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NaturalWay – Margit Slimáková

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TCM Nutrition Throughout The Year

The goal of nutrition in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is finding energetically-balanced food to build a healthy body, prevent disease, and treat already present health problems in gentle way. Energetically-balanced nutrition, from a Chinese perspective, means the intake of foods of different flavors, "energies" and functions in the body, in accordance with the individual's constitutional needs and the seasons. 

Five Elements

In traditional Chinese medicine the "five elements" theory is used to interpret the relationship between the human body and the natural environment. This theory states that wood, fire, earth, metal, and water represent the basic elements of the material world. According to TCM teachings, the elements coexist in complex relationships and their dominance changes according to the day, the season and the year. 

Spring is the Start of All Things 

Spring corresponds to the wood element and should be seen from the perspective of human development, through birth to childhood. With respect to a day, wood represents morning.

Wood is characterized by rapid growth and development. A yin organ of the wood element is the liver, whereas the yang organ is represented by the gallbladder. The role of liver in the body is to receive and process energy and, according to TCM, the liver also controls muscle tone and vision.

Spring is an ideal time for light, easily digestible meals. It is recommended to choose foods with a sour flavor, which supports liver energy. If one has a tendency towards stress or lethargy, it is also suitable to prepare some naturally sweet foods. The best cooking method in the spring is steaming. 

Summer is the Time of Growth

Summer is represented by the fire element and in human life it is a time of growth and sexual awakening. With respect to a day, summer represents noon. Fire gives us warmth and light.

Within our bodies, this element is expressed in the heart and the small intestine. Foods representing fire have a bitter taste and are dry; they can reduce tension, facilitate digestion and may also be helpful in addressing obesity.

Good examples of fire foods are dark green lettuce leaves and wild herbs. During the summer it is best to eat easily digestible, fresh or only semi-cooked food.

It is wise to avoid extended cooking and baking and one should use only the minimum of salt and oil. The most suitable cooking method is shallow-frying. 

Late Summer is the Center of Life

Late summer is a time of ripening and balance. This period represents "harvest" and the full enjoyment of what we have achieved.

The earth element represents late summer and also represents "Doyo" which are the transitions between all the elements (four periods of 18 days each year). In relation to a day, the earth element refers to late afternoon.

It is expressed by a sweet taste and constitutes a large part of a normal daily diet. But for those who would like to think that this is carte blanche for a diet of Coke and  candy bars, I should add that I am referring to the natural sweetness of fruit, vegetables and grains. According to TCM, the earth element is responsible for the distribution of fluids and therefore provides elasticity to one's tissues and muscles.

Stomach, spleen and pancreas represent the earth element and their main tasks are digestion and the absorption of nutrients. The energy balance of these organs will be disturbed by eating too quickly and also by the consumption of processed food with unnatural additives.

It is best to eat well, but eat slowly. The best cooking method in late summer is short boiling. 

Autumn is the time to Harvest

Fall is not just harvesting time, but also a slow farewell to summer. In our day, it stands for evening. This season is represented by the element metal and within our own bodies by the lungs and the colon. The metal element in our diet is expressed as a sharp taste, such as one gets from radishes or ginger.Longer cooking is required at this time of year.

Winter, which Ends the Year and also One's Life

In TCM, winter is symbolized by the water element. In human life, this element represents old age and quietness, but also wisdom and inner wealth. The typical taste is salty, which can be found in all marine products.

Organs belonging to the water element are the kidneys and the bladder. These are particularly sensitive to exposure to cold and it is necessary to protect them during the winter with warming foods.

Just imagine how disturbing for the body are all the tropical fruits and cold drinks consumed in the winter. From this perspective, it is much better in the winter to eat dried fruit rather than fresh tropical fruit. The ideal winter dishes include heavy warm soups and stews, as well as cereals. The best cooking method is slow baking.

Do we all have to eat like the Chinese in order to benefit from TCM nutritional wisdom?

For sure we do not. Neither do we have to eat only with chopsticks or dine almost exclusively on rice. What we need is to understand our own unique constitution, either from the perspective of TCM or from other traditional systems such as, for example, Ayurveda. We also need to be aware that our lifestyle/nutrition choices should follow both the seasons of the year and the environment we are living in. 

Still, it is good to remember that natural food, that which is produced organically and without genetic modification, is far healthier than most commercially processed food. 

Some Easy Rules to Follow:

In TCM, winter is symbolized by the water element. In human life, this element represents old age and quietness, but also wisdom and inner wealth. The typical taste is salty, which can be found in all marine products.