06 May 5 elements nutrition: Wood

TCM: Strengthen the element wood

The element wood gives us stability, trust and security in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Safety on the emotional level, in life itself, in our decisions and trust in the divine order, a positive partnership or a good outcome of a situation. Children who could not be nourished by the mother don’t feel secure in life. Emotional food, difficulties to develop the original trust, but also  have an urge for recognition and later found often in dependency relationships. Of course, problems of parents or a non-present father are generally not the best basis for developing the strong wood for life. But with the 5-element nutrition from the Traditional Chinese Medicine you can give power into your weak energy system and straighten your Chi.

From the side of Traditional Chinese Medicine, through the 5 elements of nutrition, the wood (the center part of the body, where the solar plexus chakra is) can be strengthened. Here are mainly natural cereals, optimally in warm form such as millet porridge useful. As well all kinds of roots like carrots, red beets or other roots. Rice is balancing the full energy system, so if you use regular these ingredients you will fell more grounded and connected to your true emotions. Those who can not tolerate millet can, for example, also use dodge oats. Both are positive acidifiers and give stability, where otherwise uncertainty and fears took place. The grain is best cooked to enjoy as breakfast or lunch warm–to make the surrounding energy areas such as spleen, stomach, liver easy to digest and to balance your Chi.

The combination with fruits is very tasty and should be done mindfully: sweet fruits (like kaki fruit, pear, apple, pineapple) are not very beneficial because according to TCM they enrich water and this weakens wood and spleen chi, which we want to strengthen in this case. Optimally dark fruits are to be selected (eg plum, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranate) and particularly helpful in this case bitter fruit varieties (including cranberry, lilac, quince) and / or tends to strengthen acidic or neutral fruit varieties, such as kiwis, melons, mangos, Passion fruits, gooseberry …

If you you want to have a more salts variation for lunch or dinner–be creative and start cooking with that ingredients. Generally you cannot make any mistakes. The only things i recommend ist, if you want to cook the roots: beets need longer time than carrots. So i always use a pan or wok. Cut some onions, ginger, garlic and coconut oil. Heat it up, put some water and first the beets, cabbage and what you want and a least the carrots. On top some spices. Cook it like that 2-5 minutes (up to the stove, gas needs less time…). Ready to serve!!! Buon Appetito 😉