When I give thought to discussing Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary guidelines, it is important to review a few principles of TCM – as they lay the foundation for any dietary recommendations that we make as acupuncturists.
The first principle is the principle of Qi Energy. Simply said, Qi energy is our life force that underlies all body functions. Our breath, our heartbeat, our digestion all are ruled/governed by qi energy. In TCM, every organ has its own qi – this includes the Lung, Heart, Liver, Spleen and Kidney – and every organ’s qi oversees different body functions. All the different qi energies work together to allow our body to operate.
The second principle is the impact the outside elements have on our body – specifically Wind, Cold, Damp and heat. How do these elements impact our body (think bundling up on a windy day)? We also have symptoms of these elements in our body (feeling hot or cold, dizzy and lightheaded).
The goal of TCM is to strengthen and build a solid foundation of health and wellness. Much like the basement of a house, or the roots of a tree, we don’t always see this foundation. However, it is very important to build it.
How we build it is multifaceted. TCM builds the foundation with acupuncture, herbal medicine, the foods we eat and the air we breathe.
This article will focus specifically on the Lung and the Lung Qi -the organ system that directly impacts our respiratory system!
A few facts about the Lungs and the functions of the Lung:
The lung is the most surface of the organs – it is most susceptible to the elements. Therefore, it is most important to protect your lungs from too much heat, wind or cold. If it is windy out – protect yourself and wear a scarf or hat to prevent the wind from “invading your body”. If you are living in a dry climate, it is important to moisten the skin and nasal passages. Too much heat can also dry out and cause internal dryness.
The Lung qi, through the breath, moves water and fluids downward in the body. It is important to keep the lung qi flowing so our lungs don’t get congested! Getting outside and walking, breathing the air, doing some mild exercises (like qi gong or tai qi) will keep help keep our lungs strong healthy!
The Lung opens to the nose – again, it is important to take good care of ourselves and, in these times, social distance ourselves from others to minimize “breathing in” external pathogens that can contribute to getting sick
Diet plays an important part of TCM and balancing imbalances with nutrition and foods can have a very positive impact on health and wellness.
Below I have listed several TCM imbalances, the symptoms that are commonly associated with them and the dietary recommendations for each imbalance. During this time of COVID19 – Strengthening our qi, specifically our Lung Qi is vital and an important part of staying healthy and well!
Lung Qi Deficiency
Symptoms: chronic lung issues due to long term chronic conditions (asthma, allergies, etc.). fatigue, weak voice, cough, shortness of breath.
Dietary Guidelines for Lung Qi Deficiency
- Foods to include:
- Primarily cooked and easy to digest foods.
- Whole Grains: rice, oats, barley
- Vegetables: Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, yam
- Herbs: Astragalus, Ginseng, Cordyceps (medicinal mushrooms)
- Foods to Limit or Avoid:
- Excessive amounts of raw vegetables, fruits and salad.
- Dairy products as they are mucous producing
- Cold foods such as ice cream, smoothies, ice water
Phlegm/Dampness in the Lungs
- Symptoms are a result of either a weakened digestion (which results in phlegm building) or eating too many phlegm building foods
- include cough, shortness of breath, wheezing or asthma accompanied by thick, sticky phlegm.
Dietary Guidelines for Phlegm/Dampness in the Lung
- Foods to Include:
- Herbs and spices such as garlic, fresh ginger, fennel and Nettle.
- Vegetables: watercress, onions, radish, mushroom
- Vegetables, fruit, sprouts, Seaweeds.
- Small amounts of legumes and grains
- Eat simple small meals and Include foods that are easy to digest and do not add further mucous
- Foods to Limit or Avoid:
- Avoid all dairy products
- Minimize sugar and sweets as they weaken the digestion
- Avoid cold foods and foods that are hard to digest. Ice cream, ice water, cold smoothies can all slow the digestion down and cause phlegm/dampness to build.
Heat Congesting the Lungs
- Symptoms include exterior symptoms such as chills, fever, dry cough shortness of breath, sore throat and can be accompanied by phlegm
- coughing up phlegm that can be thick, and yellow/green
- Nasal Discharge
Dietary Guidelines for Heat Congesting the Lungs
- Foods to Include:
- Fruits: cantaloupe, apple, pears, strawberries, papaya and citrus
- Vegetables: carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, radish, chard,
- Proteins: Limited chicken, lamb, beef – lean when cooking
- Make soups and congees made with millet, barley or rice
- Foods to Limit or Avoid:
- Warming or congesting foods such as coffee, alcohol, beef and lamb (unless lean)
Dry Heat effecting the Lungs
- More Chronic condition resulting from infection and inflammation over long period of time.
- Dry, unproductive cough, periodic fever, thirst and, at times, night sweats
Dietary Guidelines for Dry heat effecting the Lungs
- Foods to include with the goal of moistening the Lungs
- Spirulina, chlorella and other micro-algae – which are rich in chlorophyll and moisten and increase fluid (yin) in the body.
- Fruits: Oranges pears, apples, watermelon, bananas, kiwi’s
- Vegetables: beans, carrots, cauliflower, chard, radish, white mushroom
- Teas: Marshmallow Root and Slippery Elm Bark
- flax seed
- Drink ample water throughout the day
- Foods to limit or avoid
- Avoid hot and dry foods and spices such as chili, horseradish, black pepper, cinnamon and garlic.
- Limit warming or congesting foods such as coffee, alcohol, beef and lamb (unless lean)
Please keep in mind that TCM dietary guidelines are just that, guidelines. In our strive for perfection, it is more important to work toward balance! “A little bit of this and a little bit of that” goes a long way in good health and wellness!
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