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Eating Seasonally - A Chinese Medicine Philosophy
Bub Hub E-Newsletter, July 2008, Issue 70 - Article 1


To have a balanced diet, we all need to think of our body and the effects of the environment around us. Most people are aware of the flavour, texture, and vibrancy (chi energy) of freshly harvested food, whether it is from a local farmer's market, or from your own backyard. Eating cherries shipped in from the US in the middle of winter is not only unsustainable, it can cause disharmony within the body!

Our seasons and weather patterns around us bring about damp, heat, cold, wind and dry. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, these elements can also exist within the body at any time of the year however imbalance in the body is more obvious during the season the particular condition or imbalance it correlates with.

What occurs within our bodies is affected by our food intake, body type, genetics and our emotional and mental state, but can also be influenced by the weather and seasonal changes. Thankfully, Mother Nature assists us by providing us with foods which can be eaten to achieve better harmony within our bodies.

Chinese Medical philosophy believes that eating appropriately for the seasons decreases the health risk in the next season, as it enables the body to be prepared. It also assumes that a predominant diet of warm and gently steamed foods is what is nourishing and easier for the body to digest. This particularly applies during the season of winter. Too many raw and cold foods create disharmony, and slow digestion.

Our bodies can be hot, warm, cold, cool or a mixture of these, and this also applies to the nature of food. For example, a person with a cold constitution would want to warm the body, and would eat warm and hot foods in both temperature and nature. A lot of Chinese people carry around a flask of hot water in winter and many of the elderly on a cold winter's morning will start their day with a small nip of brandy, as this is said to wake up the "internal fire" and prevent winter illness (alcohol is warming, and can also be tonifying, yet is unsuitable for someone who is hot in nature!).

Chinese Medicine in essence is all about balance. Not eating large amounts of one type of food, and eating seasonally is the safest way to prevent imbalance.

In winter, we need food for warmth, to support our kidneys, and retain energy. We need foods to protect our heart and Shen (spirit). Many women who are low in iron will feel the cold more in winter. Eating many of the foods recommended by Chinese Medicine in winter are naturally high in iron (eg. legumes, beef).

Winter is a perfect time to purchase a slow cooker, if you don't already own one, to make delicious and nourishing stews and soups. Cooking using slow, low heat and leaving the food alone during this process also has a calming and soothing effect. A broth is perfect for those who may normally not eat meat and will assist them in a quicker recovery from illness. Our children love coming home from school in winter to a bowl of broth, and it is ready to go for them.

A simple but tasty and replenishing broth to make is as follows:

Ingredients
  • One carrot (peeled and chopped into 5 pieces)
  • One onion (peeled and cut into quarters)
  • One kilo beef/ pork/chicken soup bones
  • Handful fresh parsley (chopped)
  • Salt, a little soy or some miso paste to enhance flavour
  • Pepper

In the morning, place the first three ingredients into the slow cooker, fill up with water, and turn on low. Just before serving that evening, add parsley and season. (Leave approx 8 hours or more)

Other ingredients can be added later, if you wish, eg chinese veges, tofu, seaweed, noodles.

For postnatal women, or those with chronic illness, chicken broth cooked with soaked black beans is a tonic which replenishes blood and increases body energy.

For more great ideas on healthy eating, stay tuned for the August Hubbub newsletter.



This article was kindly supplied by Andrew Orr of Shen Therapies. Andrew is a fully Qualified Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a Fellow member of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. With treatments consisting of Traditional Chinese Medicine such as Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Chinese Massage, Andrew specialises in fertility, pregnancy and gynaecology, writes articles in several leading Australian magazines and reviews for the Australian Medical Journal.

ph: (07) 3279 5697
website: www.shentherapies.com.au






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