A little bit of a lecture then some good stuff! Life and health are so intertwined in our lives, you really can’t have one without the other. Although our goals in this century have been focused on youth and beauty, as I mentioned in my last blog, it fades through passages of life. The resilience of living is about awareness of your health, what you put in your mouth, how well you eliminate, what exercises you do to move the blood and chi through your body. If you are in relatively good health, you were given a gift - treat your body like that. As you know, our foods today are geared toward our tastes (which can change if you want it to!). The elements of taste to pay attention to from TCM:
The five elements of taste in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and pungent.
Salty
A cooling, moistening, and detoxifying flavor that enters the kidney channel
Purges and softens hardness and phlegm
Sweet
A tonifying, harmonizing, and decelerating flavor that influences the spleen, stomach, and pancreas
Strengthens and reinforces the body in cases of fatigue or deficiency
Bitter
A cleansing flavor that dries dampness and promotes urination
Clears heat and edema
A common flavor of herbs that support the circulatory and nervous system
Bitter flavors can warn us of potentially toxic substances
Sour
An astringent and absorbing flavor that holds in fluid and stops discharge
Associated with the liver and gallbladder, the wood element, green, and spring season
Examples include lemon, vinegar, and fermented food
Pungent
A flavor that disperses and promotes the circulation of Qi and Blood
Associated with metal and autumn, pungent foods are said to benefit the colon and lungs
Each element enhances your health but excess over any of them is detrimental, which leads to imbalances!
Be aware of how each taste, in balance, feels and incorporate them in your meals for a balanced health!
Live long, Live healthy!
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