Sing Tao News article "Spring season health tips" by CMP Novena
Feb 4 of 2017 is the day after the start of the Spring season, a new beginning to the chicken year. In Chinese custom, people alter their lifestyle activities and diets according to the lunar calendar. What does it mean when the Chinese say: One should not ingest excessive amounts of nourishing soups after the Spring season begins? Today we invite a Chinese Medicine Practitioner to share her health tips for the Spring.
The Chinese calendar has 24 markers for season changes. In Chinese custom, one should alter their lifestyle by following the seasonal changes to achieve good health and longevity. Spring season is when many hibernating animals reawaken. CMP Novena says, "When we pass the "Li Chun" seasonal marker, the duration of daylight increases and daily temperatures rise. In response, the energy of the Human body also begins to warm up, so we should alter our exercise and diet to encourage the reemergence of increased warm "Yang" energy in our body, to prevent illness." She explains that "Li Chun" is also an optimal time to tone the wooden energy of the liver.
Renowned Tang Dynasty CMP Sun said, "In Spring, one should eat less sour foods, and aim to increase the Qi of the Spleen". CMP Novena explains, sour foods repress the wooden energy, so one should eat less sour tasting foods in Spring. "Instead, one may eat seasonal vegetables which ripen in Spring, as they are good for tuning the body's energy in response to the season, like spinach. Spinach is in season during Spring, its roots are red and leaves are green, it has "Xue" (blood) increasing properties." Aside from Spinach, one may also eat colored peppers, cauliflower, celery, etc. Starchy foods such as grains and lentils are also good choices. As for healthy drinks, one may drink rose tea, chrysanthemum tea, and barley water. Rose tea helps to tone the energy of the liver, chrysanthemum tea helps to reduce heat and brighten eyes, barley water aids digestion and reduces dampness. CMP Novena warns that not everyone is suited to drink all of these drinks, "Barley water also stimulates the body's energy to move downwards, so pregnant women and people with weak kidney systems should avoid drinking it."
In Chinese custom, one should not ingest excessive amounts of nourishing soups after the Spring season begins. CMP Novena explains, "In Spring, there is an excess of humidity in the air and dampness in the human body. Hence, less heavy eating should be done, to allow the body's energy to match the Springtime’s uplifting energy. Ingesting large amounts of moisturizing soups and heavy food may cause the wooden energy of the liver to stagnate, affecting metabolism and causing dampness". If there is too much dampness in the body, one may feel foggy-minded, heavy-limbed, and a loss of appetite. Hence, one should avoid eating heavy and dampness causing foods, such as fatty meats, glutinous rice, duck and goose, and avoid drinking beer.
The Chinese New Year often coincides with Spring, so there is often an abundance of New Year foods in the markets. CMP Novena recommends limiting the amount of oily and deep fried food intake, and doing more exercise and after-meal strolls to aid digestion. "Springtime is a season of growth. This means it is also growth time for pathogens and illnesses, so it is easy to catch seasonal infectious diseases in the Springtime, such as the influenza, measles, chicken pox, hepatitis A." CMP Novena thus recommends making sure one's food is well cooked, and spending less time in crowded areas. If one happens to fall ill at this time of the year, it is important to seek treatment immediately and take precautions not to infect others.