Chinese Nutritional Therapy for Liver and Spleen
Congratulations
Are you ready to meet the new you? How we feel is the most important asset we have!
I love supporting you in our common interest for health and happiness. Thank you for reading this material - your well being is my passion!
This personalised plan alongside weekly acupuncture treatment is designed to introduce you to eating and living healthier - adapted to where you're at, and your personal needs. I encourage you to embrace it as an adventure, go at your own pace, allow for the learning curves, experimentand enjoy the process!
Your personalised treatment plan is the perfect way to hit the re+set button on your health and wellbeing.
This plan is yours to keep and designed to help keep you feeling amazing and the benefits going for longer and longer. Everything you need to maintain your own wellbeing, rebalance your system and renew yourself.
My Philosophy
I believe health and personal well-being are determined by being in harmony with oneself and the environment. Learn to read your body and your emotions- even subtle imbalances reveal themselves if they are not clouded by the effects of nutritionally redundant diets. Read these signs correctly and you will know exactly what to do to feel and look your best. No more fads.
Overwhelming authoritative and empirical evidence linking food and health provides the rationale for eating a mostly plant-based and whole food diet.
My guiding principles:
o Fresh is best. You didn’t hear it here first, but sometimes the simplest truths are the most powerful.
o Organic, local produce is far more accessible than you think, so why import a tomato, when they grow them around the corner?
o Holistic healthcare gets straight to the root of the problem. No complex science, just tried and true trusted tips and tricks passed down from generation to generation.
o It’s not a sexy topic, but digestion is the cornerstone to optimum health. Let’s unblock those pipes and leave the digestive tracts looking shiny and new. You will feel the difference instantly.
o I avoid inflammatory allergens (such as wheat, sugar, gluten, soy, peanuts and MSG), and tend to keep nut use to a minimum.
o Combining foods correctly creates magic- it’s not just about the tastebuds. Certain nutritional components marred together are greater than the sum of their parts.
o Gluten free and whole grains, healthy fats and oils and naturally sweetened treats make this diet fulfilling as well as cleansing. I do not advocate hunger or starvation.
o Challenge the present crisis in our food supply. Our soil is starved of minerals, our meat is packed with hormones and antibiotcs and non-organic vegetation is drowned in toxic chemicals that disrupt our endocrine system and sugar levels.
o Take a moment. I encourage meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong to accompany your food. Think of it as the (naturally sweetened) icing on the cake.
Time Management and Goal Setting
Some questions for you to consider before completing your treatment plan.
1. What time of day can you consistently commit to your practices?
2. Do you have obstacles to setting up a regular schedule for your practices? If so, what are they?
3. Where is the opportunity in the obstacle? Are you being asked to potentially let go of something to make your practices more of a priority - or to rearrange some of your commitments? Is so, what is doable for you that allows you to focus on yourself while honoring your responsibilities?
4. What time of day can you consistently commit to incorporating healthy lifestyle habits?
5. Do you have obstacles to setting up a regular schedule for your treatment plan? If so, what are they?
6. Where is the opportunity in the obstacle? Are you being asked to potentially let go of something to make your treatment plan more of a priority - or to rearrange some of your commitments? Is so, what is doable for you that allows you to focus on yourself while honoring your responsibilities?
Liver and Spleen Disharmony
Your Chinese Medicine Pattern of Disharmony
Liver Disharmony - Wood Element
In Chinese Medicine/TCM, the concept of Liver disharmony refers to an imbalance in the functioning of the Liver organ system. In TCM, each organ is associated not only with its physiological functions but also with a broader set of functions related to the flow of Qi (vital energy), Blood, and other substances in the body. The Liver system, according to TCM, plays a crucial role in the smooth flow of Qi and Blood throughout the body.
Dietary suggestions for Liver: this is based on foods which tonify the yin fluids such as mung beans, mung sprouts, chlorophyll-rich foods, cucumber, tofu, and millet. Seaweed, watercress, and plum improve water metabolism. Fresh cold-pressed flax oil and extracted oils of borage, evening primrose, or black current seeds significantly improve yin status of the liver. Also, taking sufficient liquids in general is helpful. Other liver blood tonics such as spirulina and other chlorophyll-rich foods, dark grapes, blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries and blackstrap molasses. In severe cases, gelatinous or organic animal liver is useful.
To enrich and build the blood through nutrition:
Increase the digestive absorption of nutrients by building the qi energy of the Spleen (see section on Spleen disharmony) and reduce any dampness from the system. Add specific nutrients which build healthy blood - these are iron (in order to absorb iron one needs adequate copper, B vitamins and vitamin C), folic acid and B12.
Adequate good quality protein is essential.
Grains and greens are essential blood tonics.
Other foods that the liver likes are amaranth, oats, artichokes, asparagus, olives, sesame seeds, rabbit liver, buckwheat, carrots, celery, garlic, oily fish, leeks and onions, lemons, brown rice and kelp.
Foods that relieve stagnation of Liver qi are pungent foods, spices and herbs, watercress, all the members of the onion family, mustard greens, turmeric, basil, bay leaf, cardamon, marjoram, cumin, fennel, dill, ginger, black pepper, horseradish, rosemary, various mints, lemon balm, Angelica root and prickly ash bark. However, too much extremely pungent foods such as hot peppers can exacerbate liver stagnation. Beetroot, strawberry, peach, cherry, chestnut, pine nut and green leafy vegetables are also helpful in removing stagnation which are not pungent or mildly.
Yin and blood can also be nourished and rebuilt by cultivating to inner calm. Meditation, Tai Chi and regular walks in nature can recharge yin. Attention to lifestyle habits and avoiding stimulating drinks such as coffee and alcohol and foods (sugar and processed foods) can be effective in conserving or recovering the yin and blood. Ensuring the body is well hydrated is also important. During the menustual cycle, astringent foods should be avoided. If consumed in excess, such foods can inhibit or temporarily stop the flow. `
Your Chinese Medicine Pattern of Disharmony
Spleen Disharmony - Earth Element
Symptoms of Spleen Disharmony: Loose stools, general weakness, fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, dull sense of taste, abdominal bloating, hard lumps in abdomen, weight problems in particular being overweight without overeating or thin and unable to gain weight, joint pain, and blood sugar imbalances. The strenght of the arms and legs also depend on Spleen energy.
Dietary suggestions for Spleen Disharmony: Dietary approaches for Spleen disharmony involves foods that are either warming or at least neutral in thermal nature. Foods with cooling properties weaken the digestion. Likewise, food that is cold in temperature extinguishes the digestive "fire". In fact, the process of warming up cold food requires a fair amount of the body's digestive energy. Also, mucous forming foods such as highly-sweet, meats, oily foods such as unactivated nuts and seeds and dairy foods impact healthy digestion and create dampness in the body.
Foods that correct Spleen disharmony are foods that are sweet and/or pungent; well cooked rice is one of the best gradually acting Spleen tonics: oats, spelt, congee (please see recipe) sweet rice are all excellent. Other beneficial foods:
The carbohydrate-rich vegetables such as: winter squash, black beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, pumpkins and yams.
The pungent vegetables and spices: onion, leek, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, garlic and nutmeg
Small amounts of certain sweeteners and cooked fruits: rice syrup, barley, malt, molasses; cherry and date.
If the disharmony is severe, small amounts of animal products prepared in soup or congee may be helpful: mackerel, tuna, halibut, anchovy, beef, beef liver or kidney, chicken, turkey or lamb. Butter is the only recommended dairy product.
Foods must be chewed well and taken in easily digestible form. Small, frequent meals are necessary at the beginning of the healing process, and all food should be at least moderately well-cooked.
If there are clear signs of coldness such as aversion to cold weather, cold hands and feet and clear urine: to balance this lack of digestive fire follow the recommendations above - with the exception of sweet rice which is contraindicated in digestive fire deficiency. In addition, add more warming herbs and foods such as those
Your Chinese Medicine Pattern of Disharmony
Spleen Deficiency - Earth Element
To help nourish and fortify the Spleen, incorporate foods into each meal that are harmonising and represent the earth element: mildly sweet foods, yellow or golden foods, round foods, and/or foods known to harmonise the earth element such as millet, corn carrots, cabbage, chickpeas, soybeans, squash, potatoes, string beans, yams, tempeh, sweet potatoes, rice, amaranth, peas, chestnuts, apricots and cantaloupe.
Foods should be prepared simply, with minimum of seasonings and a mild taste. Avoid complicated dishes and poor food combining. Moderation should also guide other aspects of food preparation, including cooking time, methods and temperature, and use of water and cooking oil.
Recommended cooking methods:
Boiling has a natural to warming effect on the food. Boiling food for a long time adds more heat, and boiling for a short time makes it more neutral.
Stewing, slow-cooking and stir-frying adds more warmth to food. Stewing and slow-cooking are particularly good for weak digestion because the food has been cooked for a long period time making it easier to digest. Stir-frying cooks food quickly and at a high temperature so it seals in the nutrients and stops them from being destroyed. This is a good way to cook vegetables, especially if you used water instead of oil. Baking adds more warmth and is a good way to cook cold and cooling foods.
Combining temperatures examples:
Add cinnamon (hot) to apple (cool) to add warmth
Eat lamb (hot) with mint (cool) to create a better balance
Eat hot curries with cooling cucumber or yogurt.
General Rules
Cooking slowly and for a long time = warming.
Cooking quickly = keeps food close to its neutral temperature. Adding chillies and other hot spices to food introduces heat.
Traditional Breakfast: Congee
In China, a traditional way to combine medicinal food and herbs together is to make congee, which is a porridge like dish made with a grain It is traditionally prepared for breakfast and is usually eaten to recover from sickness, aid in digestion or to boost energy The herbs added to the congee are determined by what’s being treated. Rice and millet are traditionally used to make congee, however grains such as oats, barley, quinoa, amaranth or cornmeal are also used.
Congee recipe:
1 cup of grains (preference: oats or brown rice)
Mix the grain with 6 – 8 cups of water in a pot Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer Cook it on low heat for 1.5 – 2 hours, adding more water if necessary.
You can add other ingredients, such as sweet potato to strengthen the spleen, goji berries and dates.
Recipes for the Wood Element
Spaghetti Squash With Kale, Chorizo And Preserved Lemon
3 cups of Spaghetti Squash
1 Chorizo
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
5 Ounces Lacinato Kale
¼ large or about 1/8 Cup Preserved Lemon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/8 Cup Sour Cream (optional)
1/8 Cup Water
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and pull the squash apart with a fork so it resembles spaghetti. Remove the casing from the chorizo link and cook the chorizo over medium high heat until it is in crumbles and cooked through. Add the chopped garlic and paprika and continue cooking a couple of minutes. Remove the chorizo and garlic and set aside. Add the chopped kale to the oil and allow to cook down, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the water, continue cooking until the water is gone and kale is tender. Return the chorizo and garlic to the pan along with the preserved lemon and lemon juice, stir and remove from heat.
Add the sour cream and stir to combine. Mix the kale and chorizo with the spaghetti squash and serve.
Recipes for the Earth Element
Lentil Soup
2 small onions, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup lentils
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste.
Saute the onions in the coconut oil or olive oil until they are soft. Add bay leaf, potatoes, lentils and 2 pints of water and cook for about 45 minutes until the lentils are soft. Before serving add the fresh mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Beef Bone Soup
1.8 - 2.2kg (4 - 5lbs) Beef leg bones
1 large onion, stems removed, cut into chunks (skin on)
2 large carrots, stem and end removed, cut into chunks
2 - 3 celery sticks, chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
Handful of parsley
1 bay leaf
3 tsp salts
Put the beef bones in a large soup pot and just cover them with water. Bring this to a boil until the foam rises. Drainm the water and rinse the bones. Put the bones back into the pot with 12 cups of water and the onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 3 hours. Skim any additional foam off as it rises. If possible, cool the bones, scrape out the marrow and add this back into the soup. Strain the liquid and refrigerate it. When you are ready to serve the soup, heat up one cup at a time and serve it in a mug and season with additional sea salt if desired.
You may add other Spleen/warming foods (ref to Recultivate Guidebook) if desired.
Keep Track of Your Daily Habits
Use these checklists to keep track of how you're adjusting to you new routine.
Thank you.
Cassandra Hawthorne (MSc, Lic Ac, MBAcC, CHM Dip), is a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner.
Highly specialised, with a postgraduate degree in Advanced Chinese Medicine, she brings a thorough knowledge of anatomy, medical terminology, nutrition and lifestyle coaching to her practice.
