Gut Health

While trendy diets might focus on eliminating entire food groups, Chinese Medicine takes a different approach to gut health. Here, the focus is on supporting your digestive system so you can enjoy a wider variety of foods in moderation, without bloating or discomfort.

In Chinese Medicine we encourage you to eat foods that are easy to digest.

Our aim is that you should be able to eat most food in moderation and not suffer from bloating or reflux or IBS like symptoms. We maintain that it's not the food that is the problem but rather an imbalance in your own digestive system. This is a really important concept as it means you rarely need to eliminate certain food groups.

We encourage eating cooked and warm food rather than raw foods. This means limiting the amount of salads, smoothies, protein shakes and sushi in your diet. The first part of digestion really is COOKING. Cooking your food is what breaks it down to make it more digestible. The more digestible your food is, the easier it is on your gut, meaning your body doesn't need to spend all its efforts on digestion - which can leave you bloated and lethargic.

Let's start off with breakfast:

If you are a fan of smoothies and protein shakes we encourage you to flip the concept and make a big batch of soup each week instead. First thing in the morning we prefer foods that are warm and easy to digest because your body is still waking up.

Ideas for breakfast -

Soups - Minestrone, pumpkin, congee, vegetable, chicken soups, split pea , ham hock - miso with tofu - All these have protein, carbs and fiber to keep you satiated - add an egg or some toast with butter as a side and that's an impressive breakfast.

Or you could do like many European and Middle Eastern cultures do and have leftovers with olives, bread and eggs for breakfast. Many S.E. Asian cultures have rice with some protein as a side or a small soup.

Look at these recipes below for some inspiration.

Simple Congee Recipie https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/chicken-ginger-congee/25b4032c-4380-4284-8e6c-4cfab911d4b2

Cook enough for your work week or simply freeze it into breakfast sized batches.

Try this Japanese breakfast - https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/japanese-breakfast/id7zaq81f

or make a batch of minestrone for the week

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/minestrone-soup/5013c0be-2b52-464c-9440-41b157d6c203

What about coffee?

If you live with insomnia, palpitations, overthinking, get overwhelmed easily, have skin conditions we will usually advise you to stop coffee for a few months.

Some patients feel they don't have any adverse reactions from coffee. In this case we do suggest that you give it up for 2 weeks. If you feel like you fall into this category - stopping coffee for this period of time is the only way to see if in fact it has a detrimental effect on your nervous system - If it doesn't... woo hoo - lucky you- but if you notice your sleep, mood, gut and skin feeling better then you may need to find a kinder substitute for yourself - maybe Chai, black tea, Gen mai cha or oolong tea. It's okay to have caffeine from other sources just not from the coffee bean.

The coffee bean is a herb and the properties of the bean are uplifting, stimulating, spicy, and heating making it a no no for patients with hot flushes, insomnia, restlessness and IBS type symptoms.

If you are able to consume coffee (with no side effects) then it's absolutely essential that you eat before drinking coffee. Coffee is very stimulating and without the grounding nature of food beforehand, it can leave you restless and jittery. Your nervous system becomes dysregulated as a result - making you anxious and less able to deal with every day stress.

Overeating and gut health.

Overeating causes digestive upset - this comes back to the concept of - it's not what you eat but how much and how you eat it. Let's face it - it's hard to control portion sizes of yummy carbs like pasta and bread. But, if you want to continue eating these, then having smaller portions is the key - eat them slowly - this allows your mind and gut to meet - allowing you to recognise when you're full. Try saying to yourself - eating more won't make it taste any better, but my gut will thank me for it.

Occasionally, leaving food on your plate is actually ok, have leftovers for breakfast or lunch the following day instead. Leaving some food on your plate means you have listened to your body and made a conscious decision to stop yourself from overeating.

Take time to enjoy the taste of your food, this brings you into the moment of eating. Try to have as few distractions as possible. If you're scrolling or watching TV or reading - you're likely not paying attention to the taste, texture and smells of your meal. This will slow down digestion.

Why do we harp on about good digestion? For us it's simple - if you digest well it means you will absorb all the nutrients from your food. It means food won't just sit there causing what we call dampness or candida or bloating or excessive weight gain around your mid section.

Putting your cutlery down between mouthfuls really helps you realise that you're full or satisfied, preventing you from overeating.

Drink warm water. Cold water, especially in winter can lead to bloating and reflux. So warm up your water - add a squirt of lemon or orange juice to it or a sprig of mint or thyme - a little flavour in your warm water helps enliven the palette.

Don't force yourself to drink excessive amounts of water - instead listen to your body signs - am I thirsty? - do I have a dry mouth or skin? If so, try drinking some water.

Foods to eat that are great for gut health .

Baked sweet potatoes, pumpkin, potatoes, beetroots and carrots.

Bitter greens like - silverbeet and spinach

Broths - vegetable or chicken broths - these are great to sip on in winter.

Miso is a great probiotic - add it to vegetables or make it into a soup.

Cheese is also a probiotic, eat it in moderation.

Legumes and nuts in moderation are great - have them weekly.

A note on food combining - Often we think that eating as many vegetables in one sitting is healthy. Combining a lot of vegetables in one sitting though puts a lot of strain on your digestion when it's weak. Instead limit yourself to one or two vegies per meal to take the pressure off. If you go to a classic Cantonese restaurant you will notice there's only one serve of broccoli or spinach or beancurd with mushrooms. This way of eating means your body can get the most nutrients out of the meal without competing with too many different vegetables to digest.

A note on rest and siestas.

Usually our patients will complain of an afternoon slump where they reach out for coffee or pastries. What your body is really craving though is rest or some sunlight.

Instead of reaching out for refined sugars and stimulants play around with the concept of Rest or Stretch.

Find a comfortable place to close your eyes on a chair or if you are at home lie down on your bed. Close your eyes, become aware of all the sounds around you, the birds, the wind moving through the trees, urban sounds of traffic and neighbours. Now start to focus your attention on your breath. Place your hands wherever comfortable - on your chest or abdomen and feel the rising and falling of your chest as your inhale and exhale.

Or do a walking meditation - seek out the sun, stretch your body.

Here is a simple Qi Gong exercise you can do

https://youtu.be/-5KhQ4znaWI?si=rBMIg3Jow6UlpGV-

Thanks for reading,

The Remedy team.