(Originally published in August 2020, updated in June 2025)

Traditional Chinese Medicine stands by the practice of eating with the seasons. As the Chinese saying 不時不食 goes (pronounced “bud si bud sik” in Cantonese), foods that are not in season should not be eaten.

Eating foods that are in season have multiple benefits. Fruits and vegetables will taste better, grocery shopping will cost less, and the environment will fare better. Traditional Chinese medicine has its own arguments for eating with the seasons as well. Ancient Chinese medical practitioners found out that our dietary requirements change with the seasons, as our bodies have varying needs depending on the weather and climate.

With summer being hot in most countries, Chinese medical wisdom dictates that our diets should contain more fruits and vegetables at this time to cool our body down and provide enough fluids. If you’re wondering what to eat in summer according to traditional Chinese medicine, here are ten foods to get you started.

1. Cooling teas

Though technically a drink and not a food, cooling teas such as green tea or white tea help to cool your body down by warding off summer heat and detoxifying the body. Considered yin in nature, green tea also helps in alleviating summer ailments such as irritability. Visit our sister company, Pekoe&Petals, to buy some amazing tea for brewing at home. The tea professionals there can recommend different teas for different seasons.

Herbal tea, a drink popular in Southern China and Hong Kong, also helps to cool your body down in summer. The Chinese name for herbal tea 涼茶 (pronounced “leung cha” in Cantonese) literally means cool tea, so it’s pretty self explanatory what it does! Made by brewing herbs, plants, and fruits in water, herbal tea is traditionally served in rice bowls at stores, but can also be found bottled for customers to drink on the go.

2. Sugarcane juice

Another drink that will keep your body cool this summer is sugarcane juice. Deliciously sweet and refreshing with a slightly grassy aftertaste, sugarcane juice is adored by kids and adults alike in Hong Kong. Stalks of sugarcane are fed into an extractor, which presses the sugarcane between two steel rollers to extract the green nectar. The juice is then served in glasses for customers to drink on the spot, or bottled for later consumption. According to traditional Chinese medicine, sugarcane juice is considered yin and helps remove excessive heat and humidity in the body. Research has also shown that sugarcane juice is rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium and electrolytes. If you’re wondering what to drink in summer, this is it!

Want to try sugarcane juice yourself? Join our Central & Sheung Wan Foodie Tour, where we’ll take you to a decades-old, family-run sugarcane juice store in Hong Kong!

3. Watermelon

A list of what to eat in summer wouldn’t be complete without the most summery fruit of all– watermelon. The sweltering heat and stifling humidity of summer disturbs the balance of fluids and electrolytes in the body. Watermelon helps your body restore this balance with its nourishing and cooling effects. It has even been said to have calming effects, easing frustration, restlessness and worry!

The red flesh of the fruit is what we’re used to eating, but the white part of the rind actually contains the most potent properties. A mild diuretic, the white part promotes urination– an effective strategy to clear that summer heat from your body.

Few people know this, but even the seeds can be used as medicine. Boil dried watermelon seeds in water to make a tea that promotes urination and lowers high blood pressure. Using all parts of a watermelon is a fantastic way to get started on your zero waste journey for sure!

4. Cucumber

Cucumbers are at their best during their peak season, which spans the summer months of May through August. Besides tasting their best in summer, another reason to eat cucumbers over these months is that they clear summer heat and eliminate toxins according to traditional Chinese medicine. Being 95% water, eating cucumbers also replenishes our bodies with the water we’ve lost in the dehydrating heat of summer.

5. Bitter melon

You might be noticing a pattern– melons make up a large share of what to eat in summer. This is because melons come into peak season in the summer. The third melon on our list is bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd or goya. Its unique bitterness makes it quite a polarizing vegetable– you either love it or hate it. The bitterness comes from a substance called momordicin, which promotes appetite while protecting the lining of our stomach and intestines. Viewed as a cooling food in traditional Chinese medicine, bitter melons help to expel summer heat, reduce inflammation, and sharpen vision. They are also rich in vitamin C, iron, and fiber.

There are two ways to reduce the bitterness of bitter melon. One way is to rub slices of the melon with salt and let them sit for 20 minutes, which draws out its bitter juices. You can then get rid of the excess salt by rinsing and draining the slices. Another way is to parboil the bitter melon by dropping pieces or slices of it into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, then rinsing them in cold water to prevent them from getting too soft.

6. Winter melon

The last melon on our list, winter melon is actually commonly eaten in summer despite its name. This massive melon can grow up to 15 inches in diameter and weigh over 30 pounds! Since it is so big, it is usually sold in slices at markets in Hong Kong. Winter melon is rarely eaten raw, and often used in nourishing soups. When cooked, it becomes soft and translucent, with a mild, refreshing flavor. The cooling nature of winter melon makes it a soothing remedy for the summer heat from a Chinese medical perspective.

Read more about winter melons and how they’re served at restaurants in our blog!

7. Mung beans

If you’re wondering what else to eat in summer, mung beans are a great choice. These tiny green-colored beans are small but mighty, packing a ton of benefits ranging from cooling and detoxifying the body to relieving rashes. While not a common ingredient in western cuisines, mung beans are often found in Chinese foods, from zong zi– sticky rice dumplings eaten on Tuen Ng Festival, to mung bean sweet soup– an old-school Cantonese dessert. You can grow your own bean sprouts from them with only a damp towel and a container, or add them to stews or curries like you would with other beans.

8. Job’s Tears

Also known as Chinese pearl barley and coix seed, Job’s Tears is a nutty, earthy, slightly chewy grain commonly used in soups and drinks in many Asian countries. In traditional Chinese medicine, Job’s Tears is thought to have cooling and diuretic properties, helping to reduce inflammation and heat in the body, which often accumulates over the summer.

Job’s Tears tends to be hard to come by in western countries, but Bon Appétit magazine has reported that Job’s Tears are actually picking up steam across the United States lately, with a few discerning cooks adding these seemingly-obscure grains to their menus.

9. Lotus root

Depending on how it is prepared, lotus root can offer different health benefits. When eaten raw, such as in salads or pressed into juice, lotus root is considered cooling and helps to get rid of excess heat in the body. When cooked, the root becomes warm in nature, and strengthens the spleen and the stomach. This is especially helpful since people tend to eat lots of icy food in the summer, which can weaken the spleen and the stomach.

10. Tomato

Rounding off our list of what to eat in summer is the mighty tomato. Chock-full of antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium, this miracle fruit is also highly regarded in traditional Chinese medicine. Tomatoes are considered cooling in nature, helping to repel summer heat in the body, while aiding digestion and detoxification. What’s more is that tomatoes are at their peak in summer, meaning that you will be getting the most flavor and nutrition out of them.

Have more ideas on what to eat in summer? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Featured image by kian2018 from Pixabay.

The post What to Eat in Summer According to Traditional Chinese Medicine appeared first on Hong Kong Foodie.

Moreover, TCM puts forth that the liver and gallbladder are the organs of the season, meaning that foods eaten in spring should also support the two, besides addressing dampness. So what foods should you be eating this season? To make it easier for you, we’ve put together a list of foods to eat in spring according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

1. Spring bamboo shoots (春筍)

Spring bamboo shoots are one of the best foods to eat in spring thanks to their liver and gallbladder-strengthening abilities. They are also at their peak during spring, as their name might suggest. As bamboo shoots contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide, they are best eaten fully cooked as cooking helps to get rid of the toxins.

Why did we specify “spring” bamboo shoots, you may ask. It’s because there are two main kinds of bamboo shoots– spring bamboo shoots and winter bamboo shoots. The former is beige with slightly greenish tips and is more tender in texture,  while the latter is more brownish in color and more nutritious. In true TCM fashion of eating with the seasons, spring bamboo shoots are the best choice for spring.

2. Asparagus (蘆筍)

Asparagus has long been used as a medicinal plant. It is a fantastic choice for spring as it helps the liver clear our bodies of toxins. According to traditional Chinese medicine, this delicious vegetable also soothes our lungs, prevents coughing, and promotes healthy urination. As spring is asparagus season, you’ll also find that asparagus is sweeter and more tender during this time of the year!

3. Chinese yam (淮山)

Known as 淮山 or 山藥 (pronounced waai saan and saan yurk respectively) in Chinese, Chinese yam is one of the most effective foods when it comes to expelling dampness from the body, making it one of the best foods to eat in spring. When cooked, it has a soft, floury texture that resembles potatoes. Aside from helping to get rid of dampness in our bodies, Chinese yam also strengthens the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. What’s more– modern studies have found that it can help to hydrate skin, regulate blood sugar and boost the immune system. This spring, consider adding some Chinese yam to your soups and stews for a health boost!

4. Lion’s mane mushrooms (猴頭菇)

It may seem counterintuitive to eat mushrooms in spring– after all, mushrooms are grown in dark, damp environments. Surely they won’t help with ridding our bodies of all that extra dampness! On the contrary, lion’s mane mushrooms actually help to expel dampness while strengthening our spleen and stomach. Modern research has even found that lion’s mane mushrooms contribute towards boosting immune systems and fighting cancer. Allow yourself these benefits by adding some lion’s mane mushrooms to your next chicken soup, or combine them with Chinese yam for an extra-nourishing broth!

5. Garlic chives (韭菜)

With a flavor so garlicky that they can repel vampires, garlic chives can be quite a polarizing vegetable – you either love it or hate it. We personally love them for their strong taste and aroma, and for their many health benefits. According to traditional Chinese medicine, garlic chives nourish the liver and strengthen the stomach. They are also in season during spring, so they taste best at this time of the year. In fact, a Chinese saying referring to garlic chives goes like this, “Eat in the spring and it’s aromatic, eat in the summer and it smells” (春食則香，夏食則臭). Just goes to show exactly how important it is to eat with the seasons!

Wondering how to cook garlic chives? Garlic chives are delicious chopped finely and mixed with minced pork for dumplings, or stir fried with scrambled eggs. Besides Chinese dumplings and stir fries, you’ll also find them in Korean dishes such as kimchi.

6. Shepherd’s purse (薺菜)

A folk remedy traditionally used to stop bleeding, shepherd’s purse is great for spring as it strengthens the liver while clearing excessive heat in the organ. This herb also brightens the eyes (improving eyesight in TCM lingo) and acts as a diuretic by promoting urination. The leaves, which taste similar to mustard greens, are often used in dumplings in Chinese cuisine.

7. Spinach (菠菜)

If shepherd’s purse sounds a little difficult to come by, you might be glad to know that spinach is also one of the best foods to eat in spring. This leafy green is considered a “bitter” food in traditional Chinese medicine, meaning that it can strengthen the liver and the spleen, both of which are essential for spring. It’s best to cook your spinach before eating though, as raw foods like salads could add to your body’s internal dampness in this already-damp season.

8. Ricebean (赤小豆)

They might look a lot like adzuki beans, but they’re not the same. Ricebeans are smaller than adzuki beans, taste different, and serve a different purpose. These tiny red-colored beans help to expel dampness from our bodies, making them a great food to eat in spring. As they’re relatively cooling in nature, ricebeans also help to clear and calm the mind. What’s more, they promote urination, acting as a diuretic. You can add ricebeans to soups, porridges, or even toss them in a warm salad.

9. Job’s tears (薏米)

Also known as coix seed and Chinese pearl barley, Job’s tears is a nutty, earthy, and slightly chewy grain often used in drinks and soups in Asia. By eating Job’s tears, you’re helping your body flush out excess water – exactly what you need amid the humidity of spring. Job’s tears also strengthen the spleen and promote urination. Be careful not to eat too much of it though, as Job’s tears can cause bloating in large amounts.

Job’s tears are also a fantastic choice for summer! Want to know why? Check out our blog on What to Eat in Summer According to Traditional Chinese Medicine here.

To learn more about what TCM practitioners say you should be eating each season, check out our blog post for Winter here, and out blog post for Fall and Autumn here.

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