Keeping Healthy and Calm through the Holidays with Chinese Nutritional Medicine
I had my first holiday thought today. My first, hmm I wonder what I should get my daughter for Christmas? I wonder if a six year old would like a lava lamp? It was the first day where I actually thought, “Oh my, Christmas is going to come whether I try to ignore it or not!” I looked at my calendar and saw the holiday season rapidly approaching.
Breathe, I told myself. It’s going to be just fine. And please don’t let me get sick, I have too much to do.
Enter Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Because Chinese medicine is holistic, it can help keep you calm and also help keep you healthy. This month, I want to focus on what you can do for yourself, using only foods, to keep you happy and healthy this holiday season.
Many of us love a cup of tea as a way to relax. You can make a healthy and delicious calming tea that uses the tenants of TCM to help you through the busy-ness of the holiday season. A great tea that is helpful not only for its calming benefits but also in its ability to aid the digestion is spearmint.
Calming isn’t all that is needed during the holidays. We also need to digest all of the extra food that we may be eating. Spearmint is great for both calming the nerves and the stomach. Perfect.
Chinese medicine can also help you get through the holidays healthy by drinking a traditional miso and spring onion broth that can be taken to ward off colds and flus that may come your way.
This recipe was first found in the book, Prescriptions For Emergencies, written around 300 CE. I also added ginger and garlic because of their proven anti-microbial properties.
Miso and Spring Onion Soup
For the onset of a cold
Ingredients:
1 cup miso broth (make according to the miso that is found in the refrigerator section of the Tacoma Food Co-op)
2 chopped green onions
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients together in a small pot and simmer on the stove for 5 minutes. Drink. Repeat 1-3 times a day until the symptoms are gone. This recipe is best used for the initial onset of a cold.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
