Food As Medicine -- What to Eat in a Pandemic
In Chinese medicine all food is considered medicine. There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” food, they all have a purpose and are used to treat different things. Diet is not one size fits all, what is healthy for one person may not be healthy for another. But there are some general rules for helping your body build the resources it needs for healthy immune function, and right now that is the most important thing. Below are some basic dietary suggestions to support your immune system.
1. Feed Yourself
This is not the time to be on a diet. One of the obstacles I come across in the treatment room is that most ideas about healthy eating seem to center around dieting, omitting foods from the diet, or restricting calories. Now is not the time for restriction. According to Chinese Medicine, it is important to feed your body the nutrients it needs to create Qi (vital energy), blood, fluids and Wei Qi, which is essentially your immune system. Eat a balanced diet of whole, real, cooked foods. For a general rule about how to eat healthy, I agree with food author Michael Pollan, “eat real food, not to much, mostly plants”
2. Cook Your Food
It is not just about eating healthy foods. You also want those nutrients to be easily digestible and readily available. Basically, you want to do some of the work for your digestive system.
Cook your vegetables.
Stay away from salads: they are cold, and incredibly hard for your body to break down.
Sprout your legumes.
Use warming spices.
Add in healthy whole grains, like rice. White rice got a bad rep somehow but it is not a processed carb! It is a whole grain, very easy to digest and positively packed with readily accessible energy. In fact the hinese symbol for Qi depicts steam rising from cooking rice. It is one of the best things to eat when you are sick or recovering.
3. Support your good bacteria with fermented foods
Your microbiome is the system of “good” bacteria in your gut. Recent studies have shown that the health of your microbiome affects your digestion, your mood and most importantly right now, your immune system. The easiest way to support your gut is adding in fermented foods which are packed with probiotics. And avoiding processed sugars and processed carbs which feed the “bad” bacteria, creating imbalance.
4. Nourish fluids
It is important to stay hydrated. Yes drink plenty of water, but truly the best way to nourish fluids is through the food you eat. Add soups, stews, porridges and congees to your diet. For example breakfast should be something warm and wet like congee or oatmeal.
5. Avoid Dairy
I think it is better to add than subtract when you are making dietary changes, but the one thing I would recommend staying away from right now is dairy. It is cold and damp and creates phlegm, which can clog up digestion and make the lungs vulnerable.