Eating cold foods or continuous ingestion of cold foods will hurt the digestive system. Some symptoms that arise from weak digestion or insufficient Yang (warm) energy include fatigue, IBS, excess weight, anxiety, fluid retention, sore joints, cold hands, feet, or body, PMS, irregular periods and Stomach pain. It is hard to keep up with the endless supply of news that one day something is good for you, the next day it's bad. Many people question how can raw vegetables be bad for you. No, there are much worse items you can place on your fork. But steady ingestion of cold foods and drinks weaken the digestive fire for most people. I see it everyday. I am sharing with you the ancient wisdom that has been used for thousands of years. The key aspects are that all disease begins in the gut and digestion is quite literally a fire that must be burning for proper functioning. So can we still incorporate salads? Seaweed salad: add tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos along with sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, scallions and ginger powder to rinsed seaweed and it is so delicious, so umami and it satisfies the craving for something cold while providing nourishment to the body.
Grill your lettuce: grilled romaine, endives and radicchio are delicious. Endives and radicchio are especially beneficial, as these bitter greens highly benefit the Liver system and drain dampness.
Wilt your greens: place your sauteed vegetables on top of your raw baby greens to wilt them. Add olive oil and you have a delicious meal or side dish.
Tea: have a cup of warm water, red date tea or ginger powder tea after your meal. You can add any combination of cinnamon, clove and Chinese brown sugar or honey for extra warmth.
Warming protein: add chicken, lamb, beef, wild shrimp, mussels or trout to warm the essence of the salad.
Warming vegetables: scallions, bell pepper, onions, leeks, mustard greens.
Warming fruits: hawthorn, coconut, cherry, mango, raspberry, guava.
Warming spices: ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, horseradish, mustard, garlic and black pepper corn, clove, chili, nutmeg, fennel seeds.
Warming nuts (toast them for easier digestion): walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, pistachio.
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