You are what's eating what you eat

Did you know that there are billions of tiny organisms living in your small and large intestines, and that some actually help your body digest and use the nutrients in food?   If you've ever heard people talk about eating yogurt or taking pro-biotics, they're trying to populate their gut with the 'good' kind of bacteria in an effort to keep other less desirable organisms (like yeast) at bay

.One recent study on intestinal bacteria found that we can basically be divided into three distinct types of bacterial makeup - kind of like blood types.  Just like you might have O- or AB+ blood, the composition of your gut flora will likely match one of three types, or enterotypes as the researchers call them.  This research is still somewhat limited but in the future may lead explanations as to why some people have certain cravings more than others, like a sweet-tooth for example, or why different people respond to certain foods or drugs differently.

New research is also shedding light on another function of these intestinal bacteria.  A recent article in Scientific American reported on a study that shows that the bacteria in the digestive tracts of mice actually influences their brain development and mood.  Mice with less intestinal flora were found to have less anxiety and higher levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and seratonin.

It remains to be seen what either of these studies mean for humans, but the fact that these bacteria are an important part of our body ecology is clear.  Imbalances of these bacteria can be part of the cause of many conditions, ranging from eczema to allergies to irritable bowel disease.

So how do you keep a healthy balance of intestinal flora? Imbalances are most often caused by use of antibiotics, stress, and poor diet, especially a diet high in sugar and sulfites and low in fiber.  If you do have to take antibiotics for an infection, or if you're going through a particularly stressful period, try to supplement with yogurt or pro-biotic supplements, and stick to a diet low in sugar and high in fibrous vegetables to promote the return of healthy flora.

Reducing Dampness with Nutrition

Now that you know which foods will increase damp stagnation in your body, you may be wondering, "What are some foods I can eat that will get rid of some of this dampness my acupuncturist is always talking about?"  Here we will give you some general suggestions and ways to think about balancing your diet to decrease damp stagnation in your body.  As always, TCM looks at each person individually, so talking to a licensed acupuncturist about your specific constitution is an important part of this process, especially if you are having heat or inflammation symptoms.

There are a few different components to addressing damp stagnation in the body:

1)  Support your body's natural ability to heal by supporting your digestive system.

Think of your digestive system as a fire that cooks your food to break it down into small bits your body can use.  This image helps you understand why Chinese medicine says that warm, cooked foods are easier to digest and better for you.  Cold foods or raw foods like salads strain your digestive fire because your body has to work that much harder to digest your food.  Your acupuncturist may have told you to avoid ice water and cold drinks for the same reason.  Warm water and tea are also much better to support your digestion than iced drinks or even cold water from the tap.  Occasionally a cold drink is ok, especially when the weather is warmer, but not as a general rule.

Similarly, eating a big meal also taxes your digestive fire, so eating less at each meal - even if it means eating more frequently, like 5-6 small meals throughout the day - is much better for supporting digestion than a big meal that leaves you stuffed to the gills.  If you're feeling sleepy after you eat, you probably ate too much!

Eating in a calm way and paying attention to your food also supports digestion.  Eating on the run or while working will leave you less satisfied and in TCM theory, stress taxes your ability to digest your food, leaving more dampness hanging around!

warming and aromatic spices

As for foods that support digestion, aromatic,warming spices (but not chili-spicy) are good for promoting digestion.  Spices such as caraway seed, fennel seed, mustard seed, saffron, and ginger and turmeric roots are all good for warming and aiding digestion gently.  Yellow and orange foods (cooked) like carrots, squash, parsnips and yam all support digestion as well, according to TCM.

Another way you can aid your digestion is to  soak, or even sprout, grains and legumes before cooking.  If you're cooking rice or another whole grain, soaking it first changes its chemical composition slightly to make it easier to digest.

2) Clear the dampness.

So you've cut out the damp-producing sugar, fried foods, dairy, and processed-flour foods, and you're eating smaller amounts of warming, cooked foods and soaking your grains before eating them.  Now what to do with that damp stagnation that just won't leave on its own?  Like that last guest at the party who just doesn't know it's time to go, damp stagnation can really stick around.  There are a few kinds of foods that can really help get rid of dampness

:Bitter foods:  TCM considers bitter-tasting foods to have a draining property.  Leafy green vegetables like kale, mustard greens, dandelion greens, parsley, and celery are good examples of bitter foods.  Also, citrus peels are bitter, so oranges eaten with the white inner peel, or lemon/orange peel zest added to meat dishes can help reduce dampness.   Turnips, radish, kohlrabi, asparagus, and broccoli are great as well.

Fiberous foods:  Foods with high fiber content will also help to clear dampness from the body.  A special bean for draining dampness is the Aduki bean (the red bean commonly used in desserts) which can easily be mixed in with a hot breakfast cereal of whole grains.  Speaking of whole grains, another special food for draining dampness is Job's Tears.  It is sometimes called Pearl Barley (not to be confused with pearled barley).  If you can't find Job's tears, Quinoa and Amaranth are grains that also have a slightly draining property.

3) Move the Stagnation.You knew it was coming.  There's only one way to really move stagnation.  It is free of charge and requires no appointments.  Exercise, even walking after dinner for 20 minutes each day, is an essential part of getting rid of damp stagnation.  This is not about weight loss - exercise moves your blood and qi, which helps your body cleanse itself, stokes your digestive fire, and gives you more energy.    There are a lot of ways to get more exercise (take the stairs, etc) that have been written about for eons and everybody has some kinds they prefer over others. Your exercise should get your heart rate up and be appropriate for your body's ability, but whatever type it is, exercise is a must.

Dampness? What IS that?

Dampness is a term that many people who have gone to an acupuncturist have heard about.  It is considered a pathogen in Chinese Medicine that enters the body and causes disease.  Some general symptoms of dampness include: sluggish digestion, having a hard time waking up in the morning, foggy thinking, fatigue, and a heavy feeling in your head or limbs.

Dampness can be a facet of diseases ranging from diabetes to arthritis to asthma to basic poor digestion and bloating.  Other diseases that may be partly due to damp stagnation include chronic yeast infections, chronic allergies, asthma, rhinitis, chronic inflammation, heart disease, and PCOS, to name a few.*  Dampness is the hardest pathogen to eliminate from the body once it's there, and the main entry point for dampness is your mouth - that is, the foods you eat.

To understand the concept of dampness, think of a musty, moldy basement.  Think of cholesterol-lined arteries.  Think of your sinuses when they're clogged.  Gross!  But we need these images because damp-producing foods taste sooo goooood. The Typical American Diet is replete with these damp-producing types of foods:

• Sugar - damp itself, and also feeds dampness-producing yeast and bacteria

• Alcohol - don't those symptoms listed above sound a bit like a hangover?

• Dairy - damp/phlegm-producing goodness

• Fried foods - and too many unhealthy fats in general

• Processed wheat flour products - remember elementary school science, when you made paste out of flour and water? Now think of your intestines.

Changing your diet to consume less damp-producing foods is a great step towards health.  We are not suggesting that you never ever eat any of these foods, but if you have a condition with a lot of dampness, it's a good idea to limit your intake and give your body a chance to heal.  We also recommend limiting your intake of nut butters and sticking to unsaturated-fat oils for cooking during that time.  Some people's bodies handle dampness better than others.  Depending on your body, if you're eating enough vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fruits, and getting regular exercise, a little damp once in a while isn't the end of the world.

We're not all about denial here in the land of TCM - There are many foods that you CAN eat to treat dampness.*  Sticking to a high fiber diet is a good way to start.  For more information, see our article on ways to reduce dampness with nutrition.

*As always with TCM, every body is different and requires different foods for balance.  Consult with a Chinese Medicine practitioner about diagnosis and food choices specific to your needs.

Nutrition Basics

"Eat this fat, don't eat that fat."  "Eggs are high in cholesterol -- but they're a good source of protein."  "Alcohol is bad, but red wine can be good for you."  If you're new to healthy eating, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed with all the information that's out there about nutrition.

If you're interested in moving towards a healthier diet, forget about the details for a minute and start with the basics.  Here are a few general tips to keep in mind:

Cook at home more often

We all love to go out for a good meal, and with our busy lives, it can be hard to cook at home all the time.  However, between the large portion sizes and the amount of oil, butter and salt that is used in restaurant food, eating at home the majority of the time is a major step you can take towards healthier eating, and a healthier wallet!  With a little planning, it doesn't have to take up a lot of time.

If you are someone who really goes out to eat a lot, here's a great book we've found that shows you how to cook meals that are similar to restaurant meals, but for less calories and saturated fat. The Cook This! Not That! series uses easy-to-find ingredients to help you cook at home more often, instead of going out to restaurants.

Eat more beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains

Eating more beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains will automatically make your diet healthier.  Besides containing necessary vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function, beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grain foods are full of fiber.  Fiber is important for our health in so many ways, and most Americans are not getting close to enough fiber in their diets.  For more information on fiber and your health, click here.  By focusing on getting more of these four types foods everyday, you take a huge step towards better nutrition.

Some examples of whole grains are millet, quinoa, brown rice, and barley.  Ideally, they should be soaked for at least a few hours before you cook them, as soaking grains makes them easier to digest.  Whole wheat is ok as a bread choice, but wheat contains a lot of gluten which contributes to dampness in the body (see below).  Many people are very sensitive to wheat and do not realize it, so we suggest limiting your wheat intake, even whole wheat.  Sprouted wheat breads seem to be a better choice, and now there are many options for gluten-free bread or breads made from other grains, such as spelt.

Avoid the Four Damps

Dampness is a term in Chinese Medicine that many people who have gone to an acupuncturist have heard about.  To understand the concept of dampness, think of a musty, moldy basement.  Think of cholesterol-lined arteries.  Think of your sinuses when they're clogged.  Gross!  But we need these images because these foods taste sooo goooood. The Typical American Diet is replete with these four damp-producing foods:

• Sugar - damp itself, and also feeds dampness-producing yeast and bacteria - this includes alcohol!

• Dairy - damp/phlegm-producing yumminess

• Fried foods - and too many saturated fats in general

• Processed wheat flour products - remember elementary school science, when you made glue out of flour and water? Now think of your intestines.

In TCM practice, dampness is one of the most difficult pathogens to get rid of, so changing your diet to consume less damp-producing foods is a great step towards health. We are not suggesting that you never ever eat any of these foods, but we are suggesting that you seriously limit your intake.  How long would it take that musty basement to dry out after a flood?  Depending on your body, if you're eating enough vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fruits, a little damp once in a while isn't necessarily the end of the world.

Journal about your food for a week

An important first step when trying to move towards a healthier diet is to really look at what you are actually eating now and how it is affecting you.  How do you feel after you eat pancakes?  I personally get really sleepy, so now I know that if I have pancakes, I have to be prepared for a nap later.  It's not that I never eat pancakes, but now I know what to expect if I do.   Are you actually getting a healthy amount of fiber?  I thought I was until I realized that an apple only has 3 grams of fiber!  What are the emotions that pull you to eat those damp foods, or to keep eating after you're full?   Keeping a journal is not about writing down every calorie you eat or drink, but about keeping track of your moods, cravings, and other changes in bodily functions at the same time as the foods you're eating to get a sense of how different foods are affecting your body.

Fiber facts

High-fiber diets are recommended for prevention of all kinds of health issues, including Type II Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol, heart disease, and colorectal cancers.  We have been hearing about fiber for decades, but eating enough fiber is so important to our health that the basics bear reviewing.

There are essentially two kinds of fiber: water-soluble and water-insoluble.

Insoluble fiber is important for promoting bowel movements and maintaining bowel health.  This is incredibly important, not just for comfort-sake (as anyone who has been constipated will tell you) but also because bowel movements are one of the main ways that our bodies excrete toxins from the body.

Soluble fiber has many important effects as well.  It has been shown to:

• lower blood cholesterol by lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDL - the cholesterol you want Less of).

• control blood sugar by slowing the absorption of sugars. (This is why eating an apple won't spike your blood sugar levels as high as drinking apple juice, which has all the fiber removed.)

• help with weight loss by providing bulk to a meal with less calories as well as requiring more chewing time for each bite, making it harder to over-eat.

Getting more fiber actually isn't that hard to do and just involves a few mindful choices at the grocery store and in your meal planning.  Click here for tips on getting more fiber in your daily diet.

Easy Ways to Add More Fiber to your Diet

Fiber is an important part of our diet for many reasons.  The American Dietetic Association recommends that adults eat 20-35 g of fiber a day.  When you consider that one apple only has 3 grams of fiber, 35g may seem like an unreachable goal, but fear not, because it actually isn't as hard as it seems, and it doesn't require drinking your grandfather's gritty fiber supplement!  These are a few guidelines to keep in mind when you're grocery shopping to help you increase your fiber intake:

• Eat more beans and lentils, by far the highest source of fiber in our diet. Substitute beans for meat a few days a week.

• Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juices.

• Choose whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, and millet instead of processed breads, pasta, and couscous (which is really a pasta)

• Choose high-fiber, whole grain breads such as whole wheat or European-style bread (this bread makes delicious toast)

• Choose a high-fiber cereal such as Kashi Go Lean! Crunch, or Fiber-One.

• Buy high fiber snacks such as carrots, snap peas, almonds, walnuts, and fruit

• Eat your vegetables! There are many ways to make vegetables taste good. Check out this simple greens recipe from Debra Zambetti's blog, Savor Life.

To help you see how it's actually not that hard to eat 35 g of fiber in a day, I've compiled 2 sample days of fiber-containing foods.  Even if you don't eat this way everyday, it's easy to throw an apple and some almonds in your bag to munch on at work instead of hitting the vending machine.  Small changes in the choices you make can have big effects on your health.

Sample combinations for a day’s worth of fiber:

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal       9 g
(sprinkled with)  1 tsp ground flax seeds           2 g
1 serving Almond milk                                           1 g

Lunch: your choice of sandwich on
2 slices whole wheat bread                                   6 g
1 oz roasted almonds                                             3.3 g
1 medium apple                                                      3.3 g

Dinner: 1 cup brown rice                                   3.5 g
1 serving lentil stew                 6 g1
cup steamed broccoli                                           3 g

Total fiber = 37.1 g

____________________________________________

Breakfast: 1 Mestemacher sunflower bread 6 g
(toasted, with)  2 Tbsp almond butter              3 g
1 medium banana                                                  3 g

Lunch: bean salad 1 cup  (green/yellow/kidney)          6 g
Tabouli salad 1 cup                                                6 g

Dinner: 1 c  brown rice                                       3.5 g
1/2 c black beans                                                     7.5 g
1 medium tomato diced                                          1.5 g
1/4 avocado diced                                                    2.5 g

Total fiber =  39 g

Of course, this may not be all you eat in a day, but here you can see that it actually isn't that hard to get a good amount of fiber on a daily basis.

[As a point of reference, here are a few common high fiber foods with their fiber content:

]Kidney beans                                          8.2 g per 1/2c

Lentils                                                       7.8 g per 1/2c

Black beans                                              7.5 g per 1/2c

Sweet potato (medium)                        4.8 g

Apple (medium)                                      3.3 g