喝些汤汤水水的。这里推荐三款能补血、润肺、健脾的粥。

　　Blood enriching porridge

　　补血粥

　　First soak the ingredients: red dates, red beans, black rice, peanuts,rice for 40 minutes, and then boil for ten minutes. You may enjoy the porridge with brown sugarafter simmering those ingredients for about 40 minutes. The porridge is especially good for women.

　　首先浸泡原材料：红枣，红豆，黑米，花生，大米泡40分钟，然后大火煮沸十分钟，再文火慢炖40分钟，最后加上红糖就可以享用了。这款粥对女性特别有好处。

　　Tremella lily porridge.

　　银耳百合粥

　　First soak the tremella and lily for about an hour, and then boil them with rice for about 10 minutes. Simmer them for about 40 minutes and add some honey to give the soup a sweet flavor before it’s served. The porridge is especially good for nourishing the lungs.

　　首先将银耳和百合浸泡约一小时，然后加上大米煮沸约10分钟，再文火慢炖40分钟，然后加点蜂蜜就可以吃了。这款粥有非常好的润肺功效。

　　Chinese yam and rice porridge

　　山药大米粥

　　Soak the dry Chinese yam for a night and slice it. Cook the sliced Chinese yam with rice, simmer it for about 40 minutes after it comes to a boil. The porridge is ready to serve when the water gets kind of thick and white. The porridge helps invigorate the spleen.

　　把干山药浸泡一个晚上然后切片，再加上大米，煮开后，再文火炖40分钟左右当汤变得粘稠浓白时，粥就好了。这款粥有健脾功效。