Why salads aren’t always (gasp!) good for you
By Dr. Angela Warburton, TCM
We’ve all heard it 1,000 times – if you want to eat well, lose weight or be healthy, you should eat more salad. There is no question that leafy greens, whole foods and lots of vegetables are good for you, but what you might want to examine is how you eat those nutrient packed bowls of goodness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on the principle of balance – the idea that if the body is in balance we are healthy, pain-free and have ample energy. That applies to internal and personal factors (work stress, exercise, healthy diet, emotional stressors, sleep patterns etc.) but applies to our balance within the environment and within the seasons as well.
So what exactly does that mean? Much of it is intuitive, like bundling up in the winter or staying in the shade and decreasing activity in the hot sun or craving warm drinks in the frigid months and cooler ones in summer. Restaurants offering ice water even if it’s minus 20 outside is an example of how we’ve drifted from our body’s intuitive wisdom and sometimes choose habit over what’s most balancing and healthful.
Think of your digestive system as a furnace. You need to be continually stoking that digestive fire in order for it to break down the food and send out the nutrients to your body. If you’re continually taking in cold foods and beverages, you’re making your system work extra hard to heat up in order to absorb nutrients. In the fall and winter months, your body is already exerting effort in keeping your body warm against the cold of the season so this is the most important time to support it.
By making your diet rich in warm cooked foods when it’s cold out, and having fewer cold salads, for instance, your body will thank you. Even though ‘raw’ foods may be promoted as having more nutrients, if your body is unable to digest and assimilate them properly, you’re not receiving the health benefits. By lightly cooking and steaming your foods, you’re maintaining nutrients and maximizing absorption. T’is the season for soups, steamed veggies and stews. Eat warm and be well!
By Dr. Angela Warburton, TCM
We’ve all heard it 1,000 times – if you want to eat well, lose weight or be healthy, you should eat more salad. There is no question that leafy greens, whole foods and lots of vegetables are good for you, but what you might want to examine is how you eat those nutrient packed bowls of goodness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on the principle of balance – the idea that if the body is in balance we are healthy, pain-free and have ample energy. That applies to internal and personal factors (work stress, exercise, healthy diet, emotional stressors, sleep patterns etc.) but applies to our balance within the environment and within the seasons as well.
So what exactly does that mean? Much of it is intuitive, like bundling up in the winter or staying in the shade and decreasing activity in the hot sun or craving warm drinks in the frigid months and cooler ones in summer. Restaurants offering ice water even if it’s minus 20 outside is an example of how we’ve drifted from our body’s intuitive wisdom and sometimes choose habit over what’s most balancing and healthful.
Think of your digestive system as a furnace. You need to be continually stoking that digestive fire in order for it to break down the food and send out the nutrients to your body. If you’re continually taking in cold foods and beverages, you’re making your system work extra hard to heat up in order to absorb nutrients. In the fall and winter months, your body is already exerting effort in keeping your body warm against the cold of the season so this is the most important time to support it.
By making your diet rich in warm cooked foods when it’s cold out, and having fewer cold salads, for instance, your body will thank you. Even though ‘raw’ foods may be promoted as having more nutrients, if your body is unable to digest and assimilate them properly, you’re not receiving the health benefits. By lightly cooking and steaming your foods, you’re maintaining nutrients and maximizing absorption. T’is the season for soups, steamed veggies and stews. Eat warm and be well!
