Even though schools in China are not yet out for summer vacation, the soaring temperatures in many parts of the country that started in late May have certainly been an indication that this will be an especially hot summer. Temperatures like this can be especially difficult for babies and little children, since their ability to adapt to the constant hot and dry weather is still rather weak.

This is one of the reasons why a lot of parents find their children suffering from a lack of appetite, sore throats or constipation, which according to the science of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can all be attributed to excessive internal heat in one's body. To combat this excess heat, TCM places special emphasis on what we eat, as different types of food can be especially useful for the prevention and treatment of the uncomfortable symptoms mentioned above, especially since babies are extremely limited in the types of medication they can take when they are sick.

As this weekend marks the official beginning of summer, this is a good time to share several home recipes which can effectively help babies and small children adjust to the hot weather. These recipes make use of all natural ingredients removing the  worry about unknown additives in pre-prepared food, and can easily be made for your little one at home. With the right food, our children can also enjoy an easy and fun summer!

Consomme with Winter Melon Photo: CFP

Dish 1: Consomme with Winter Melon

Ingredients: winter melon (250g), meat (100g), salt (5g), scallion (10g), ginger (8g)

Steps:

1. Peel the winter melon and slice it into pieces (the thinner, the better for babies to chew). Cut the scallion and ginger into pieces.

2. Cut the meat into shredded meat.

3. Scald the shredded meat; i.e. put the meat into a pot of cold water, heat it until the water boils and the color of the meat turns white. Then remove the meat from the water (this step is meant to remove the raw taste of the meat).

4. Put the winter melon, scalded meat, scallion and ginger into a pressure cooker, add some water into the cooker.

5. Heat the pressure cooker for 15 minutes, then add the salt into the consomme. Your pot of consomme with winter melon is done!

Tips:

Winter melon can increase our kidneys' urine production and reduce edema (swelling). Eating proper amounts of winter melon and consomme can help babies find relief from the summer heat.

Mung Bean Soup Photo: CFP

Dish 2: Sweet Soup with Mung Beans and Pumpkin

Ingredients: mung beans (30g), pumpkin (50g)

Steps:

1. Wash the mung beans until clean.

2. Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into small square pieces.

3. Boil about 200ml of water in a pot and put all the mung beans into it. Boil the mung beans for 2 minutes, then add a little water and wait until the water boils again.

4. Put the pumpkin chunks into the water, cover the lid and heat the pot with a gentle fire until all the mung beans are soft at their core.

Tips:

Many Chinese share the memory of drinking a bowl of sweet cool mung bean soup made by mom in the summer. Mung bean has been recognized as one of the best foods to relieve summer heat and avoid sunstroke.

However, one must also keep in mind that in TCM mung beans are cold-natured, so one should not drink mung bean soup on an empty stomach. Luckily, the pumpkin in this dish can help to a degree to neutralize the coldness of the mung beans since it's warm-natured and well-known for its ability to protect the stomach.

Hence it's good for babies whose stomachs are too weak to take drink too much pure mung bean soup.

Also, the pumpkin in the soup help add a sweet taste, so you don't have to add extra sugar.

Spinach and Egg Drop Porridge Photo: Lu Qianwen/GT

Dish 3: Spinach and Egg Drop Porridge/Soup

Ingredients: rice (70g), spinach (30g), one egg

Steps:

1. Wash the rice, pour it in the pot and add enough water to make rice porridge; heat until the rice is cooked.

2. Break the egg in a bowl and stir until the white and yolk of the egg are fully mixed.

3. Wash the spinach clean and cut it up.

4. Pour the stirred egg and spinach into the pot and fully mix the rice porridge.

5. Heat until the porridge boils again and add salt to your liking.

Tips:

With their lack of appetite during the summer, babies and kids need to actually take in more nutrition to support their body development when they eat. Especially since they are consuming more energy when they play.

This light dish is the perfect choice to stimulate their appetite and provide needed nutrition, while not adding to their excess internal heat. Plus, if you want it to be even lighter, you can make spinach and egg drop soup instead of porridge, which won't sacrifice the nutritiousness of the dish.