I can remember when I was a kid, I always got told off for eating too fast, for eating cold meals, and for being picky with my foods. Well, it makes sense to chew your foods in your mouth properly and enjoy the taste of your food. By doing that, you have already completed 70 percent of the digestive work for your stomach and avoided food stagnation (energy blockages caused by undigested food in the digestive system).

Avoid eating cold meals because your digestive system will use extra energy to bring the food up to body temperature; that means less energy available for your stomach to process the food. Therefore, try to have well cooked meals, especially in winter time. Avoid cold raw foods in winter, such as salad; it’s just too cold for the body to heat up and digest easily. It is also a good idea to avoid cold drinks with your meals because they too will need to be warmed in the stomach, and can dilute the acids necessary for digestion. Drink warm jasmine green tea with your meals if it’s a bit dry; green tea can help your digestion, but do not flood your spleen by drinking too much.

Avoid eating your meals when you are in a rush, stressed or angry, as your body releases toxins into your digestive system. When you are agitated and your heart beat increases, energy is being diverted to the liver to filter and supply blood. Insufficient stomach and spleen energy in your digestive system will create food stagnation, unburned fat, dampness and phlegm in the body system. Rule of thumb: eat your meals in a relaxed manner, and enjoy every mouthful.

Avoid strict food regimes, or fad diets, and ensure that you eat a balanced diet that includes seasonal fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables produced ‘in season’ are superior to those kept for months in cold storage because they are fresh and full of life force and nutrients. Eat more fruits and raw vegetable in summer, and well cooked meals in winter.

Rich foods, especially those high in sugar, provide too much stimulation to the spleen and affect the body’s production of insulin. Excessive consumption of sweet foods increases the risk of diabetes.

Regular exercise is vital, as it helps your digestive system to burn off any excess fat and sugar; tone up your muscle and strengthen your spleen. Regular exercise can also increase your appetite and bowel movement for a healthy digestive system.

It is better to eat several small meals a day than one or two large meals. Consuming large meals can over work your digestive system, and you may feel tired afterwards because your body has used up lots of energy to digest the food. Small meals make it easier for the digestive system to process and absorb nutrients.

Enjoy your food and eat healthy!