As the summer heat finally retreats, autumn arrives. While the long-waited coolness accompanies it, fall also brings unpleasant weather. The atmosphere is drier, cloudy days are more frequent, and there is a greater difference in temperature between morning and evening. By noting these changes and taking special care, you can stay healthy this season. To help you ease into the early days of autumn, here's some advice.

Eat seasonal foods

As an old Chinese saying goes, "a bowl of porridge in the morning and a bowl of soup in the evening help people through autumn days." It's good advice to follow.

Food that is easy to digest like dishes of fresh vegetables rather than pork or beef should dominate the autumn menu. That's because the summer heat weakens the body's digestive functions, and when autumn comes, the intestines become more vulnerable to bacteria. So don't eat food or drink beverages taken directly out of a refrigerator; too much cold food or drink can easily lead to acute gastritis and enteritis.

As fall replaces summer, the weather also becomes drier. People may have itchy throats, dry noses and coughs.. These are all caused by dry weather. To counteract this, eat more fruit, such as oranges, peaches and plums.

Autumn is also seafood season. Crabs, shrimp and lobsters are all irresistible. Containing an abundance in protein and low fat, seafood is good for people's health. Just make sure the seafood is fresh.

Do more exercises

People should take care when doing exercises in autumn. The greater temperature difference could lead to catching a cold in the mornings and evenings. Take a long-sleeve shirt or jacket with you when going out to do exercises. Afterwards, put the extra clothing on to keep warm.

And before you even start doing exercises, do a warm-up to get your muscles, tendons and joints in an active state. After a workout, eat some nurishing food to counter autumn dryness. Pears, sesame, honey and white fungus are all good choices.

Stay in a good mood

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the changing weather from summer to autumn can easily upset people's moods, making them more vulnerable to loss of sleep, high blood pressure, headaches and anxiety. This is because the weather changes are too fast for the body to adjust in time.

To counter bad moods in autumn, live a more regular schedule and avoid putting extra pressure on your body so that it can adjust. Do more outdoor exercises and take in a bit of sun to warm up the body. Eat more food abundant in protein, like milk, eggs, mutton and beans. Such food can stimulate the brain to secrete some chemicals to curb the moodiness and to cheer people up.

Another season to sleep

During the summer, people often have the air conditioner on throughout the night to keep cool. However, when autumn comes, open your windows and let the cool and fresh air into your bedroom. Experts say that natural temperature in early autumn is most suitable for people to have a refreshing sleep.

Fall is also a good time to sleep more. The changing weather puts more strain on people's bodies. More rest can help recharge the body with more reserve energy to deal with various weather changes.

(China Daily September 11, 2007)