Our stomach is the centre of our health.
Chinese medicine has many simple recommendations to improve our health, and diet is one of our first lines of defense.
At the centre of our body, our stomach is also at the centre of our health. Food makes up the building blocks of our body’s many functions and can either aid healing or cause stress to our digestion and our bodies.
Shift to a health-promoting diet with these basic guidelines.
1. Eat a variety.
A healthy diet includes a variety of wholesome foods. Variety is key, because eating too much of one food can lead to imbalances in the body. Incorporate as much variety as possible in your choice of flavours, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
2. Everything in moderation.
The baseline of your diet should be mainly quite neutral or bland with some spice and flavour to add interest. Avoid overdoing foods with condiments, salt, and spices… too much of anything is never a good thing!
3. Eat seasonal.
Your bodies is tuned into seasonal changes and eating foods that are naturally in season help you transition with the changing seasons. Eat more salads and raw foods in the summer and in the winter focus on cooked foods and heartier stews.
4. Eat regularly.
The body likes consistency so ideally eat meals at around the same time every day. Don’t eat late at night or before bed. A good rule of thumb is not to eat after 7:00 pm.
5. Eat mindfully.
Chew food well to help your stomach digest fully. Pay attention to your body’s cues for fullness to avoid overeating, which is hard on digestion.
6. Make time for your meals.
Sit down, relax, and enjoy your meals. On-the-go eating stresses the digestive system and doesn’t give it time do its job.
7. Eat your greens.
Fruits and vegetables have their own healing abilities, are rich in antioxidants, and help the body detoxify. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables and include some raw vegetables daily, unless you are recovering from an illness (including colds and flu). Cooked foods and vegetables like soups and stews help nourish the body back to health when you’re sick.
