What and how we eat can make a big difference to our digestion. Here are some general and specific tips to help you if you’re experiencing Wind Cold as diagnosed by your Chinese Medicine practitioner.
• Include a large variety of foods in the diet.
• Live on a mainly vegetarian diet of light, simple foods.
• Eat largely whole, unprocessed foods.
• Chew and swallow slowly.
• Relax whilst eating; avoid eating while reading, watching TV or rushing.
• Eat regularly. The amount of food and time of meals should be similar every day. Optimal is breakfast at about 7 A.M., lunch around 12 noon and supper at 6 P.M.
• Food intake should be greatest in the morning, a moderate amount at lunch, and a small amount at the evening meal.
• Eat small amounts of food frequently rather than large amounts of food infrequently.
• Avoid eating when in any kind of extreme emotional state.
• Eat moderately at each meal; eat until only 2/3 full.
• Eat clean, fresh, organic and seasonally ripe produce as often as possible.
• Avoid extremes in the diet, such as too hot, spicy, too raw, too cold, or too greasy.
• Balance the five flavours; sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty, to the best of your ability. Ask your practitioner for clarification on flavour categorisation.
• Avoid eating anything 2-3 hours before sleep.
Specific advice for Wind Cold
Have:
Ginger, scallion, chillies, coriander and cabbage.
Tea – Try Green tea mixed with Peppermint tea. Fresh Ginger tea with a bit of brown sugar is also good.
Breakfast – An example of a good breakfast is hot oats with honey (or pure maple syrup) and powdered cinnamon.
Soup – Miso Soup with Scallions
Simply bring 2-3 cups of filtered or spring water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of miso paste, let dissolve. Cook for 10 minutes on low flame.
Taste. If the flavour is too strong, add some water, vegetable or chicken broth. Chop the scallions and sprinkle about a teaspoon on top of your miso soup in the bowl.
Avoid:
Vinegar
