If you have been a patient in my office, then we have probably had a discussion about food. Dietary therapy is an important branch of Chinese Medicine. We focus on the energetic properties of food and how they can help to correct internal imbalances. We can break food down into numerous healing categories - taste, color, temperature, acupuncture channel entered, direction, yin-yang, and organ nourished. Then we individualize recommendations based on your intake and presentation. It can get very detailed and it’s a fascinating study into the food we eat.

Today, let’s just talk simple basics that I go over with most of my patients. My favorites:

1. Eat local as much as possible. Shop those farmer’s markets!

2. Eat with the seasons. What does this mean? For example, don’t eat strawberries in December. They are out of season and just won’t be as tasty.

3. Eat warm, cooked food every day. Our digestive system needs warm food to keep it functioning at its highest level even in the summer.

And now some Chinese Medicine Dietary Therapy basics on taste and color from Scott Suvow:

TASTE
Sour: Liver, Gallbladder
The sour taste is absorbing, consolidating, and astringent
Ex. Lemon vinegar, green apples, tomatoes, chicken, turkey

Sweet: Spleen, Stomach
The sweet taste will strengthen, harmonize, and relax pain
Ex. Grains, sugar, bananas, blueberries, figs, dates, honey, maple syrup

Pungent: spicy – Lung, Large Intestine
The pungent taste disperses, invigorates, promotes circulation, opens pores, expels pathogens
Ex. Onions, garlic, ginger, curry

Bitter: Heart, Small Intestine
Dry dampness, clears heat,
Ex. Kale, lettuce, broccoli, arugula, endive, and collard greens

Salty: Kidney bladder
Salty taste softens and dissolve hardness, lubricates the intestines.
Eggs, tofu, fish, miso, sea vegetables.

Let’s wrap this baby up with a couple of my favorite recipes for the Summer and Fall/Winter/Spring. Good Eats!