In the past two posts (Food as Medicine Part I and Part II), I've given an overview of diet according to Chinese Medicine Principles. In this post, I'd like to show how that information can be applied to daily life. It's one thing to be bombarded by information. It's another to put that information to good use, and that is the goal here!

In our busy world, it can be assumed that most people have Spleen Qi deficiency, so it is helpful to eat a diet that is geared toward supporting and nourishing the spleen.

Spleen Qi Deficiency Diet

Avoid too much snacking. The spleen likes the consistency of regular meals and enjoys resting and processing in between, so constant snacking can put stress on the GI system. Unless you have blood sugar issues, it's best to eat regular meals, ensuring you are fully hungry for the next one.
Consume adequate proteins and fats. If you find that you are constantly hungry and thinking about food, try to include more healthy proteins and fats in your diet such as nuts, seeds, beans, coconut oil, olive oil, or organic lean fish or meat. After a meal, you should feel satisfied for at least 2-3 hours.
Avoid grains. If you have a lot of inflammation, pain, allergies, or other chronic health issues, try eliminating grains from your diet. Allergy elimination diets or even paleo-type diets can help clear health issues when there is a grain sensitivity.
Eat Spleen friendly foods. Craving sweets is often a sign of Spleen Qi deficiency. To quell cravings, include Spleen supporting foods in your diet, such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, carrots, and rutabaga.
Consider warming spices and flavors. The Spleen enjoys being dry and warm. Warmth helps boost the Spleen, transforming dampness. Ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, cumin, and nutmeg can be added to food or drinks. Garlic, onion, and scallion are also warming.
Cook and eat when calm. Make sure meals are both prepared and eaten in a calm environment.
Chew your food thoroughly. We often forget that digestion starts in the mouth, not in the stomach! We can make digestion easier, by not assigning all the work to the internal organs.
Exercise! The Spleen is in charge of the muscles in the body, so one way to prevent or treat Spleen Qi deficiency is to get regular exercise. When I say exercise, I don't mean extreme body building or intense cross fit workouts. Often just a simple walk will do the trick. If you sit all day, getting up and taking short walks throughout the day is also helpful.
Avoid certain foods: cold drinks, cold foods, too much damp foods (banana, eggs, tofu, dairy, avocado), too much raw food, spicy food, caffeine, refined sugar, most artificial sweeteners, white flour, hydrogenated fats, and alcohol.
Avoid processed salt. There have been studies that most people, especially those with adrenal exhaustion are actually sodium deficient! The problem is not TOO much salt. The problem is the TYPE of salt we consume. Iodized processed table salt has been stripped of all minerals and nutrients, which is why it is depleting. Only consume Himalayan pink salt, natural sea salt, or any other type of natural salt.
Avoid low quality and hydrogenated oils. Pick an organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil.

Meal Ideas

Almost all vegetables are great for every meal. The only veggies that are known to induce inflammation are peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. The more colors you include in a meal, the better, since the body likes balance.
- As an example: sweet potato nourishes the Spleen, spinach or kale helps the Liver, cauliflower or turnip strengthens the Lungs, and beets nourish the Heart.
If you avoid grains and dairy: steam, roast, or stir-fry a veggie or two and combine with a protein, such as lean grass-fed beef, organic chicken, free-range organic eggs, or wild caught (or responsibly farmed) fish. If you know you have Spleen Qi deficiency and/or you crave sweets, throw some sweet potatoes in there.
If you are vegan or vegetarian: pick a veggie or two and combine with eggs, tofu, tempeh, beans, and/or lentils. If you have sensitivity to grains, but are vegetarian, try tempeh over tofu, since tempeh is fermented, making it more digestible. If you don't digest beans well, try lentils.
If you don't have a grain sensitivity: quinoa, brown rice, oats, and millet are healthy grains in small quantities. Oatmeal is a delicious breakfast, but avoid eating it every day.
Add a small amount of lacto-fermented sauerkraut to each meal. You can buy sauerkraut or easily make your own. If you buy it, make sure it is lacto-fermented and not made with vinegar. Lacto-fermented sauerkraut contains probiotics and beneficial bacteria that help aid the immune and digestive system. Start with very small amounts, since it can actually kick up GI symptoms while the body acclimates to the addition of increased good bacteria.
Eat fruit or sweet foods at least 30 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after a meal. When sugar is combined with protein, it slows down protein digestion, which can result in bloating, gas, and indigestion.
For desserts, instead of using regular sugar, try pureed fruit. Instead of flour, try using oat (or another alternative) flour. Whole oats can be used as well if you're feeling lazy!
- One of my favorite dessert cookie recipes is oats, pureed fruit (whatever I happen to have around the house), mixed with dried fruit, nuts, and/or dark chocolate, baked in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. I put everything in a food processor to mix, but stir in the chocolate chips, dried, fruit, nuts. It's vegan, sugar free, and flourless (not paleo though).
  
  Oat Cookies
  - 3/4 of a cup pureed fruit (apple, mango, dates soaked in water, etc)
  - 1 cup old fashioned oats (blended as flour, left whole, or half and half)
  - 3 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter (optional for flavor)
  - 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  - 1 tsp vanilla extract
  - 1/8 tsp salt
  - Toppings (dark chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.)
Consider soups and bone broth. Bone broth made from organic chicken or grass fed beef is great for warming the Spleen and nourishing the body. Soups are another gentle way to provide easy-to-digest nourishment for the body. They're especially good when you're feeling under the weather. Here is a great simple recipe:

Wellness Soup

Saute 1/2 - 1 whole onion in organic 1 tsp organic extra virgin olive or organic coconut oil until soft
Add a clove or 2 of garlic and cook for 1-2 min
Add 1/2 chopped cauliflower
Add 1 cup (or more if you prefer) chopped carrots
Add 1 cup (or more if you prefer) chopped sweet potato (either peeled or unpeeled)
Add 1 cup peeled and chopped turnip
Cook vegetables for ~5 min until they start getting softer
Pour a carton of organic broth or stock (veggie, beef, chicken, bone, etc)
Salt to taste with himalayan pink salt
If you are feeling cold and depleted, add some ginger and/or turmeric to the soup (either dried or fresh)
If grains are tolerated, add 1/4-1/2 cup black lentils
Cover and simmer for ~40 min
Enjoy!

In my last post (Food as Medicine Part I), I covered how Chinese Medicine views diet and listed foods and behaviors to avoid. In this post, I'd like to focus on eating according to the seasons and the Five Element System.

To recap the last post, the Spleen and digestive system enjoy staying warm and dry, so as so it is best to avoid eating too many cold, heavy, raw, or damp foods such as processed sugar, refined carbohydrates, dairy, bananas, ice cream, cold foods, iced drinks, and fried/greasy foods.

Eat according to the season.
The Spleen enjoys when we eat according to the season. This means that we only eat what is available during that season and geographic region. Since most of us have access to grocery stores that carry everything, no matter the season, it's more realistic to try to limit (and maybe not completely eliminate) foods not in season.

For example, if you live in NY and it is winter, it is unlikely that summer fruits, such as strawberries, are being grown locally. If you live in non-tropical regions, it also unlikely tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, and papaya are being grown. This doesn't mean to stop eating these foods altogether, but it's good to be mindful, in case there are health issues. If you're curious, this website lists foods grown by location and season, to see what is seasonably available where you live:
https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/

Eating according to the seasons also means to consume foods that are in harmony with the current season according to the Five Element System. Each season is represented by an element from the Five Element System. emphasizing a particular Organ. Below is a list of each season represented by an Organ and Element, listing the foods that are most beneficial for that season.

Winter
Winter is represented by the Kidneys or Water Element. The winter is a time of slower movement and introspection requiring warming and nourishing foods. We should also make sure to consume an adequate amount of salt (unprocessed sea salt or pink salt).

The Kidneys like:

Salty foods such as miso, tamari, and lacto-fermented sauerkraut
Black/blue foods such as black beans, black lentils, blackberries, blueberries
Kidney shaped foods such as kidney beans (and most other beans/seeds)
Seaweed, sea vegetables
Wild caught or responsibly farmed fish, nourishing soups
Warming spices such as ginger and cinnamon
Walnuts
Root vegetables

Spring
The Spring is represented by the Liver or Wood Element. The Spring is a time of renewal and growth, so we want to eat foods that encourage healthy Liver and Gallbladder function. During this time of Spring cleaning, we want to emphasize eating light, green foods, and sour foods to help detoxify the Liver.

The Liver likes:

Sour foods such as lacto-fermented sauerkraut and lemon
Green foods such as kale, spinach, swiss chard, and broccoli
Radish
Young plants such as sprouts and spring onions
Spirulina and seaweed

Summer
The Summer is represented by the Heart or Fire Element. The Summer is a time of outward movement, activity, and transformation, so we want to eat foods that encourage Heart and Small Intestine health. It is also beneficial to eat cooling foods such as cucumber, apple, watermelon, mint, fresh vegetables and fruits, and tofu.

The Heart likes:

Bitter foods such as lemon and broccoli rabe
Bitter leafy greens such as swiss chard and dandelion greens
Red foods such as radish, beets, and watermelon

Late Summer
The Late Summer is the last part of the Summer in August (also known as Indian Summer) represented by the Spleen or Earth Element. These are the last few weeks of Summer when the Earth helps us prepare and balance ourselves in anticipation for the inward shift to Fall and Winter. This is the time that we want to nourish the Spleen, eating sweet, yellow/orange foods and root vegetables.

The Spleen likes:

Sweet foods such as sweet potato and carrots
Orange/yellow foods such as squash, carrot, sweet potato, and pumpkin
Easy to digest soups
Root vegetables such as rutabaga, turnip, and beets
Warming foods such as garlic, onions, and chives
Warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove

Autumn
Autumn is the season that prepares us for the Winter. It is a time of refinement and preparation, ensuring necessary resources are utilized, while waste or unnecessary items are discarded. This season is represented by the Lungs or the Metal Element. During this time, we should continue to eat Spleen friendly foods, while adding foods to nourish the Lungs. The Lungs rule the Immune System, so this is a time to give them a boost to prevent colds and flu. This is also why colds and flu happen frequently during this time.

The lungs like:

Pungent spicy foods such as onions, garlic, and radish
White foods such as turnip, cauliflower, and daikon radish
Easy to digest soups
Warming spices such as ginger, cardamom, clove, and cinnamon
Asian pears and pears are great for lung dryness conditions such as a dry throat or dry cough

Stay tuned for Part III of my Food as Medicine series!

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