How to eat and prepare for the 4 seasons in TCM

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers that eating locally and according to seasonal influence is not something new or trendy, but rather essential for good health. Essentially, when in doubt, try to eat whatever is plentiful and locally grown because this is essentially what nature intended for your body at the time. Also, in general, try not to eat cold or raw foods without first drinking something warm (even a cup of hot water), as this is good for the Spleen and Stomach, the organs responsible for digestion in your body (take Note that capitalized terms are made to differ from their scientific definitions).

The following will give you some more specific ideas on how to act and what to eat, as well as what to avoid during the four seasons based on TCM theory.

Spring (unsurprisingly) is the season of rebirth and new growth, and your Yang energy must now be nurtured as you begin to protect your Yin energy. And according to traditional Chinese medicine, spring is associated with the liver, which is mainly affected by sour tastes. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the amount of acidic foods you eat and increase sweet and spicy flavors, as this will help your Liver do its job of regulating and smoothing the flow of Qi in your body. So fruit and other natural sugars are recommended, albeit in moderation because raw fruit is cold by nature and in spring your body is still fresh from the not-so-long winter. Spicy foods like garlic and chili peppers should also start to be used.

After the cold of winter, you may have developed signs of residual heat if your Yin was not properly nourished (see ‘Winter’ below). Such signs of heat can include a dry throat, bad breath, or constipation. Foods like bananas (ripened), pears, celery, and cucumber can help.

In general, spring foods to try to eat include asparagus, broccoli, snap peas, green leafy vegetables, spinach, mushrooms (especially morels), fiddleheads, and ramps.

Just like the fast-growing plants in summer, people act with more energy, and the Qi and Blood in our body become relatively more vigorous compared to the other seasons. Therefore, Yang energy must be nurtured and, as summer is associated with your Heart, you must reduce the amount of bitter flavors you consume while reaching for more spicy, sour and salty foods. Therefore, it is advisable in the summer to avoid foods such as coffee, tea, nuts, dark leafy greens, and grapefruit. Instead, you should try to eat foods like watermelon, berries, tomatoes, cucumber, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, summer squash, beans, okra, zucchini, fermented foods, garlic, and chili peppers.

In nature, fall is the time when things start to calm down and prepare for winter. Then you should also start engaging in less activity and start preserving your Yang energy while nurturing your Yin. Fall also correlates to your lung system in TCM, which is more easily affected by dryness. Therefore, you want to start nourishing your Yin energy now, promoting the production of bodily fluids and Blood. Dry weather can lead to a sore throat, thirst, chapped lips, dry skin, and other signs and symptoms of dryness in your body.

You can help mitigate potential problems as you prepare for winter by eating seasonal foods such as: root vegetables, squash, apples, pears, cruciferous vegetables (for example, Brussels sprouts or broccoli), pomegranates, dates, kiwis, grapefruit, and tangerines.

To further nourish your Yin in autumn, try to opt for sour and astringent flavors and eat more foods like lemons, pineapples and pickled foods. Try to avoid foods that will open your pores and/or promote sweating, such as garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and other spicy and/or aromatic foods.

Reducing your activity and even the number of hot showers you have at this time of year will also help you preserve your Yang energy.

By winter, you should be well accustomed to the foods and practices you started in the fall, and now religiously stick to the foods mentioned above and almost hibernate in terms of physical activity, almost never inducing perspiration. This will help ensure that your Yin continues to be nourished for this tough season ahead, and your Yang is preserved for the eventual spring season.

Since TCM believes that in winter our diet should be adapted to focus on enriching Yin and mastering Yang, we should add foods that are higher in calories, especially those rich in protein, to our diet. It’s not wise to lose a lot of weight (if at all) during the winter, but you don’t have to gain any if you’re careful. Just add a little more red meat, duck, and eggs, or foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, and coconut if you’re a vegetarian.

Winter is the season of the Kidney energy system in TCM, which does not like salty foods and prefers bitter foods. Bitter-tasting foods include: apricots, asparagus, celery, coffee, tea, grapefruit, hops, rutabaga, lettuce, radish leaves, kale, vinegar, and wine.

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