It’s winter, so put down the frozen smoothie & hold off on raw food

The smoothie has become an image of health. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good smoothie especially in the summertime. However, contrary to food fad culture, For the most part, Chinese medicine really emphasizes a preference for eating cooked and warm food, especially in wintertime.  

It is true that raw foods are more nutrient dense than cooked food since heating food breaks down some of the nutrients. However, raw, cold foods are also much more difficult for the stomach to break down, requiring higher amounts of hydrochloric acid and energy. Over time, raw foods will tend to be taxing on the stomach and spleen (the Earth Element). 

In 5E, when the earth element is taxed, anxiety and loose stool are two major signals.  Sometimes, the skin region right over your stomach will actually feel cool to the touch when you eat a lot of raw food, which is another sign that your digestive fire has gone out.

In summer when the fire element is up in nature and in our digestive system, it's a much better time to introduce more raw food into your diet. Also, raw and cool foods can be recommended therapeutically for people that are working to overcome cancer, since raw, cooler food has a slower more contractive quality, it can help to slow down the aggressive nature of cancer while you build up your immune system. 

In general, in the colder months, your stomach will tend to do better with whole foods that are, hardy root veggies, slowly cooked and warm. Think roasted root veggies, soups and stews. If you struggle with anxiety or digestive issues, I highly recommend giving up (or at least reducing) raw foods for a stint and seeing how you feel. 

One interesting thing to note is that when your physical digestion is out of whack, it will tend to be reflected energetically too. Your mind will not have the same capacity to take in, digest and integrate information or emotions as effectively. So in acupuncture, when we work on digestion, we are woking on digestion on all levels; mind-body-emotions. As always, reach out if you’re looking for support.