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Your Belly as a Woodburning Stove
In Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach are the organ systems that form the basis of the digestive system. The Stomach receives food and the Spleen assimilates food into useful nutrients and sends the waste to the intestines for further processing. The Spleen/Stomach system is also part of the Middle Burner. The Middle Burner is akin to a woodburning stove. Think of a nice, warm hearth. Once a stove is lit and burning well, regular feedings of moderately–sized logs keeps the fire burning throughout the day. Too much wood stuffed in at one time could cut off the flow of oxygen and extinguish the fire. Too little wood could deprive the fire of fuel and cause it to flicker out. The work of starting a new fire is much greater and more time–consuming than keeping the fire going by feeding it at regular intervals. The same is true of our Middle Burner and the rate of our metabolism.
Italian scholar Giovanni Maciocia writes:
…some people who starve themselves to lose weight actually experience an increase in weight, whilst when they resume a balanced diet excess fat drops away. This apparent paradox is explained by the fact that starving weakens the Spleen, which fails to transform and transport food and fluids properly and this leads to weight gain. If proper food is eaten, the Spleen is strengthened, it transforms and transports food and fluids properly and this leads to loss of weight.
What does this mean for you? It means that eating warm, cooked foods at regular intervals in a calm manner will promote normal weight and optimal health. What is best for the Spleen network is not always so obvious since it runs contrary to several cultural trends we face today.
I live in northern California, where health is valued and people tend to be conscious of the food they consume, and its effects on the planet and individual health. One trend that is pervasive right now is raw food diets. Of course, eating whole foods in a natural form is a great way to share in the vitality of the earth and promote the care of the earth by nurturing organic vegetables and fruits from its soil. Yet, taken to the extreme, especially for certain constitutional types, a raw diet can cause Spleen deficiency, dampness, and long-term Kidney deficiency. If a person has a very warm and dry constitution, they can handle a certain amount of cold, raw food, but most people need to remain aware of the Spleen’s needs to be warm and dry and need to eat food that promotes the “pilot light” of the body. Smoothies, salads, ice cream, iced drinks, fruit juices, and fruit are all foods that can contribute to dampness, with symptoms of diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, chilliness, and mucous. Again, this is not to say that these foods cannot be eaten, but for most people, warm, cooked foods, such as casseroles, sautés of proteins and vegetables, lightly steamed vegetables, stews, and soups will provide the most readily available and absorbable nutrients.
In Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach are the organ systems that form the basis of the digestive system. The Stomach receives food and the Spleen assimilates food into useful nutrients and sends the waste to the intestines for further processing. The Spleen/Stomach system is also part of the Middle Burner. The Middle Burner is akin to a woodburning stove. Think of a nice, warm hearth. Once a stove is lit and burning well, regular feedings of moderately–sized logs keeps the fire burning throughout the day. Too much wood stuffed in at one time could cut off the flow of oxygen and extinguish the fire. Too little wood could deprive the fire of fuel and cause it to flicker out. The work of starting a new fire is much greater and more time–consuming than keeping the fire going by feeding it at regular intervals. The same is true of our Middle Burner and the rate of our metabolism.
Italian scholar Giovanni Maciocia writes:
…some people who starve themselves to lose weight actually experience an increase in weight, whilst when they resume a balanced diet excess fat drops away. This apparent paradox is explained by the fact that starving weakens the Spleen, which fails to transform and transport food and fluids properly and this leads to weight gain. If proper food is eaten, the Spleen is strengthened, it transforms and transports food and fluids properly and this leads to loss of weight.
What does this mean for you? It means that eating warm, cooked foods at regular intervals in a calm manner will promote normal weight and optimal health. What is best for the Spleen network is not always so obvious since it runs contrary to several cultural trends we face today.
I live in northern California, where health is valued and people tend to be conscious of the food they consume, and its effects on the planet and individual health. One trend that is pervasive right now is raw food diets. Of course, eating whole foods in a natural form is a great way to share in the vitality of the earth and promote the care of the earth by nurturing organic vegetables and fruits from its soil. Yet, taken to the extreme, especially for certain constitutional types, a raw diet can cause Spleen deficiency, dampness, and long-term Kidney deficiency. If a person has a very warm and dry constitution, they can handle a certain amount of cold, raw food, but most people need to remain aware of the Spleen’s needs to be warm and dry and need to eat food that promotes the “pilot light” of the body. Smoothies, salads, ice cream, iced drinks, fruit juices, and fruit are all foods that can contribute to dampness, with symptoms of diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, chilliness, and mucous. Again, this is not to say that these foods cannot be eaten, but for most people, warm, cooked foods, such as casseroles, sautés of proteins and vegetables, lightly steamed vegetables, stews, and soups will provide the most readily available and absorbable nutrients.
