Doctors Xu Wenbo and Wang Yuntao suggest a few foods that are nutritious and help to beat the cold in this freezing winter.

Eight-treasure congee is a classic mixture of ingredients that contain a range of nutrition and replenish energy for the stomach and spleen. Wang says the congee warms and moistens, and is especially helpful for people in cold and dry Beijing.

To prepare the congee, rinse and then soak dried longan fruit, jujube, millet, rice, yellow beans, mung beans and peanuts in water for two or three hours. Put the ingredients in a boiler, ideally in an earthenware pot. Pour in water and boil until seething. Then, turn down the fire to simmer until well boiled. Put in rock sugar 10 minutes before serving.