This post focuses on how to use naturally cooling foods to help beat the heat of summer. Understanding some basic Chinese nutritional theory can allow us to choose foods that support our body to stay cooler internally. A food list is included to help you navigate the heat of summer with comfort, ease, and better health.
Seasonal Health Tips
11 posts
This post is the beginning of a series of my favorite Soup Recipes, featuring Caldo Verde (Portuguese Chorizo Kale Soup). According to Chinese nutritional theory, brothy hot soups are a perfect way to chase out pathogens, fortify your immune system, stoke your digestive ‘pilot light’, and refill your well of reserves. In the heart of winter, who couldn’t use a bit of that?
In terms of self-care, December can be the hardest month. And the most critical, right? We can be overly busy, under-rested, sugar-crashed, out of our normal rhythms, and often struggling with expectations and stress about money, time, year-end loose ends, gifts, travel, family challenges, getting things done on time… and the list goes on. To have balance and health in the face of it requires both a conscious intention and some practical tools.
What would make it easier to stay healthy, sane, and nourished? Here are 5 tips (including two recipes) for a nourishing holiday season.
It was a long hot summer here in the northwest and now we are in a blissful tomato avalanche. They are all ripening at light speed and it can be hard to keep up! This is a short post on the simplest way to preserve your tomatoes and make the bounty of your harvest last well beyond the fleeting harvest season. It literally takes minutes. Here’s to keeping it simple. I mean REALLY simple!
Plant the Seed: Schedule Care in Advance Whatever you do just for you—acupuncture, a massage, a meditation group, a counseling session, a pedicure with a good friend—book it ahead of time. Schedule that mid-December appointment so you know it will happen. It will be there in the midst of the […]
Day 4. Choose the Right Amount of Doing Why are we doing all the holiday stuff? For fun, celebration, quality time with people we care about, to share in something meaningful? And does it feel that way when we are overextended and exhausted? Not usually. While it’s wonderful to be […]
Day 3. Craft A Fitness Plan that Fits Your Life Walking around the block? One yoga pose a day? The 7 minute workout? Why wait for January to feel good? If you already have an exercise routine that you love, keep it alive through December. If you don’t, sample some […]
This is day 2 in a 5 day series of simple suggestions for tending to your body, heart, and mind during the hectic month of December. Two Minutes of Silence and Solitude Take it. I recommend mornings. Set a stopwatch on that fancy smartphone of yours. Take 2 minutes to breathe, […]
The expectations and pace of life in December can easily spin out of control. In terms of self-care, December can be the hardest month. And the most critical, right? We can be overly busy, under-rested, sugar-crashed, out of our normal rhythms, and often struggling with expectations and stress about money, […]
Part of the beauty of Chinese Medicine is that it’s a system that recognizes that even though multiple people might present with the same symptoms, that we don’t all need the same treatment to heal and thrive. In that spirit, I have not found that any one diet is a perfect fit for everyone, as we are all so individual, ever-changing, and complex. Understanding how our bodies work and listening inwardly– this is a powerful combination that can guide us to discover what dietary choices make us feel good, function well, rest well, heal well, and have sustained energy. Read on for more about seasonal eating, including a recipe!
Chinese medicine is based on the principles of nature. These principles are understood through what is known as 5 Element Theory. In this system, all of the body’s functions, structures, and fluids correlate to elements in the natural world. And it all happens in 5’s. Typically we are used to thinking in terms of four elements and four seasons but in this ancient eastern philosophy, there are five elements, directions, flavors, medicinal actions, natural processes, pathological tendencies, and yes, five seasons.
The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. We are currently in (and soon to head out of) the phase of the year that relates to the earth element. So what is the 5th season?