Spring Vegetable Stir Fry

Eating plenty of fresh, young vegetables in spring is a good way to cleanse the body after the dark days of winter.  Asparagus is bitter and warm to re-stimulate the digestion, while the spring onions are also therapeutic – helping to disperse cold, strengthen Qi and warm the stomach.  Early springs of mint and the first chives from the garden will add to the flavor – and help provide warming, yang herbs as the weather starts to change.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

12oz asparagus, cut into 2in pieces

12oz snow peas

bunch of spring onions, chopped

tamari or soy sauce to taste

1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar

2 tablespoons of fresh mint

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Fresh mint springs to garnish

Preparation:

Heat a wok, then add oil and stir fry the asparagus and snow peas for 2 minutes.  Add spring onions.

Remove the wok from heat, add vinegar, chopped mint, chives and toss to mix.  Garnish with mint.

Mung Bean Sprouts Stir-Fry

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients:

1 cup (about 2 ounces) mung bean sprouts

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt to taste

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

few drops of sesame oil

cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Wash and drain the bean sprouts, trimming the ends if desired.

Add oil to a heated wok or heavy skillet. When oil is ready, add the bean sprouts and stir-fry briefly. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and salt. Stir-fry another few seconds and add the sesame oil. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

You have probably come across this famous quote written by Hippocrates (460 BC-377 BC), an ancient Greek doctor who is considered the father of Western medicine.  Sounds nice, right?  But how many of us really take this quote to heart?  How many of us really believe that we can cure ourselves with food?  Ancient Chinese doctors were strong believers in that food can be used as medicine.  During their time, when patients got sick, the first thing that the doctor would do is to change their diet.  Back then, these doctors didn’t have to deal with removing processed, denatured, chemically treated, high fructose corn syrup infused “food” that most of today’s population consumes.  They were concerned with making sure that the food was perfectly balanced energetically.  For example, if patient experienced symptoms of “dryness” e.g. dry skin, dry mouth, constipation with hard stools, doctor would prescribe foods that “moisten dryness” such as: pears, apples, soybean products, honey, eggs. clams etc.  If food therapy was not sufficient to completely cure particular symptoms, herbal medicine was prescribed as well as certain physical exercises that patient can do at home.  Each patient received different dietary recommendations because there is not such thing as one diet that fits all, a concept that we are struggling to prove wrong today.
Amazingly enough, ancient Chinese doctors were also aware that most of our immunity comes from our gut or Stomach and Spleen energies.  What we eat, how we eat it and most importantly how we digest it will have a direct impact on our energy, emotional state and immune system functioning.  After all, eating is something that we do multiple times every single day so it would be foolish to think that the quality of the food that we have consume will not have an impact on our health.  In order to increase the functioning of our immune system, it is important to increase the functioning of our gut.  How do you do that?

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1.  Regularly consume fermented foods rich in beneficial bacteria which help with digestive process.  Examples of fermented foods include: sauerkraut, kimchi, plain yogurt, kefir, miso, tempeh.  Small amount is all that you need but it has to be consumed regularly.  If you truly can’t stand any of these foods then it would be important to supplement with beneficial bacteria supplements.  I believe that no supplement can match the innate wisdom of food that nature has provided for us but something is better than nothing.  Acidophilus capsules can be found in most health food stores.  Feel free to contact me if you have questions about the brands that I recommend.

For more info on fermented food please visit: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/lacto.html

2.  Remove highly processed foods from your diet.  Avoid products made with artificial ingredients, colors, preservatives, partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated trans fats (e.g. margarine and other fake butter spreads, non dairy creamers,), artificial sweeteners, highly processed and bleached wheat flour. Bottom line is: if a product that you are buying has a ton of ingredients that you can’t even pronounce, it is fair to say that it contains artificial ingredients that are bad for you.  Ideally, you want to switch to real food that has no ingredients other than what it is e.g. apple, potato, celery, carrot, kale (you see where I am going with this one).  Artificial ingredients and chemicals tax our immune system.  Toxic chemicals are unfortunately a daily part of our lives so if we can give our body a little break by not consuming toxic foods, it will thank us by providing us with more energy, better digestion and a healthier immune system.

3.  Drink only small amounts of room temperature or warm liquids during your meal.  Large amounts of ice water can dilute digestive enzymes present in your saliva as well as slow down your digestive process.  Certain amount of heat has to be present in order for stomach to function efficiently and digest food. It is better to take small sips of hot tea, clear soup or room temperature water during meals or drink liquids 15-30 minutes after a meal.

4.  Eat at regular times.  Eating at regular times and starting your day with nutritious breakfast which contains protein helps keep your blood sugar stable and makes your crave less unhealthy foods.  Eating at regular times also helps with having regular bowel movements.

5.  Don’t eat late at night.  According to Chinese medicine, our digestive system receives the most energy between 7-9am.  Make the most out of your breakfast and lunch time and try to eat less in the evening.  Digestive system should be resting at night while you sleep as opposed to working hard to digest the food that was eaten shortly before bed time.  Laying down right after a meal can cause heart burn and can interfere with your sleep.

5.  Don’t eat while emotionally stressed.  When we are under stress, our sympathetic nervous system diverts blood flow from out gut to other places e.g. muscles (in order to prepare us for the “fight or flight” response).  Stress is also known to alter our appetite and while some people have no appetite at all while stressed, others tend to overeat.  It is also important not to eat in places that you associated with stress (e.g. place where you pay your monthly bills) but to reserve a calm, comfortable area where you can relax and enjoy your food.

6.  Take your time, chew properly and enjoy every bite.  Eating while driving, working on computer, talking on a phone or doing crossword puzzles interferes with proper digestive process.  It is not incidental that in most cultures people used to (or still do) say a short prayer right before they start their meal.  Having a small ritual, saying a prayer, or simply being grateful for the food that you have can trigger the release of digestive enzymes and prepare your body to accept the nourishment.

SPECIFIC FOODS THAT INCREASE IMMUNITY

Foods which increase energy of the Stomach and Spleen have traditionally been used in Chinese dietary therapy to improve energy and immunity.  The dietary treatment for Spleen qi deficiency involves foods that are either warming or at least neutral in their thermal nature.  Foods with cooling properties weaken digestion as well as “digestive fire” necessary for healthy extraction and absorption of nutrients.  In order to strengthen your immune system you should eat:

Vegetables. Mushrooms are especially helpful for immunity so are: onions and garlic, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, yams, peas, pumpkin, cabbage, kale, leeks, chives, parsnips, green leafy vegetables as well as sea vegetables like kelp and other seaweeds.  Avoid eating raw, uncooked vegetables since they take more energy to digest and can cause loose stools.  Small amounts of salad in addition to your meal is fine especially in the summer time when vegetables are fresh and abundant.

Whole grains.  Rice, barley, oats and quinoa are recommended.  If you experience excessive mucous and chronic nasal congestion you might want to experiment with completely avoiding wheat and wheat products for two weeks.  If you notice that your condition is getting better it means that you could have an intolerance to gluten.  Gluten intolerance is also known to cause infertility and recurrent miscarriage.

Fruits. In Chinese medicine, most fruit has cooling energetic nature.  That is why fruit is abundant during summer time or tropical climates.  It is used to refresh us and cool us down.   Fruits that has neutral temperature includes: cherries, apricots , peaches, berries and are more appropriate for people who tend to run cold.  Fruits should be eaten in larger amounts during summer time.  In winter time, cooking or baking fruit is more advisable.

Beans and legumes. Garbanzo beans are especially good for tonifying the Spleen energy.  Other beans like black bans, kidney beans and all forms of lentils are also helpful.  You can start your day by eating rice and beans for breakfast.  Beans digest slowly and keep your blood sugar levels even so you will feel full of energy and satisfied until lunch time.  You will also be less likely to reach out for sugary treats during the day.

Meats and fish. Small amounts of of chicken, beef and lamb are used to tonify the energy.  It is important that meat is of highest quality and organically raised.  Smaller fish like sardines, trout, mackerel should be eaten in larger quantity as opposed to large fish like tuna and salmon because larger fish contains higher mercury content.

Warming spices like onions, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, basil, dill, cumin and rosemary should be added to food.

Milk and dairy products.  Milk has a cooling energy and tends to exacerbate mucous conditions.  Small amounts of high quality raw milk can be consumed if you don’t suffer from too much mucous (or asthma).  Yogurt is best when consumed plain and it is easier to digest than plain milk.  For more information on milk and dairy please refer to my article “Got Real Milk?”.

Concept of Blood

The concept of blood (xue) in traditional Chinese medicine is closely related to the concept of blood in Western medicine except that it goes further to include functions such as tissue nourishment.  The diagnosis of “blood deficiency” in Chinese medicine often corresponds to iron deficiency anemia in Western medicine but a patient can still have “blood deficiency” by Chinese medical standards even though testing may reveal normal blood iron level.

During female monthly cycle, blood plays a major roll in nourishing the endometrium (uterine lining) and preparing it for embryo implantation.   Endometrial tissue is very sensitive to hormonal fluctuations and as it gets closer to the ovulation, estrogen production increases which in turn provokes endometrial lining to proliferate and produce more blood vessels.   Nice and rich uterine lining creates a fertile ground for the new life to develop.  If uterine lining is too thin the process of conception becomes more difficult.  Uterine lining can be seen and measured via ultrasound and the thickness between 8 and 13 millimeters in the second part of the cycle (after ovulation) is generally considered normal.

What Causes Blood Deficiency?

Women are especially prone to blood deficiency if they have a history of heavy periods.  It is important to replenish the blood that has been lost during the period by eating blood nourishing and iron rich foods.  Inadequate protein intake is a very common contributing factor as well.  If a woman is consuming vegan or vegetarian diet she has to be especially careful to include enough protein with every meal, supplement vitamin B12 as well as include cereal grasses like wheat grass and micro algae such as spirulina and chlorella .  According to Chinese medical theory, overexercising tends to consume the blood which is why most professional athletes tend to stop menstruating.

Inability to absorb nutrients and gastrointestinal bleeding are important contributors to blood deficiency.  If a person experiences digestive issues it is important to address them first before prescribing blood tonic herbs which can be difficult to digest.  Anxiety, worry and over thinking can interact with the digestive process since the way we process our emotions is directly linked to the way we process our nutrients.  That is why our gut has been referred to as our “second brain” and functional GI disorders are closely linked to the amount of stress that we experience.

Signs and Symptoms of Blood Deficiency

Typical signs and symptoms of blood deficiency include:

-history of irregular periods

-light and short menstrual bleeding

-amenorrhea (complete cessation of periods)

-fatigue especially during and after periods

-dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss

-thin body constitution

-tingling and numbness in extremities, muscle tension

-tendency toward constipation and dry stools

-pale complexion, pale tongue, thin and weak pulse

How is Blood Deficiency Treated?

Blood deficiency responds well to dietary changes and usage of blood building herbal tonics.  To enrich blood with nutrition there are two general approaches:  improving digestive function and absorption of nutrients and adding blood building foods.   General guidelines for improving overall digestive function include:

-remove processed and denatured foods from your diet

-reduce or completely avoid sugar

-include fresh vegetables on daily basis

-eat fruit when in season

-consume only best quality organic meats

-regularly consume  fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, miso,

-drink only room temperature water and herbal tea, avoid fruit juices, coffee (especially decaf), sodas, energy drinks

Foods that are specifically used to build blood include:

-animal protein: chicken/beef liver, lamb,beef, chicken, turkey, gelatin, mussels, oysters, sardines, eggs

-grains: rice, oats, wheat, bran flakes, millet

-legumes: lentils, beans (black, kidney, navy, pinto), garbanzo beans, mung beans,

-vegetables: green leafy veggies (swiss chard, spinach, kale), beets, seaweed, sprouts, artichokes, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, watercress

-fruits: cherries, all berries (blackberry, raspberry…), grapes, dried apricots, dried figs, prunes

-nuts and seeds: almond, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, cashew

-herbs/other: nettles, wheat grass, spirulina, royal jelly, mugwort, white peony root, angelica root, rhemannia root, blackstrap molasses

General suggestions:

-chew your food properly

-sit down when you eat and avoid watching TV, reading, talking on the phone while eating

-try to rest as much as possible during your period and keep you body well dressed and warm

-don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion

-use meditation or any other mind calming exercises that help you relax

RECIPE:

Fast Beet Root Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium beetroots, grated

1 large carrot, grated

1 onion, finely chopped

1 leek, cut into thin strips

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 liter/1 3/4 pints beef/chicken/vegetable stock (or plain water)

salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons natural yogurt

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the vegetables and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Before the end of cooking time add salt and pepper to taste. You can add yogurt just before serving.

Beetroot is nutritious and energizing, rich in potassium, silica, iron, amino acids and vitamins A, V and C. It is ideal blood tonic in anemia and is traditionally used in debilitating diseases and convalescence. Beef stock provides vital amino acids and nutrients for strengthening muscles and bones.

Why is this a reason for concern?

Well, there is nothing innately wrong with cow’s milk. The problem lies in the methods of production, preparation and amount of consumption. In the U.S., milk is usually served cold, unspiced, homogenized and in large amounts. Cows at the industrial farms are milked most of the day which makes them develop infections. In order to keep the production going, cows are given antibiotics as well as growth hormones so guess what?  All of that ends up in the milk that you drink. You would be shocked to know that FDA allows a certain percentage of pus from the infected udders to pass into the milk that you drink every day. And not to mention that these animals are kept indoors sometimes never seeing the sunlight and are given genetically modified grains and other foods that nature never intended for them.
Human beings are the only species that drink milk from another animal. However, since I am not an extremist in any sense, I think that people don’t have to completely give up the consumption of milk in order to stay healthy. As long as you are not allergic to it or notice symptoms such as: gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or increased phlegm production (to name a few) you should use it skillfully and in small amounts.

Here are some tips for your next milk shopping:

- Make sure that the milk that you are buying is not homogenized. Homogenization process denatures the milk of its natural enzymes that help its digestion. In the old days, milk used to be praised for the thickness of the cream that it contained on the top. The farmer that had the thickest cream on his milk used to be able to charge more money for it. Homogenization process disperses the fat and does not allow the cream to form on the surface. It is a completely unnecessary process and it makes the final product look nothing like real milk.

-Buy only organic and hormone free milk. Why would anybody add growth hormones and antibiotics to their body? There is absolutely no good reason for it.

-Fermented milk products like yogurt and kefir are easier on your digestive tract and have added benefits of adding friendly bacteria to your guts. The more friendly bacteria you have the better since it keeps the bad guys (unfriendly bacteria) in check. In many cultures people consume small amounts of fermented milk products every day in order to keep their digestive system healthy.

-Avoid pasteurized milk if possible. Pasteurization process has made mass-produced milk consumption safer in terms of eliminating bacterial contamination. However, pasteurization does not make the milk more digestible nor does it eliminate the risk of potential viral contamination. The incomplete heating of pasteurization seems to cause the partial breakdown of milk proteins into tangled coils. These disorganized tangles are difficult for digestive enzymes to hold on to and break down. For some people, this may be why pasteurized milk causes them to be constipated, while boiled raw milk does not (raw milk refers to the milk that has not been pasteurized nor homogenized and is hard to obtain in majority of stores unless you live in California, if you are motivated enough to look for it please see the websites listed on the bottom).

-If you are able to find raw milk, it is always good to boil it before consumption. You don’t need to boil it for long periods of time, it is enough if it boils once and then you can take it off the flame (make sure you watch it closely since it can boil over very fast).

-Since milk has cold energetic nature, it is always good to warm it up and add warming spices to it like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and black pepper. After warming, you can add a little bit of honey to enhance its healing properties.

Useful sites:

http://www.pcrm.org/ – Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

http://www.realmilk.com/ – A Campaign for Real Milk, distributors of raw milk

Sources:

http://www.alternet.org/story/13557/

The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar and Urmila Desai

More info: Weston Price Foundation

peaches
apples
bell peppers
celery
nectarines
strawberries
cherries
lettuce
grapes
spinach

Now for the good news: there are some fruits and vegetables that didn’t rank as high on the pesticide scale. These items are ones that you can afford (speaking from a health perspective) to buy the “regular” versions of:

onions
corn (frozen)
avocado
pineapple
mango
sweet peas (frozen)
asparagus
kiwi
bananas
cabbage
broccoli
eggplant

More info: Environmental Working Group

Good luck and check back often for some delicious and nourishing recipes!