Salads

Salad sabotages digestion

Northern Hemisphere have entered the season of Late Summer which is correlated with our digestive system. In TICM we know that our digestive system is a fire we must always keep burning. This ancient wisdom is also used in practices like Ayurveda and many cultures throughout the world where most of the food is cooked rather than eaten raw. Our Spleen and Stomach are associated with the Earth element. Think about the Earth and its characteristics. Mother Earth is nurturing, grounding, nourishing with Sun (Yang or warm) energy, the Earth thrives and grows. In colder weather, Earth retreats, puts on a pause on movement to conserve its energy to sustain itself. The body runs on energy, also known as Qi. Qi and Blood work together to power our every thought and move. They are both created through healthy digestion. Our internal temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius. When we ingest food that's lower in temperature than we are, our body uses Qi to bring it up to temperature before it's able to be digested, therefore, more energy (Qi) is expended on cold foods. Most people will say as you age, your metabolism weakens, and they find that they must eat less and less to keep their figure. But really, it is due to a digestion that has had years and years of improper diet. I eat just as much as I did when I was young, I find that I need to eat a lot to keep high energy. When your digestion is burning well, food is assimilated and transmitted to the body to use as energy. When it is not, it becomes stagnant, energy and Blood become disrupted, and symptoms arise. Symptoms of weak digestion are: abdominal distension, acid regurgitation, anxiety, asthma, always cold, belching, bloating, cannot lose weight, cough, depression, oedema, excess weight, fatigue after meals, feeling heavy, gas, heartburn, indigestion, infertility, loose stool, loss of appetite or no appetite, low energy, menstrual pain and irregularities, mucous, nausea, poor appetite, PMS, phlegm, weak limbs, etc.