Eat beets for a healthy liver

As the days get a little longer and the sun shines a bit brighter, signs of spring are popping up all around us (well, aside from that pesky snowstorm the other day). Little green shoots of plant-life are peeking up and out from the earth, awakening from their long winter slumber, and starting to stretch their leaves to the sky.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), springtime is ruled by the wood element.

Think of the wood element as new signs of life. The energy of the world is rising up and out, ready for a fresh start – a rebirth if you will. This energy is reflected in all of us this time of year – that undeniable urge to go outside and get your hands dirty in the garden, start a new project, or get the dust-rag out for some spring-cleaning.

While all that rising energy is great when you have a to-do list the length of your arm, it can sometimes rise too quickly and lead to trouble. Typical signs of an over controlling wood element are:

• perpetual irritability or anger

• migraines

• insomnia

• red, painful eyes

On the other hand, if the wood element in a person isn’t strong enough, they might exhibit any of these signs:

• mild dizziness

• blurred vision

• muscle twitches

• light menstrual flow

The wood element is energetically related to the liver. The liver not only rids our body of toxins we ingest and inhale, but according to TCM, the liver also does the heavy lifting of detoxifying our emotions--what a powerhouse! Wanna know one of my favorite ways to balance the wood element and give my liver the help it so truly deserves?

Eating beets!

All foods have different energetic properties that help categorize them into one of the five elements. Have you ever noticed the beautiful pattern of rings in a cut beet? The similarities between the cross-sections of beets and tree trunks are astonishing. Beets are practically shouting their association with the wood element from the rooftop!

To help keep your wood element in balance this spring, Lucia and I are sharing with you three delicious and nutritious recipes using the grandmother of all wood element foods: the mighty beet. The following is a beautiful recipe developed as an easy, simple and refreshing way to incorporate more raw beets into your spring-eating!

Beet carpaccio with grapefruit vinaigrette

(This recipe was originally co-created with Lucia from Essential Omnivore.)

Salad ingredients:
1 medium beet
1 grapefruit
2-3 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon green onions
freshly cracked black or white pepper

Dressing ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh dill, roughly chopped

Instructions:
After washing and peeling your beet, use a mandolin to very, very thinly slice the beet into delicate wafers. Set aside slices. Now, cut both ends off the grapefruit and sit the grapefruit upright. Using your knife, cut away all the rind and white pith. With care, you will now supreme the grapefruit, cutting along the side of each segment until all have been released from the core. Squeeze the remaining grapefruit innards into a bowl--this will be for your vinaigrette. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed (this will depend on the sweetness and acidity of your grapefruit). On a large plate, begin arranging your beet slices, topping with the grapefruit segments. Drop dollops of the goat cheese on top, drizzle the vinaigrette and scissor or chop some fresh dill tops and green onions over as well. Finish with a crack or two of fresh black pepper.

Enjoy!

Tips to Know Before Doing A Liver Detox

Acupuncturist Amy here, with some not-so-popular thoughts to share. Want to know what's all the rage again now that spring has sprung? Liver and gallbladder detoxes!

This might be an unpopular opinion - but hey! I'm full of unpopular opinions. So here's my mic drop:

I hate detoxes.

I know that hate is a pretty strong word, but I strongly dislike the trendy idea that our bodies are toxic and need to be starved clean. (Our bodies have some pretty amazing systems in place to make sure we don't become toxic to ourselves.)

I strongly dislike how so many cleanses and detoxes limit food and are purely focused on juicing. (Can you say blood sugar roller-coaster much?!)

I strongly dislike the misconception that our liver is just a dirty filter that needs to be rinsed out. (FYI it's not. The liver doesn't store toxins, it transforms unsafe molecules into safe molecules that can be more easily removed from the body.)

While I'm not the biggest fan of juices cleanses or fasting detoxes, I do understand why focusing on liver health is always so popular during spring: In Chinese medicine, every season is associated with one of the five elements. And every element has a color, sound, taste, emotion, and yes, organ system that is affiliated with it too. Spring's organs? No surprise, the liver and gallbladder.

So, even though I cry a little bit on the inside every time someone I know starts the master cleanse or another green juice fast, I too use the spring season to focus on my liver health.

I tend to re-commit to dietary changes like:

• Increasing my water intake (and add a squeeze of lemon to support bile movement)

• Focusing more on veggies of all types (but especially cruciferous veggies like cauliflower and broccoli) and healthy fats

• Cutting way back on my sugar and alcohol consumption because they both stress the liver

The link between springtime and the liver makes this a great time to focus on eating foods to support detoxification pathways.

Here are three ways to help your liver work more smarter, not harder this spring.

Move Your Qi Using Acupuncture and Exercise

In Chinese medicine, the liver is in charge of the free flow of qi (energy). When your qi doesn't move smoothly, it accumulates in the channels (think of those as the rivers and streams that carry the qi throughout the body). Those accumulations create pain, disease, and emotional stress so it's super important to keep the qi moving smoothly. Acupuncture and exercise are my two favorite ways to keep the qi moving.

Do Some Grounding Meditations

The energy of the liver likes to rise up. Think of all the plant life shooting up from the ground in the springtime, ready to grow tall to the sky. This energy is exciting, new, and exuberant!! But it can also be explosive - leading to symptoms like red, itchy eyes, headaches/migraines, and irritability or anger. Grounding visualizations and meditations can help anchor this energy to the earth - keeping it from blowing it's cool on the way up. If it’s warm enough where you are, you could even spend sometime barefoot on the earth - the ultimate way to ground into the Earth!

Thin Bile Using Food

Bile is created in your liver, stored in the gallbladder, and used to digest fat. When the bile is thick and murky, it creates gallstones and can get stuck in the bile duct. Eating certain foods can thin the bile and help prevent that stagnation of qi I talked about in the last tip.

A couple of my favorite bile thinning foods are lemon and beets. Starting your day off with warm water and lemon is a great way to incorporate more lemon juice into your daily diet. And if you're scared of cooking beets but looking for a great recipe, we’ve got one for you right here.

Not into lemons or beets? Ask us about other Chinese medicine based food therapy recommendations for springtime liver health during your next appointment!

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*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.

*Heads up! This post may contain some affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links you won't pay a single cent more, but I'll get a small commission that helps keep the content flowing. P.S. I only recommend products I use in my own daily life!

How to make rice congee

Are you familiar with the delicious magic that is congee? It's a rice-based porridge commonly eaten in China for breakfast. The Chinese character is 粥, which is pronounced "zhou" in Mandarin and "jook" in Cantonese.

Starting the day with a steaming bowl congee is great for supporting the digestive system. From a Chinese medicine perspective, your Stomach and Spleen are at their energetic peak between 7-11 am. These are the organs that we believe are responsible for taking in the food you eat, and transforming it into the energy that powers every aspect of your being, also known as qi! In order support healthy digestion and energy production, we need to stoke the digestive fire through easy-to-digest, nourishing food first thing in the morning.

Digestion is the key to everything in Chinese medicine. Symptoms like bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, irregular appetite, nausea, vomiting, and some types of abdominal pain can be explained by poor digestive function. Additionally, from a Chinese medicine perspective, weak digestion is linked to other symptoms like frequent colds and flus, allergies, fatigue, brain fog, mood irregularity, phlegm and mucus, body aches, breathing issues, irregular menstrual cycles, swelling and edema, skin problems, and more. By strengthening your digestion, Chinese medicine wisdom says you can support literally every aspect of your health and wellbeing.

Food is the most important medicine we have. Congee is warm, wet, and easy to digest, making it a perfect healing food. And since the rice is cooked in a large amount of water, it's also a sneaky way to rehydrate! We often suggest it to people who have weak or irregular digestion, poor appetite, struggle with dehydration, or are healing from acute or chronic illness. Eating congee can also help you "reset" after eating a few too many indulgent, heavy, or rich meals. And generally, we can think of congee as a protective, preventative food that builds health and supports wellbeing.

Congee can be made with a range of consistences from thick to thin. It’s best to use medium to long grain white rice, as short grain rice is too sticky and makes goopy porridge! Congee can be eaten plain, but more often includes a variety of savory add-ins. You can jazz it up in endless ways! Add things like ginger, mushrooms, animal proteins, or medicinal herbs in the cooking process, or garnish the cooked congee with a variety of tasty ingredients. The more stuff you add, the thinner you want your congee. If you’re working with an acupuncturist, talk to them about the types of add-ins that are most appropriate for your constitution and diagnosis!

Some of our favorite add-ins for serving include:

• sliced fresh ginger

• green onion

• kimchi, sauerkraut, or pickled vegetables

• cooked mushrooms

• vegetables like cooked onion or squash, julienned radish or carrot, cooked corn, or sautéed bean sprouts

• seaweed

• poached, soft boiled, or fried egg

• peanuts, sesame seeds, or other roasted nuts or seeds

• Japanese furikake or Korean rice sprinkles

• animal proteins like chicken, pork, ham, scallop, shrimp, or sausage

• soy sauce, tamari, or soy-free options like coconut aminos

• toasted sesame oil

• miso paste

• fresh herbs, like cilantro or parsley

The options are endless! While congee is the perfect breakfast food, it also makes a delicious meal anytime of day.

In service of sharing our love of congee with you, here are two recipes, the first using an Instant Pot, and the second made on the stove top. Enjoy!

Amy's Instant Pot (Chicken) Congee Recipe

Want the health and taste benefits of congee, but don't have the time to let a pot simmer alway all day? Bring in the mighty Instant Pot and this recipe from Amy for a quick and easy option. An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. You could absolutely adjust this recipe for a stovetop pressure cooker or even electric slow cooker instead. As someone with a history of severe digestive disease, congee is Amy’s go-to morning meal to fortify her Spleen qi (digestive function in Chinese medicine). She makes a batch on Sunday evenings and then portions out her weekday breakfasts into mason jars. Here's the quick and simple recipe she always uses!

makes approximately 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white rice (jasmine or other long grain)

• 4 cups water, or chicken or veggie stock (use homemade bone broth extra flavor and healing gelatin)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled

• OPTIONAL: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)

• OPTIONAL: 1-2 tablespoons olive, coconut, or grapeseed oil

Instructions:

1. Add all the ingredients into the Instant Pot.

2. Close lid and set to SEALING.

3. Press "Porridge" (if including chicken, increase time to 30 min).

4. After cooking is complete, let sit for 10 minutes and then quick release.

5. Shred chicken and stir to combine, remove ginger before serving.

6. Garnish with tamari, sesame oil, scallions, freshly sliced ginger, a soft boiled egg, or any other add-ins you like, and enjoy!!

No Instant Pot? No problem. Here’s a more traditional method of making congee on the stovetop!

Stovetop Congee Recipe

Recipe adapted from ”Congee and the Importance of Wet, Cooked Breakfasts” by Andrew Sterman

makes approximately 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white rice (jasmine or other long grain)

• 8-10 cups of water, or chicken or veggie stock (use homemade bone broth extra flavor and healing gelatin)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1-2 tablespoons olive, grapeseed, or coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Boil 8-12 cups water in a separate pot.

2. Put 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice in large, empty pot with salt. Add oil and gently sauté the grains over low heat.

3. Add just enough boiling water to float the grains, around 1 cup. Stir constantly as the grains absorb the water. When almost absorbed, add more boiling water, and keep stirring. After 3 or 4 more additions of water and constant stirring (about 10-15 minutes), the grains will have released starch into the water.

4. Then add a lot more water, reduce flame, and bring to a light simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue to add more hot water as needed to get the special congee consistency: milky water between discernible, very soft grains of rice.

5. When done, it’s time to serve!

Feel a cold coming on? Make congee!

If you’re at the start of a cold, garnish your congee with fresh thinly sliced ginger, fresh sliced green onion, a splash of tamari, soy sauce, or soy-free coconut aminos, and toasted sesame oil. This is energetically very similar to a classic herbal formula called Cong Chi Tang, used to treat early cold symptoms like chills, body aches, headaches, and fatigue! Make a batch to eat through the day, spending plenty of time resting under warm blankets and drinking warm tea.

Sources:

Erlewein R. Congee-Longevity Food for Life. The Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2010;(92):31.

Sterman A. Congee and the Importance of Wet, Cooked Breakfasts. Herbal Medicine Press, 2015. https://www.gfcherbs.com/Images/Congee%20and%20the%20Importance%20of%20Wet,%20Cooked%20Breakfasts.pdf.

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*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.