Craving Rich Food as Soon as It Cools Down? 4 Ways to Manage Your Autumn Appetite
Daikon radish and pork rib soup with seasonal foods like pumpkin and sweet potato.
As soon as the weather cools, your appetite seems to suddenly switch on. When hunger strikes at night, all you can think about is spicy hot pot, fried chicken and braised pork rice.
In northern China there’s an old custom called “putting on autumn weight”: eating more meat in autumn to build up fat for the winter. In the old days, life was hard, summers were so hot people couldn’t eat, and they lost weight, so it made sense to make it up in autumn. But who’s short of food today? If you keep “making it up” now, most of it will end up around your belly and waist.
Why Is Your Appetite So Big in Autumn?
It’s actually normal to have a bigger appetite in autumn. In summer the heat dulls your appetite, and when it cools down, your appetite naturally comes back. As temperatures drop, your body also needs a bit more energy to stay warm, so you especially crave richer, heavier foods. There’s no need to fight it; just change the way you eat.
Tip 1: When Cravings Hit, Have a Bowl of Hot Soup First
First, have soup when cravings hit. When you feel like reaching for a snack, have a bowl of hot soup first. Once your stomach is warm and a little full, you won’t feel like eating so much junk. The same goes for meals: sip some soup before you pick up your chopsticks, and you’ll naturally eat less.
This is the perfect season for daikon radish and pork rib soup. Daikon aids digestion, so if you’ve eaten too much and feel bloated, a bowl is just right. As I mentioned in my earlier article on autumn dryness, my family often simmers daikon in autumn; if your throat feels dry, check out the lung-moistening soup in that article too.
Daikon Radish and Pork Rib Soup Recipe
Pork rib soup is simple to make. Put 500 g of pork ribs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then remove and rinse them. Return them to the pot with two slices of ginger and about 1500 ml of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. Peel one daikon radish, cut it into large chunks, add it to the pot and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the radish is translucent and soft enough to pierce easily with a chopstick. Season with a little salt before serving and sprinkle with chopped scallions or cilantro. If you find it too oily, let it cool and skim the fat off the top before eating.
Tip 2: Swap White Rice and Bread for Root Vegetables
Second, eat less white rice and bread and swap in root vegetables. Pumpkin, sweet potato and taro keep you full for a long time, and you can simply steam them and eat them as a staple. At dinner, have half a bowl of rice with a piece of steamed pumpkin; in the morning, swap your bread for a sweet potato. You’ll be just as full and your body will feel lighter. Just remember it’s a swap, not an extra piece of pumpkin after a full bowl of rice.
Tip 3: Cut Back on Sugary Drinks and Late-Night Snacks
Third, cut back on sugary drinks and late-night snacks. Much of the extra calories in autumn don’t come from regular meals, but from that afternoon bubble tea and late-night snack. Sweetened drinks are full of sugar, and drinking too many actually leaves you sluggish and unmotivated. If you really want one, have it once or twice a month, and switch to unsweetened tea or homemade red date tea the rest of the time. Skip late-night snacks if you can. Eating before bed makes your digestive system work overtime and disrupts your sleep. If you’re truly hungry, a bowl of soup or a steamed sweet potato is enough.
Tip 4: Move More, With a Walk or Baduanjin
Fourth, move more. Autumn is neither too hot nor too cold, making it the perfect time to get outside. Take a 20- to 30-minute walk after meals, or go hiking on the weekend. If you’d rather stay in, practicing Baduanjin at home is great too.
Baduanjin (the “Eight Pieces of Brocade”) is a traditional exercise that has been passed down for hundreds of years. It consists of eight movements. The first, “Holding Up the Sky With Both Hands to Regulate the Triple Burner,” involves slowly raising both hands upward and stretching the whole body. The full routine takes about ten minutes, needs no equipment and can be done anywhere you can stand in your living room. The movements are slow and easy, so older family members can follow along too. There are plenty of follow-along videos online, and you’ll pick it up after a few tries.
Whatever exercise you choose, there’s no need to work up a heavy sweat; a light sweat is enough. Autumn is already dry, and sweating too much will only leave you thirsty and tired.
Eat Slowly and Stop at 70% Full
Also, slow down when you eat. If you eat too fast, you’ve already overeaten before your stomach has a chance to catch up. Stop at about 70% full, when you feel you could still eat a few more bites. You can also use a smaller bowl: the same amount of rice looks full in a smaller bowl, which feels more satisfying.
Eat right and move enough, and even a big autumn appetite is nothing to worry about. What soup will you make tonight?
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