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Eating to beat the heat
Oriental medicine (OM) emphasises that we should eat according to the season to stay healthy.
Summer is the season of maximum Yang (expansive, warming, vibrant energy). These days, we often see it as a time to kick back and relax, but it’s worth remembering that in ancient times, especially in an agrarian culture, summer would have been a physically demanding time of year. So diet would have been very important.
So what sort of food should we eat to help cool ourselves down when the mercury starts climbing? Have you ever noticed that when you devour an ice cream, it feels cooling at the time but you actually feel hotter soon afterwards? This is an example of the body trying to restore equilibrium. You put something very cold in your system and the body will try to warm itself up again to counteract this, and will often overshoot.
Oriental medicine (OM) takes a subtler approach. One of the first principles is to eat lighter meals than you would in winter or autumn, as heavy meals are taxing on the digestion and can make you feel sluggish.
Flavour is very important in OM dietetics, with five main flavours identified – salty, sweet, sour, pungent (acrid, spicy), and bitter. Each of these flavours has different energetic properties and has a different action in the body when consumed. The bitter flavour is thought to be cooling. So during summer, it’s a good idea to incorporate some foods with a slightly bitter flavour. Some of the examples recommended in ancient texts are a little hard to come across in the modern supermarket, but equivalents include green leafy vegetables such as kale, Chinese greens, raddichio, and rocket; sprouts; vinegar; and raw cacao. Bitter drinks would include green tea, dandelion tea, and tonic water. The key here is moderation – you would not include all of these at every meal, but just use some of them in small amounts, according to the temperature and how much you feel the heat.
From a broader health perspective, many of these bitter foods are packed with beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants. The bitter taste also helps stimulate the production of gastric acid and bile, and therefore helps digestion. Interestingly, modern Western culture tends to instead favour the sweet taste, overconsumption of which can tax our digestive systems and, in the long term, lead to diabetes and obesity.
Spicy foods can also be cooling when eaten in moderation. Think fresh ginger, chilli, capsicum, horseradish and black pepper, as seasoning or in curries. These spices help dissipate heat by bringing it out to the surface. But again – moderation – as if eaten in excess, they can dissipate too much energy, leaving you susceptible to illness in cooler weather.
Other foods seen to have an intrinsically cooling effect in OM are cucumber, tomatoes, celery; and many fruits, including apples, watermelon, lemons and limes. But don’t overdose on these either, especially if you have weak digestion (tendency to bloating or loose stools).
So, as you can see, OM has many dietary strategies to help you keep cool this summer, without reaching for the ice-cream.
Naturopathic approach to alleviating morning sickness in pregnancy
Morning sickness is the acute, transient nausea associated with pregnancy. ‘Morning sickness’ is a misnomer – it may occur at any time of the day, though it most commonly occurs soon after waking. It is thought to be caused by increased levels of oestrogen being produced by the placenta and/or by increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin. Morning sickness usually starts in the first month of the pregnancy, peaking in the 6th week, and continuing until the 16th week. For 50% of all sufferers, it ends by the 16th week of pregnancy. For the other half, it may take up to another month to get relief but some women will have morning sickness off and on for their entire pregnancy.
Risk factors
Some women suffer terribly from morning sickness, while others sail through with minimum nausea. The following factors are thought to play a part in morning sickness:
- An increase in the circulating level of the hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen levels may increase by up to a hundredfold during pregnancy.
- An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin.
- Low blood sugar during pregnancy.
- An increase in progesterone relaxes the muscles in the uterus, which prevents early childbirth, but may also relax the stomach and intestines, leading to nausea.
- Intake of alcohol, sugar, oils and meat, which have been postulated to cause a natural trigger of morning sickness in the body as a way of discouraging ingestion of less healthy foods.
Signs and Symptoms
Common signs and symptoms of morning sickness include
- Nausea, vomiting
- Retching, belching, vomiting of sour fluid
- Poor digestion with abdominal distension exacerbated by eating
- Poor appetite
- Fatigue—especially after meals
Diet and Lifestyle tips to help alleviate morning sickness
- Pregnant women are making the greatest nutritional investment of their lives. It is important to ensure adequate nutritional intake by eating a diet based on fresh, organic wholefoods, incorporating protein, fruit, vegetables, good fats and high fibre foods.
- Avoid an empty stomach. Eating small regular meals helps to maintain energy levels and may prevent morning sickness.
- Don’t overeat – large meals can drain energy. Instead of eating three big meals per day, try six mini-meals to spread your kilojoule intake more evenly. This will result in more constant blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Ginger, in capsules, tea, ginger ale or ginger beer.
- Peppermint leaf tea, can help relieve nausea and morning sickness or gas.
- Raspberry leaf tea, also relieves nausea, however is recommended after the first trimester only.
- Fulfil food cravings.
- Drink plenty of water – a dehydrated body functions less efficiently.
- Eat iron rich foods – make sure diet includes iron rich foods such as lean red meat.
- Ensure adequate, regular, and consistent amounts of sleep each night.
- Effective relaxation is essential – try techniques such as yoga or meditation.
- Maintaining a reasonable work and personal schedule is important.
- Address chronic pain and/or depression.
- Cut down caffeine.
- Some women find that aromatherapy can help – with essential oils of lemon, lime, orange and peppermint (a few drops in a vaporiser) can ease nausea.