Why do we eat red beans and glutinous rice during the Winter Solstice?

　　The custom of eating red beans and glutinous rice is mainly popular in southern regions such as Jiangnan, Hunan, and Hubei in my country. According to folklore, this custom originated from the ancient belief in exorcising evil spirits and avoiding epidemics. According to legend, in ancient times, the Gonggong family had an incompetent son who committed many evil deeds and died on the winter solstice. After his death, he turned into a "disease ghost" and continued to harm the people. But this plague ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice on the winter solstice to drive away the plague ghost and pray for safety and health. Over time, eating red beans and glutinous rice has become a traditional custom to prevent diseases and eliminate disasters.

Why do we eat red beans and glutinous rice during the Winter Solstice?

　　1. Glutinous rice is warming and tonic, keeping out the cold and warming up the body.

　　Glutinous rice is warm in nature and sweet in taste, and has the effects of replenishing qi, strengthening the spleen and warming the stomach. After the winter solstice, the "nine cold days" begin, and the human body's yang energy is restrained. Eating glutinous rice can promote blood circulation, make people feel warm all over the body, and help resist severe cold. It is especially suitable for people with weak constitutions.

　　2. Adzuki beans can relieve dampness, strengthen the spleen and reduce swelling.

　　Adzuki beans (i.e. red beans) are mild in nature and cool in nature. They can diuretic and dehumidifying, strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach. Paired with warm glutinous rice, one temperature and one level can not only prevent the glutinous rice from being too greasy, but also enhance the effect of strengthening the spleen and removing dampness. It is very suitable for people with heavy moisture in the body in winter.

　　3. Complementary nutrition to enhance immunity

　　Glutinous rice is rich in carbohydrates and provides energy； Adzuki beans contain protein, B vitamins and iron, which help to replenish blood and strengthen the body. The combination of the two can not only keep you full and resist hunger, but also supplement the nutrients needed in winter and improve the body's ability to resist cold and disease.

Winter solstice health tips

　　1. Warm and nourishing diet to strengthen Yang Qi

　　During the winter solstice, it is advisable to eat warm and tonic foods such as mutton, beef, red dates, and longan, paired with spleen-strengthening foods such as radish and yam to avoid raw and cold foods. You can make mutton soup and angelica and red date tea, which can not only supplement nutrition, but also help the body resist cold and consolidate Yang Qi, which is suitable for winter energy storage.

　　2. Regular work and rest to nourish energy

　　Follow the principle of "go to bed early, get up late, and wait for daylight". Go to bed before 10 o'clock every night and get up after the sun rises in the morning to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep. Adequate sleep can fully repair the body, nourish the essence, avoid the depletion of yang energy in winter, and enhance the body's ability to resist cold.

　　3. Mild exercise strengthens the body

　　Choose gentle exercises such as walking, Tai Chi, and indoor yoga, 3-4 times a week, for about 30 minutes each time. When exercising, avoid the low temperature period in the early morning and allow the body to sweat slightly. This can not only promote blood circulation, but also enhance physical fitness and avoid the leakage of yang energy caused by strenuous exercise.

　　Eating red beans and glutinous rice during the winter solstice is not only a folk custom passed down for thousands of years, but also a way to maintain good health in accordance with the solar terms. It not only expresses people's good wishes to drive away diseases and avoid disasters, but also embodies the wisdom of the ancients that "medicine and food come from the same source". In this cold season, the whole family sits together and shares a bowl of hot red bean and glutinous rice, which warms not only the stomach, but also the heart.