In the West, our gut reaction towards digestion is to fix the symptoms of dysbiosis (imbalance) in the intestines. In the East, restoring the gut has everything to do with getting to the root cause and creating a lifestyle that prevents it in the first place. For today’s gut health topic, we’re going to explore the eastern practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda and understand their approaches to fostering a healthy gut. Are you ready? Let’s go!

TCM

We’ll start with Traditional Chinese Medicine, aka, TCM. TCM has been around for thousands of years and is still practiced to this day in the form of acupuncture, herbalism, and food therapy. According to TCM, all living things are made of 5 basic elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. In the human body, each element is connected to a specific organ and function. Ideally, all of these elements should be balanced in order to maintain optimal health.
As for digestion, TCM focuses on balancing the Earth element, which represents the stomach and spleen. Doing so has everything to do with how we approach our food- quality, type, and eating methods. This is done in many ways, such as:

Eating structured meals instead of skipping or eating them randomly

Being present during mealtimes– there should be zero distractions or things to make us stressed

Chewing food completely, which literally activates digestion, is also strongly emphasized in TCM. So much so that juicing is seen as problematic due to the absence of chewing. Learning to properly chew your food by grinding and pulverizing into a mushy paste also makes it easier on your stomach; swallowing pieces whole prevents the natural enzymes from your saliva from reaching them. So, remember what your parents taught you and chew your food!
Remember, it’s not just about what you eat, it’s also how you eat. When you chew your food, make it a concious act. It’s all too easy to let technology distract us during lunch hour or any time we take a moment to eat. In doing so, we miss out on the experience of eating. Remember to take the time to taste all of the flavors, smells, and textures of your food instead of wolfing it down like a starved animal. Next to digestion, this further increases nutrient absorption and triggers satiety hormones, helping you to naturally regulate both your portion sizes and appetite. I’ll also add that it’s an excellent way to get in touch with your body. You’ll have a much better understanding at how food affects you both on a physiological and psychological level. And in doing so, you can truly get to know what works and what doesn’t work for you when it comes to nutrition.

Stopping yourself from eating 2-3 hours before bedtime is yet another practice. While this could be seen as common sense, TCM takes this simple concept much further. In theory, our liver and gallbladder start restoring themselves and our body around 11 PM. By this time, you should be finished digesting your food for the day. Otherwise, the liver and gallbladder will be “distracted” by the incoming food instead of nourishing the body. So if your last meal is at 6 PM, then wait until 8-9 PM before going to bed.

Choosing food grown from the earth rather than a factory. This may be a modern principle, but thankfully even eastern medicine knows how important it is to stick with whole foods! Which has much to do with this next point-

Getting involved with our food. TCM encourages us to foster a relationship with our food in the form of gardening and being active in the kitchen. For example, instead of buying a tomato grown out of state from the supermarket, why not grow one in your backyard, and clean and prepare it in your kitchen for meals? Doing so encourages gratitude, which activates the senses while stimulating the process of digestion.

TCM also encourages other practices that are said to support digestion. For us westerners, these may seem a bit far-fetched, but if you take a leap of faith and give them a try, they may become mainstays in your routine.

One of them is to avoid cold foods and drinks. Yes, it does sound crazy, but according to TCM, the cooler a food or drink, the less it will be able to warm and nourish the Earth element. So uncooked, raw foods like salads and smoothies are off the menu. Dairy is also considered to be a “damp” or cold and is also not advised. With warm foods, there is some truth to the theory. For instance, cooking raw, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli helps to break down the cell wall that makes them a bit difficult to digest. Cooking also increases the concentration of nutrients in foods; the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes is a prime example of this. By cooking tomatoes, you’re increasing its antioxidant content, getting more bang for your buck than you would when having them raw in a salad.

This next tip might tickle your taste buds. According to TCM, adding a bit of sweetness to meals also helps to nourish the Earth element. But this is not from sugar or even fruit. The key word here is little. Sweetness is meant to be mild; too much of it can actually hinder digestion, and promote addictions, which TCM views as a sign of imbalance.
According to TCM, the following foods provide a natural sweetness:

• Root vegetables, including sweet potatoes, squash, parsnips, and turnips
• Gluten-free grains, including rice and oats (provided these are gluten-free)
• Licorice and molasses, in little amounts

Yet another tip is to incorporate warm spices. Adding warm spices to foods heats up digestion and supports the Earth element. You may already have them in your kitchen! Ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom are all available year-round and are versatile ingredients. (I’m partial to ginger; it’s one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, and I now like brewing it into an herbal tea.)

These recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to TCM. Balancing all of the elements is a very in-depth, complex act. But these tips are absolutely do-able and should work for most people as a good starting ground. If you really want to explore even further, I suggest you book an appointment with a local acunpuncturist or doctor specializing in TCM. (By the way, if you’ve ever worked with one, tell me how it went and whether or not you recommend TCM as an addition to your regular healthcare regimen!)

Further Reading:

TCM Tips for Digestive and Metabolic Health

https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2015/05/06/new-chinese-medicine-tools-replenish-and-repair-our-gut
https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2015/02/26/traditional-chinese-medicine-symptoms-poor-digestion
https://www.jcmnh.org/traditional-chinese-medicine-the-mechanisms-and-benefits/

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