The Slight Summer Season is the prelude to the Dog Days. At this time, the weather is hot and it is easy for people to feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and dry mouth, which is the so-called "bitter summer".

Let’s take a look at those refreshing and pleasant summer-cooling delicacies!

1. Eat mutton and drink mutton soup. Some people think that drinking hot mutton soup will make it worse in the hot summer, but the fact is exactly the opposite.

There is a saying that goes well: "A bowl of soup for a sheep will save you a doctor's help." Eating mutton during the Slight Heat Season can help people perspire better, thereby removing dampness and cold, and strengthening Yang Qi.

When I felt unbearably hot in the summer a few years ago, I would go back and drink mutton soup. After sweating happily, I would feel very cool.

2. Drink mung bean porridge and mung bean water. Mung beans have the effects of clearing away heat and detoxification, cooling down and relieving heat, and diuretic and treating stranguria. Regular consumption can effectively produce body fluids, clear away heat, and prevent heatstroke.

Generally during the Slight Heat Season, I will drink mung bean porridge for breakfast in the morning, prepare a pot of mung bean water to drink during the day, or add an appropriate amount of sugar to the mung bean water to freeze it into popsicles for consumption, which is very effective in relieving the heat.

However, it must be noted that people who are drinking traditional Chinese medicine cannot drink mung bean water, otherwise it will detoxify the medicine.

3. Eat brown sugar ice powder. Ice powder is a popular summer delicacy in Sichuan and Chongqing. It is also an Internet celebrity snack that has become popular in recent years.

It is usually made with hand-kneaded ice powder seeds, and is served with ice syrup, hawthorn slices, crushed peanuts, raisins, etc.

When I feel the heat is unbearable in the summer, I will choose to eat some ice powder, especially when eating hot pot.

Ice powder is simple to make, refreshing and delicious. It is definitely the best choice to cool down during the Slight Summer Season.

4. Four-Fruit Soup Four-Fruit Soup is a snack originating from the Minnan region of Fujian.

I tried this snack when I traveled to Fujian three years ago and was amazed.

The traditional four-fruit soup uses Shihua paste as the main ingredient, with lotus seeds, barley and mung beans. Later, it developed into more than ten kinds of small ingredients such as taro balls, watermelon, mango and adazi.

The summer in Fujian is hot, and I often feel chest tightness and shortness of breath when traveling. Drinking some four-fruit soup can very well relieve the discomfort caused by the heat.