When your acupuncturist speaks of the Earth element we’re talking about the stomach, spleen and pancreas; the organs responsible for food processing and insulin response. Because our digestion is one of the foundations of health in the body, I spend a lot of time advising clients on how to change their diet to be more Earth friendly. When the spleen is in disharmony not only does it directly lead to bloating, fatigue, weight gain, lack of appetite, worry, ruminating thoughts, unusual bleeding or blood loss, organ prolapse and loose stools, it can also indirectly lead to poor sleep, anxiety, dry hair and nails, scanty mensuration, poor memory and concentration, painful periods, poor vision or floaters in the eyes among other things, due to your body not adequately building blood.
The spleen aspect of the Earth element loves things to be dry and loathes dampness, in contrast the stomach needs to be moistened and dislikes when things get too dry. Complicated, right? Fortunately, with adequate spleen nourishment it will moisten the stomach and result in harmony and a sense of contentedness. Listed below are some lifestyle tips as well as foods to eat and avoid so you can have happy digestion in no time.
We look at digestion as a fire, so with that in mind we want to warm it up and not douse it with cold. Additionally, we are avoiding energetically damp foods and replacing them with more neutral items. We will talk more about food energetics in another post.
Lifestyle:
Spleen is responsible for taking everything in, this is not only the food we eat but the media we consume and the thoughts we think. If we are ruminating on a problem at work, it will weaken the spleen and lead to poor digestion. If we consume too much in terms of social media or studying, the spleen uses energy it would typically reserve for digesting and spends it on the mind. I always advise unplugging when eating a meal.
Take the time to sit and focus on the flavours and texture of the food you’re consuming, have a pleasant conversation with a meal partner, enjoy the process of food without distraction. Additionally, adequately chewing your food to break it down helps the digestion process.
If you’re a full time student of course you can’t help but over tax the spleen through study, in that case it’s extra important to take some time every day to meditate or go for a walk without music or a podcast to let your body have a mental rest.
Eat at regular times. If breakfast is around 9am, it should be around 9am every day. Keep your body on a regular clock and it will do wonders for your energy and vitality.
Foods to Consume:
Grains: millet, barley, oats, sourdough bread
Veggies: squash, pumpkin, yams, leeks, onions, chives, mustard greens
Fruits: apricot, cherry, dates
Meat: lean chicken and beef cuts as well as fish and shellfish
Herbs and Spices: caraway seed, basil, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, and rosemary (many of these herbs are quite warming, if you tend to run hot avoid too much of this)
Swap salads for steamed veggies
Soups and stews are helpful as they are well cooked and warm
Congee is the best food for your spleen, bonus points if you use a home made bone broth
Foods to Avoid:
Dairy: all dairy is out except goats milk, dairy is very dampening
Sugar: if you have a sweet tooth try adding things like unpasteurised honey or molasses, processed sugars are harmful to the spleen. Even when using natural sweeteners put in just a small amount while you’re working on the spleen.
Fruits / Veggies: bananas and avocados as well as salads (they’re “cold”). Any raw fruit or vegetable can be too cold or dampening to the spleen so limit them to the best of your abilities but given the excessive dampening nature of bananas and avocados, those should be completely out for the time being.
Miscellaneous: Greasy and fatty foods, peanut butter
Finally, limiting the amount you eat can be helpful for a time. If you are currently a healthy weight and just want to improve digestion, try cutting your calories in half for a day and see what that does for your bowel movement the following day. Given the nature of my work (endless study!) and the fact that I live in a damp climate, I am often working with my spleen to try and achieve balance. Time and again it’s the days I eat less that are best for my body. A typical half calorie day for me would look like: a piece of sourdough toast with fatso butter (not the best thing in the world but people have to eat). Lunch would be a cup of rice with 1/3 of a chicken breast just seasoned with dried spices. Dinner would be a big plate of steamed or sautéed broccoli, kale, carrots, onion and a bit of whatever is in season. I will have an apple or some nuts throughout the day for a snack. While those days I am typically a little hungry, I find I feel amazing the following day. Keep in mind, the spleen likes regularity so this is just a helpful way to check if your spleen does better with a lighter load and not meant to be a daily habit.