Eating vegetables is good for children's health

Early spring is the time when children are most susceptible to cold. Children's internal organs are tender, especially the lungs, which are easily infected by cold, and they are particularly prone to coughing in spring.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs and large intestine are the exterior and interior of each other. Children who are exposed to cold are prone to lung qi obstruction, and lung qi obstruction is prone to intestinal qi obstruction. Conversely, intestinal qi obstruction can also cause lung qi obstruction. Vegetables are rich in fiber, which can moisturize the intestines. If the intestines are smooth, the intestinal qi will be smooth, and if the intestinal qi is smooth, the lung qi will be smooth. It is very important for children to eat vegetables regularly and eat them well, which can help them lay a good foundation for healthy growth.

How can parents help their children love eating vegetables?

1. Eat seasonal vegetables. The most popular vegetables in spring are green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, mustard greens, leeks, and green vegetables, which are rich in nutritional value.

2. Blanching of some vegetables is necessary, as it can effectively remove substances such as oxalic acid, and also effectively remove the astringency of vegetables, shorten cooking time, and improve taste and color. Vegetables that need to be blanched include spinach, spring bamboo shoots, shepherd's purse, wild rice stems, etc. that contain high oxalic acid; Chinese toon that contains high nitrite; fern that contains protofernin; beans and lentils that contain saponins and lectins; vegetables that are difficult to clean and easily attached with pesticide residues, dirt, and insect eggs, such as broccoli, cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, fungus, lotus roots, etc. The method of blanching is to quickly blanch in boiling water for 1 minute to 3 minutes. The blanching time for tender leaves is short, the blanching time for rhizomes is at least 3 minutes, and the blanching time for beans and lentils is at least 10 minutes. When blanching, it is best to cover the vegetables with water, and discard the water after blanching the vegetables.

3. To make vegetables delicious, the combination is very important. Vegetables have different colors, and matching them with shrimps and other seafood will increase the taste of the dishes, make them more colorful, fragrant and delicious, and make children love to eat vegetables more.

4. Create an atmosphere of loving to eat vegetables in the family. The lifestyle of children comes from the influence of their parents. If parents love to eat vegetables, there will often be vegetables on the family table. Children will get used to eating vegetables and carry this good habit throughout their lives.

Eating mustard greens with rice on the second day of the second lunar month is a popular custom among the people of Wenzhou, and there is a saying that "eating mustard greens with rice will prevent scabies." Wenzhou's "Ruian County Chronicles" states that "cooking mustard greens with rice and eating it is said to improve eyesight, which is probably meant to purify the essence."

Children are like a small tree growing upwards. They can only thrive if their roots are healthy. Food is the most important thing for people, and vegetables are the first priority in all meals. Let children love eating vegetables starting in spring.

□Lin Chujun, deputy chief nurse of the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Children, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University