Hydration is the key to good health and healing. Practical advice for deep hydration.

In Chinese Medicine theory, the efficacy of our immune system, hormonal, neurological and general health is strongly rooted in adequate hydration. In fact chronic long term dehydration can be seen as the cause of many auto-immune and other chronic health conditions.

A common belief is that water intake is the key to maintaining hydration. While water is hydrating, it is actually more cooling and clearing. We certainly need to drink adequate water, but for those of us that have chronic health issues, we also need to be eating wet foods.

Food cooked in water absorbs all the cooking water, and then slowly releases this water back into the gut over time as it digests.

This is slow release hydration. A profound and sustainable hydration that Chinese Medicine see’s as medicine.

Food that is cooked in a lot of water is also easier to digest. The precursor to the health of so many of our bodily systems, is fluids. These fluids are made through the effective digestion of foods in the stomach, then absorbed through the small and then large intestine. If our digestion is not optimal, we miss the opportunity to make these vital substances. This can result in a weakening of our health, and overtime disease.

So, by avoiding overloading our digestive capacity, through well cooked wet food and avoiding complex or harmful foods, we nurture and strengthen our digestive systems, allowing them to nourish our entire physiology.

So what does this look like in everyday life?

I like to start with wet breakfasts with my patients. According to the Chinese body clock - the morning is the time of the digestive organs - the spleen and stomach. This means it is the best time to gently wake up and nourish our digestive systems - and the best time of day to eat grains, as grains soothe and strengthen the spleen and stomach.

Congee (from rice, oats, polenta or millet) is a simple, yet remarkably medicinal food that deeply hydrates and soothes the digestion.

It is eaten warm, with a small arrangement of condiments such as eggs, fish, mushrooms, cooked greens, sweet potato etc.

Next comes warm wet lunch’s. The middle of the day is when our digestion is at its peak, and optimal for digesting protein. Think beef stew’s, chicken casseroles, lamb soup etc.

Evening meals are best as broths with aromatic herbs. The aromatic fresh herbs transport the fluids to the lungs, enabling them to be dispersed around the body. This prepares the body to be well hydrated over the time we sleep while fasting from fluid intake.

Avoiding overly heating or dehydrating foods is also important, so our bodies are not robbed of their precious resources. Limit or avoid coffee, alcohol, chocolate, garlic, chilli, sugar and too many dry foods such as toast, nuts, dried fruit. Instead poach fruit and eat it warm, eat grains whole and cooked in lots of water etc.

Eating this way is simple and can be life changing, especially if we have had years, or even a lifetime of dehydrating foods.

It is always important to have a large variety of food, the wider the range of proteins, vegetables, herbs and whole grains, the healthier and more diverse our microbiome. The above is a base example to be fleshed out with your own creativity, and individual healing needs.

In Chinese Medicine the digestion is seen as the centre of health, and the root of nearly all health conditions. It has a very long history of dietary therapy. While it can be very simple in its foundations, it can also be very medicinal and specific when healing health conditions.

If you are interested in healing your digestion, or indeed any type of health condition, through nutrition, or if you want to get the most out of your acupuncture treatments through eating well, please reach out. I have a great passion for dietary therapy, and for healing and maintaining health through the enjoyment of deeply nourishing nutrition. It is amazing how good we can feel when giving our bodies what they need.