How To Embrace Seasonal Eating With Traditional Chinese Medicine

In our fast-paced, modern world, where supermarkets offer a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables year-round, the concept of eating seasonally may seem quaint, perhaps even outdated. Yet, beneath the surface lies a profound wisdom—one that connects us to the rhythms of nature and offers a gateway to optimal health and sustainability.

Seasonal eating is not merely a culinary trend but a timeless practice deeply rooted in the ebb and flow of the natural world. It's about embracing the bounty of each season, savoring the freshness of local produce at its peak, and honoring the cyclical patterns of growth and harvest that shape our food supply.

In part two of the Chinese Medicine diet series, I dive into the basics of seasonal eating. From the vibrant colors of spring greens to the hearty root vegetables of autumn, each season offers a unique array of flavors and nutrients waiting to be savored. My goal is to help you discover the joys of eating in harmony with nature and learning how to cultivate a deeper connection to the food on our plates and our health.

Spring Food and Preparation: Wood Element

In Spring we naturally eat less as the weather warms and we feel the need to cleanse the body of the heavy foods of winter. The diet should contain foods that emphasize the Yang, expansive qualities of Spring. Start to incorporate foods like fresh greens and sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, lemons, and grapefruit.

It is recommended to increase sweet and pungent foods as they have expansive, rising qualities. Think mint tea, basil, fennel, rosemary, grains, legumes, beets, and carrots. Decrease salty foods as they have a descending quality and could clog Liver qi if consumed in excess.

Short cooking times are ideal in the Spring - like a quick saute or steam. If you live in a warmer climate, go ahead and eat some raw food, but for those in a more mild or cool climate, continue to cook your food to maintain digestive balance.

Summer Food and Preparation: Fire Element

Summer is the most Yang time of the year. It is a time of expansion and activity and our diet should reflect this. Use plenty of fresh produce, ideally what is in season in your region. Regularly add a little spicy or pungent flavors to promote sweating which will cool the body. When cooking food, use high heat for a very short period of time. On the warmest days, create cooling meals using foods such as cucumber, sprouts, apples, watermelons, and tofu.

Heavier foods, such as meat, eggs and large quantities of grains, nuts and seeds, can cause one to feel sluggish so be sure to either reduce those foods or balance them out with lighter foods with a bit of spice to them. It may sound counterintuitive, but eating warming spices will actually cool your body down by shunting heat to the surface allowing you to sweat. With heat on the surface, your body is mirroring the exterior climate and will be less affected by it. Peppers, ginger, and horseradish are excellent for this purpose. A little spicy salsa anyone?

Let’s talk about ice. Yes, a cold drink is so nice on a hot day and I will admit that I love a cold glass of tea or a smoothie. However, be attentive to your body if you consume a bunch of cold and raw foods and beverages as too much can weaken your digestive system.

Late Summer Food and Preparation: Earth Element

Late Summer is the transitional period from Yang to Yin. It occurs in the final month of summer when we are harvesting the bulk of our gardens. To attune with this season, choose foods that are harmonizing and centering. Mildly sweet, yellow or golden, round foods are ideal such as cabbage, potatoes, corn, garbanzo beans, carrots, squash, pumpkin, rice, amaranth, chestnuts, cantaloupe, and apricots.

Moderation should be the guide for food preparation. Use minimal seasonings for a more mild taste and use average cooking times and temperatures. Begin to decrease the amount of raw foods you are eating so as to not deplete the digestive fire. Avoid overeating (really you should avoid this at all times). While the flavor of the season is sweet, overconsumption of sweet or heavy foods (such as dairy, meat, and eggs) can lead to an increase in mucus or dampness in the body - often seen as obesity or phlegm. Balance sweet and heavy food consumption with bitter flavors, such as dandelion or chamomile tea

Autumn Food and Preparation: Metal Element

Autumn is the time to harvest the last produce from the garden and prepare for the cold months of winter ahead. It has an abundant yet contracting nature that we can aim to replicate with our meals. Ideally we use more astringent and heartier flavors and foods. Cooking methods become more involved during this time of year. Use more fragrant spices while also increasing cooking times with roasting, reducing, and sauteing.

Autumn tends to be dry, so incorporating some astringent foods like sauerkraut, sourdough, olives, leeks, salt, vinegar, and pickles can help to retain moisture in the body. However, be careful not to go overboard as small amounts have a strong effect. Increasing moistening foods, such as barley, pear, apple, persimmon, honey, nuts, eggs, milk, and mushrooms, can also help with the dryness of the season.

Gradually begin to introduce salty and bitter foods with their inward and downward movement - this is the movement of Qi during the winter. This is also cold and flu season so be sure to incorporate some dispersing, pungent foods like pepper, ginger, scallion, onions, mint, and garlic, especially if you feel run down or are typically susceptible to catching a fall cold.

Winter Food and Preparation: Water Element

Winter is the most Yin of all the seasons. The cold and darkness lead us to seek inner warmth and we often do so with comfort foods. Slow cookers are one of the best kitchen gadgets for preparing food low, slow, and hands free. Warm, hearty soups, whole grains, and roasted nuts are all wonderful this time of year.

Incorporating more bitter and salty foods is appropriate for winter since they promote an inward and downward Qi flow that is very centering. These foods should not be consumed in excess though as too much salt can lead to coldness and an overconsumption of water which weakens the Kidney and Bladder organs. Small amounts of bitter foods will nurture the deep inner experiences common during the winter months.

Embracing seasonal eating according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a holistic approach to wellness that harmonizes our bodies with nature's rhythms. By aligning our diets with the changing seasons, we not only nourish ourselves with the freshest and most suitable foods but also support our overall health and well-being.

Stay tuned for part three which will dive into more symptom specific food guidelines.