Eating With the Seasons

Chinese medicine puts great emphasis in eating in harmony with nature.  Eat season provides us with the foods that are needed to keep us healthy and in balance.  Below are  appropriate seasonal recommendations.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, one key to a long life is living in harmony with nature and the four seasons.  All living things on earth, including humans, are influenced by environmental and seasonal changes.  Each of the four seasons has its own individual characteristics and rhythms that affect not only the external world but our internal world as well.  According to the Huang Di Nei Jing, a core text of medicine in China, “Spring gives birth, Summer grows, Autumn harvests, and Winter stores.”

It is important to know that during each of the seasons our body is also “doing that season.”  Simply put, what is happening outside is also happening inside us.  Autumn is the season when everything begins moving in a state of inward contraction. As the Harvest season indicates, autumn is the time when the last of the summer crops have reached maturity and are ready to be harvested.  Trees begin to lose their leaves; plants cease to bloom and begin dying or go dormant.  The bright sunlight of summer begins to wane and the days become shorter, the air crisper and dryer. This dryness effects us in many ways.  As a clinician we see most illnesses that patients are suffering with in the autumn are aggravated by dryness.

Eating in Autumn

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, one key to a long life is living in harmony with nature and the four seasons. All living things on earth, including humans, are influenced by environmental and seasonal changes. Each of the four seasons has its own individual characteristics and rhythms that affect not only the external world but our internal world as well. According to the Huang Di Nei Jing, a core text of medicine in China, “Spring gives birth, Summer grows, Autumn harvests, and Winter stores.”

It is important to know that during each of the seasons our body is also “doing that season.” Simply put, what is happening outside is also happening inside us. Autumn is the season when everything begins moving in a state of inward contraction. As the Harvest season indicates, autumn is the time when the last of the summer crops have reached maturity and are ready to be harvested. Trees begin to lose their leaves; plants cease to bloom and begin dying or go dormant. The bright sunlight of summer begins to wane and the days become shorter, the air crisper and dryer. This dryness effects us in many ways. As a clinician we see most illnesses that patients are suffering with in the autumn are aggravated by dryness.

One way that we can stay healthier in the autumn is to eat in balance with the Autumn. Nature does an amazing job of providing just the right types of food that correspond to our seasonal bodily needs and rhythms. In autumn, it is important to eat foods that moisten and nourish bodily fluids. In accordance with Yin energy, it is recommended to cook foods slowly and over low heat. This method protects the moisture in the food. Soups and stews are good this time of year, for they are warming, nutritious, and easily digested.

Autumn recommended foods include:

Apples, pears, grapes, persimmons, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, kale, artichokes, leeks, mushrooms, clams, crab, oysters, mussels, scallops, salmon, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, duck, pheasant, rabbit, venison, wild turkey.

Eat sour flavors as they help stimulate fluid production, including:

Sauerkraut, sourdough breads, pickles, olives, vinegar, yogurt, lemons, adzuki beans, cheeses and green apples.

Finally, Eat fewer bitter foods to protect the lungs and prevent excess fluid loss.

Healthy Eating in Spring

On the Chinese solar calendar, Spring starts  half way from the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The anxiously awaited arrival of spring signals the time of rebirth, renewal and growth, as the Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen says “Spring grows.” What lay dormant and barren in the winter is now bursting forth with lush green growth. Fresh grass carpets the rolling hillsides and flowers are once again in bloom. In nature, this newly emerging life signals “new beginnings” which also applies to people. It is time for us to shake of the Yin energy of winter and its function of storage in the body changing to give expression to our Yang qi which leads to movement and growth. Spring awakens our senses; we feel rejuvenated, more alive and the urge to “get moving “is strong. The Neijing also says, “The Three Months of spring are called spring forth and display. Heaven and earth
together produce life.

Humans are considered to be a microcosm that imitates and goes along with the world around them. Thus, when it comes to Spring, it is not a coincidence that the seasonal dietary guidelines follow what is available in nature. Eating these readily available foods helps us stay healthy and balanced and helps prevent the onset of illness and disease. Green is the color of spring so eat a diet rich in green leafy vegetables and sprouts which help cleanse and refresh the body. To move qi and release the stagnation of winter it is best to eat lighter foods and smaller portions. When cooking, it is best to cook foods, especially vegetables, quickly over a high heat. By sautéing, blanching or lightly steaming the nutritional value of the food is retained.

Recommended Foods:

Drink Juices: These can include citrus fruit, pear, apple, and celery & carrot juice. Do this sparingly as to not damage the spleen and stomach.

Eat Acrid or Spicy Flavors: To control the liver and keep if from getting out of control as well as move qi and blood we want to eat some acrid flavors. These include onions, scallions, garlic, cilantro, ginger, basil, dill, mint, fennel, and bay leaf.

Eat Sour Foods: Sour flavors also stimulate the liver so add lemon to your water, eat dill pickles and use oil and vinegar on your salads.

Beneficial Foods: To nourish the liver eat applesauce, artichokes, lychees, avocados, blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, new potatoes, eggs, mung beans, plums, sesame seeds, green lentils, liver, coconut milk, beef, beets and celery.

Foods to Avoid: Alcohol, bacon, barbequed foods, nuts, potato chips, canned soup, fatty foods, canned vegetables, coffee, pretzels and frozen dinners. These foods can have a negative effect on our liver and gall bladder.

These few tips can help us to avoid Spring related diseases and maximize our health.