“I look at food and feel nauseous”
“All I do is sweat and all I want to do is sleep all day.”
I feel your pain. It’s late summer again in September and it’s hard to know what to eat or how to get and stay cool without spending the day in the pool, if you have one.
Many of us are eating raw or cold foods, to stay cool or because it’s too hot to cook. Unfortunately that is putting the stomach fire out; aka: shutting down the gastric cells in the stomach, and adding even more mucus to the stomach. Hence the slightly nauseous feeling or just not wanting to eat at all.
So what to do? It’s about balance. In this East Asian Medicine model too much of one extreme turns into it’s opposite. We try to balance the heat by eating or drinking cold. Yet no matter how much we drink we are still hot. The problem? We are creating cold stagnation in the stomach trying to cool ourselves down and that is making more heat. Stagnation creates heat.
Here are some alternative suggestions, try them and see what works for you:
Add to your salads: arugula, or grated radish [red or Dikon], or cut up basil leaves [digestive aids]
Drink hot tea with meals that are heavy or greasy to help you digest your food, or the grease congeals like butter in the fridge.
Use higher protein carbs like beans or Quinoa rather than wheat or corn pasta.
Eat light soups with lots of vegetables and beans; cabbage, beets, green beans, etc.
Eat more fish.
Most people don’t realize you actually get cooler if you drink something hot rather than cold. I learned that living in Phoenix. Your body temperature goes down and your digestion improves.
Here’s a salad:
Spinach, red onion, sliced almonds, strawberries, feta cheese, light balsamic dressing
Here is a balanced tea remedy:
Peppermint is a great cooling tea to drink, just add a little basil to keep the digestion strong. FYI: peppermint is not so good for people with reflux because it inhibits the gastric juice cells. The basil will balance that.
Use peppermint tea in a tepid water foot bath to cool down.
You can also check out the “Insomnia & Addictions” page under the menu heading “Coping with Changes” for more heat clearing ideas.
September is also a time for cleansing, our homes, our bodies, our minds. Look at some of the religious holidays around this time of year. It’s a time to evaluate where we are in our lives and choose our habits wisely.
I love to collect, but resist the emptying process. This has been a good time for me to practice cleaning stuff out. Hey it’s a new moon, new beginnings!
Here is a video that will help clear your mind and heart.