Chinese yam meat balls. [File photo]

Today is Major Cold, the last solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. Cold as it is, it also happens to be the beginning of a freezing week as another round of very cold weather is ready to sweep across China starting from tomorrow. What should you eat to stay warm? Are there any eating taboos to help avoid the chilly weathers? Let's hear what Chinese doctors say.

First things first. For staples, you may replace or add to rice or wheaten food starchy foods that are more tonic, like the Chinese yam. It helps strengthen the spleen and reinforce deficiency, and it is best for those who have deficiency in the blood and easily feels tired, says doctor Xia Gongxu from the Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.