How and where you eat is important

“Everything starts with what you eat, and how you eat it!” 

How you eat is important and the environment where you are eating is important.  I want to focus on how you eat, the mechanics, what other things you are doing whilst eating and how the body reacts afterwards.  A few things to consider:

• Are you sitting down, eating in a relaxed manner and enjoying your food? 

• Are you rushing around while you take in food? 

• Do you choose foods that are convenient rather than nutrient rich? 

• Do you eat really quickly? Are you feeling bloated or tired after a meal?

• what is your constitution? are you able to eat all the things without any ill effects? do you have a sensitive tummy and have to be cautious of certain foods?

By being mindful when eating, your body is able to focus on the task of digestion.  Ideally, you want to eat in a pleasant  and relaxed environment away from your computer screen or work desk.

In TCM, the Spleen Qi energy is used to digest food and information. If you regularly find yourself eating while replying to a work email or finishing your uni assignment; you may notice that you’ll have trouble concentrating on the task at hand; possibly experiencing digestion symptoms (like bloating or feeling gassy) or focus/concentration symptoms (like loss of focus or clear thinking).  The likely cause being that you have diverted your Spleen Qi energy from both tasks so that digestion and critical thinking have both been compromised.

If possible, try to eat your main meals at the same time every day as the spleen loves routine. This will help make the spleen happy.  When the Spleen is happy, digestion is working better.

Is eating salads healthy?

Well, this is a loaded question as Western culture considers salads to be healthy; however in TCM, warm cooked foods are healthy as they are easier to digest.  This is partially determined by your constitution. The spleen prefers warmth as that keeps the digestive fire active and working well.  This includes a preference for foods that are warm and cooked. This is the optimal temperature for digestion in TCM. Soups and stews are great as they have been cooked for a longer period making the food more tender and easier to digest.  

Consider this, If you are eating only raw and cold foods like salad, then over time, you are introducing a lot of coldness into your digestive fire, which may eventually weaken or dim the digestive fire meaning the spleen and stomach functions eventually become weakened. Your digestion gets affected giving rise to symptoms like bloating, gas, fatigue, stomach cramps, puffiness all over, irregular bowel movements or easy weight gain that is hard to shift. 

The Spleen has a Goldilocks zone

The Spleen energy has a Goldilocks zone where it is happy, you are digesting well and everything is working well together.

We want to make life easy for the spleen:

•  Chew each mouthful of food thoroughly. If your mouth is doing most of the work, once the foods gets to your spleen, all the churning has been achieved and the spleen can get to digesting the food, transforming it into the nutrients, blood and Qi energy for your body to use. 

What if I skip breakfast?

A lot of my clients tell me that when they wake up, they are not hungry and then tend to skip breakfast. Upon further questioning, we work out that they are eating a large meal close to their bedtime.

When you are eating your largest meal late at night, you are not allowing enough time for digestion to be completed before sleep. You end up going to bed with a full stomach and waking up not feeling hungry. 

 To help with this; Consider changing the sizes of your main meals – ideally, make breakfast your largest meal of the day and progressively reduce the size of your meals, so dinner should be the smallest main meal.

Sometimes people just can’t eat breakfast in the mornings. This can indicate you have a Damp body pattern, which is a great topic for a different article as it can get a bit complicated. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be helpful

What can I do to help improve digestion?

Two simple things that you can do for yourself to help aid digestion: 

• go for a 10 - 15 minute walk after your meal. Walking will boost metabolism and encourage digestion. A steady walking pace where having a conversation without becoming breathless is a good pace; we aren’t trying to break world records.

• a gentle massage of your abdomen after a meal can also help with digestion. Start on the right hand – side, just below your ribs and with a gentle but consistent pressure, rub in a big circle, clockwise. This follows the pathway of digestion in the intestines.

Acupressure points that can relieve digestive issues

Stomach-25

How to find it: level with the belly button, located 3 finger widths from the edge of the belly button on both sides.

How to use it: Press gently on this acupressure point for 3-5 breaths. Repeat 3 times.

 What is it used for: Helps to reduce bloating sensations; good for bowel health and may ease abdominal pain 

Why does this point work: this point is used to activate the intestines, assisting with food movement (peristalsis) through the intestines

Ren 12

How to find it: on the midline, at the front of your torso. It lies exactly in the middle between your belly button and the centre of your breast plate. 

You may notice a tenderness or even a hard spot when you gently press on this point. If this is the case, then definitely this is the point to help you. 

How to use it: Press gently on this acupressure point for 3-5 breaths. Repeat 3 times

What is it used for:  helps with reduces bloating, it may ease acid reflux symptoms. 

As you can see, there are many things that influence how well your digestion is working, which can affect how you feel. Some tips to remember:

• Be mindful of eating in a relaxed environment away from work or study to improve your digestion.  

• Eat mostly warm and cooked foods helps make your Spleen energy happy

• Chew each mouthful of food thoroughly

• Dinner should be your smallest main meal to allow enough time for digestion before sleep

• digestive symptoms can be eased with acupressure points, a gentle walk after your meals or a gentle abdominal massage

If you have found this information interesting and helpful for you, consider booking in for some acupuncture sessions to learn more about other ways to improve your digestion and reduce your symptoms. We haven’t covered Chinese herbal formulas that are useful for improving digestion and reducing bloating or the various dietary tweaks you can apply to help yourself.