Chinese Medicine-Inspired Misty, Winter Landscape
By Dr. Adam Okerblom, DAOM, LAc
Now that we are in the Qi node of Li Dong “Winter Begins”, let’s talk about foods that support health in the wintertime. Here in Berkeley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, we have been blessed with some lovely rain, cooler evenings, heavy fog at night, and some clear, warm afternoon sunshine still bursting through.
As the external environment grows cooler and wetter, our internal heat, our Yang Qi, moves inward and warms our internal physiological systems. According to classical Chinese Medicine theory, this is said to make our bodies stronger and our digestion more powerful in the winter. This is an excellent time to utilize our strong Yang Qi to improve our digestion long-term with our diet, herbs, and therapeutic treatments such as acupuncture, massage, and moxibustion.
In this season, it is actually not recommended to eat ginger, chili peppers, and other hot, spicy foods. These can promote heat-natured imbalance and create dryness. This dry irritation in our upper respiratory system then creates phlegm production, causing congestion and irritated airways. Chronic nasal congestion and irritation is one of the top symptoms our patients reported in the last month!
One food that traditional Chinese Medicine recommends for this season is radish. Radish? Daikon and other radishes are cool and sweet, helping to clear internal heat and moisturize our sensitive tissues. Radish quenches thirst, supports the lungs, and benefits digestion.
Since our digestion is powerful this season, we can rely on some heavier, more nutrient-dense foods. This means root vegetables, meats, and grains. Good choices include sweet potato, carrot, radish, cabbage, lamb, meat soups and stews, and corn. However, greasy, fried, or overly salty foods are discouraged. Chinese Medicine also recommends drinking Puerh tea in the wintertime. This rich and potent tea helps to store the power of our internal Yang Qi, stimulating digestion.
Have you tried daikon radish? What do you think? What are some foods associated with the advent of winter? Let us know and throw out any questions you may have regarding health in the early winter season.
Many blessings and, as always, we look forward to seeing you soon in the clinic for your next acupuncture treatment, or just to chat over a cup of our signature puerh tea!