10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Chi

The most direct translation of chi would be “lifeforce.” Chi is an ancient Daoist concept that refers to the primary force that forms, connects, and powers everything in existence. It is what enables you and everything else to go, move, change, shift, and transform. It flows through everything, including us, traveling within our bodies along established pathways called channels or meridians. These channels form very early in our development, before the organs and structures, and are like the energetic blueprint upon which everything else is laid.

Soy: East and West

Soy is used medicinally in both the east and the west. Other medicinal plants in this family include red clover, indigo, alfalfa, fenugreek, senna, kudzu, mimosa, and astragalus. Parts of this plant that are used medicinally include the bean, the sprout, and the skin of the bean pod. The most common part used is the bean and it is usually taken as a food, though capsules and decoctions are other ways to benefit from the medicinal actions of this plant. Some of the different ways in which soy can be prepared include edamame (steamed bean pods), tofu (coagulated soymilk), tempeh (fermented soybean cake), miso (fermented soybean paste), natto (fermented soybean condiment), tamari (soybeans fermented in water), and soy sauce (soybeans and wheat fermented in water).

Western herbal medicine uses soybeans for their phytoestrogens and beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system. Soybeans are rich in estrogenic isoflavones, chemicals that are very similar to human estrogen that our bodies can readily modify to replace or enhance our natural hormonal levels. This makes soybeans a valuable ally for reducing menopausal symptoms, for treating reproductive hormonal imbalances, and for the prevention of osteoporosis. It can even reduce the risk of hormone-dependent cancers, like breast and prostate cancer, because it is similar enough to bind to estrogen receptors but different enough to not stimulate cancer cells. Soybeans have also been shown to reduce triglyceride and serum cholesterol, especially the harmful low-density lipoproteins, without adversely affecting levels of the beneficial high-density lipoproteins. Because of this, soybeans are commonly taken for heart disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

In the east soy has a long history as a medicinal herb. There are three different forms in which this plant is used: prepared soybean, soybean sprout, and the skin of the soybean pod. As with other herbs, different parts of the plant have different actions and indications. Take the prepared soybean, for example. This is traditionally made by steaming the beans in a decoction of wormwood and mulberry leaf, and then leaving the beans to ferment in the liquid. In this form, soy is used to treat the initial stages of viral infections and the irritability, restlessness, and insomnia following fevers. The sprout, on the other hand, is used for heat-stroke, while the soybean skin is used for dizziness, headaches, and night sweats. Interestingly, all three forms are applicable for different situations in which the body is overheated: the bean for fevers, the sprout for heat-stroke, and the skin for night sweats. What we would say in Chinese medicine, therefore, is that soy is energetically cooling.

As a food, soybeans have certain cautions and contradictions. First, it is the second most allergenic food after peanuts. Second, many people have difficulty digesting soybeans, especially when eaten unfermented, with the most common symptoms being stomachache, constipation, and diarrhea. Third, since soybeans are so high in phytoestrogens, it is necessary to be careful when feeding this plant to developing children and caution is recommended when utilizing it in baby formulas, especially the soy protein isolate. The high amount of phytoestrogens also mean that intensive use by pregnant women can exert hormonal effects on the developing fetus. These phytoestrogens can have anti-thyroid properties as well, so habitual consumption can cause hypothyroidism, low energy, poor mineral absorption, infertility, and may even reduce absorption of pharmaceutical thyroid medications.

Another important thing to note about soybeans is that, like all beans, they contain phytic acid in their skin, a chemical that prevents them from being digested. Since beans are seeds, this chemical increases the chances that the beans will pass through the digestive tracts of animals whole, distributing them farther afield, both fertilizing the plant with their stool and propagating the species. Unfortunately, phytic acid also binds to minerals in our bodies like calcium, magnesium, and zinc, reducing their absorption. This is bad for small children, who depend on these minerals to build new bone, for those who suffer from osteoporosis, and for malnourished individuals who are already deficient in these minerals. Soybeans also contain an anti-coagulant which prevents the breakdown of proteins and vitamin B12, and hemagglutins that can clump red blood cells together, so should be used cautiously by people who have conditions like anemia and clotting disorders.

Fortunately there is a way to deactivate the phytic acid, anti-coagulants, and hemagglutins in beans. Cooking and sprouting are somewhat successful, but both are only partially effective. As it turns out, the best way to fully deactivate these chemicals is with fermentation. That's right, only bacterial, molds, and yeast have the enzymes necessary to make soy optimally digestible for us! This is why soybeans are traditionally eaten fermented in the east: as tempeh, miso, natto, tamari, and soy sauce, all fermented forms of soy. (Please note that tofu is not a fermented food, so it is not as digestible. Tofu is made more like cheese, by coagulating the proteins out of soybean milk with calcium sulfate or other salts.) So enjoy your soy but keep in mind that it does have effects on our hormones, it is a common allergen, and it is easiest to digest if it is fermented.

Food Combining for Optimal Digestion

Proper and complete assimilation of food is a result of the action of digestive enzymes, molecules that help break foods down into smaller components so their nutrients can be absorbed through the intestinal lining and into your blood. When too many different types of foods are eaten at the same time, the body is unable to manufacture all of the different types of enzymes needed at once, so some food is then digested by the bacteria in our gut instead. This also happens when we combine foods that digest quickly, like fresh fruit, with foods that take a longer time to digest, like red meat.

Unfortunately, the bacteria in our intestines digest foods by fermentation, excreting toxic by-products such as ptomaines, leucomaines, alcohols, lactic acid, and carbon dioxide. Common symptoms of excessive bacterial fermentation include decreased nutrient assimilation, intestinal gas, abdominal pain, bloating, and heartburn. This process can be minimized or even prevented by what is referred to as food combining, a way of intentionally eating foods in a certain order and in certain combinations that promote the most efficient digestion. The following information is a synopsis on the topic found in Paul Pitchford's book, “Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition,” a book I highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about the many connections between diet and health.

Plan A - Guidelines For Individuals with Normal Digestion and No Serious Health Conditions

• Salty and fermented foods should be eaten first. Salty and fermented foods stimulate the production of gastric juices which is beneficial for digestion, so they should be eaten first. For example, in many traditional diets a small amount of miso soup or pickled vegetables are eaten at the beginning of the meal to get the digestive process going.
• Eat high-protein foods at the beginning of the meal. Because high-protein foods take longer to digest and require lots of hydrochloric (stomach) acid to break them down, they should be eaten first. This ensures both that they enter the stomach before other foods have a chance to absorb the acid, and that the digestive enzymes can start working on them before the more-easily digested foods enter the intestines. High-protein foods include legumes, nuts, seeds, and animal products.
• Proteins, fats and starches combine best with leafy green and non-starchy vegetables. Always eat proteins, fats, and starches first, followed by generous amounts of green and non-starchy vegetables. The high fiber and easy digestibility of the vegetables will help move the other foods through the digestive tract before they have time to ferment. Example of non-starchy vegetables include leafy greens and juicy vegetables like cucumber, celery, eggplants, tomatoes, and bean sprouts. 
• Concentrated proteins digest more easily if they are eaten in small amounts. Because they are so dense and take so long to digest, concentrated proteins are best when eaten in small portions. This is especially true of animal proteins, which naturally contain saturated fats that slow their digestion down even further. The process of digestion will be slower yet if the animal proteins are deep fried, prepared with fatty sauces, or particularly high in fats themselves (like bacon). Ideally you should minimize the consumption of fats and oils, especially in protein-rich meals.
• Fruits and sweets should be eaten either alone or in small amounts at the end of a meal. These types of carbohydrate-rich foods tend to be simple structurally and break down very quickly. When eaten with starches and proteins, which are made of more complex molecules and take longer to digest, the body tends to focuses on breaking down the simple carbohydrates first. Meanwhile, the starches and proteins sit and wait their turn and wind up being fermented by the bacteria in our guts instead. For those with normal digestion fruits and sweets are okay if combined with green and non-starchy vegetables. Still, for optimal digestion and assimilation, fruits and sweets should be eaten either alone or at the end of a meal.
• Don't drink iced beverages or excessive amounts of fluids with your food. It is good to drink some fluids with meals because they help liquefy and dissolve your food, making it easier for your organs to handle and digest. If you drink too many fluids, however, they can actually dilute your stomach acid and digestive enzymes, inhibiting proper digestion. Ideally, eight ounces or less of fluids should be taken with a meal. As with most things, food dissolves better in warm liquids so the ideal thing to drink with a meal is something like tea or hot water with lemon. When you drink iced beverages your body has to expend extra energy heating it up to the optimal temperature for dissolving food, which takes energy and time away from the digestive process. Iced drinks can also chill your stomach tissues, making them less flexible and less able to squeeze and mix your food around.

 

Plan B - Additional Considerations For Individuals with Poor Digestion and/or Serious Health Conditions

• Acidic fruits combine well with high-fat proteins and fats and oils. Acidic fruits can actually help break down certain foods, especially proteins, making them more digestible. Marinating proteins like meat and beans with acid fruits or vinegar can help tenderize or predigest these foods, dismantling protein chains into simpler amino acids. Fats and oils also combine well with acidic fruits, such as in oil and lemon juice dressings.
• Proteins and starches require different digestive enzymes. Simplify the load on your organs and reduce the potential for bacterial fermentation by simplifying your meals. Eat either a protein or a starch at your meals, not both. Since each type of starch requires different digestive enzymes to break them down, it is also helpful to eat just one type of starch per meal. For example, avoid combing starchy grains with starchy vegetables like potato, beets, squash, or carrots.
• Drink milk alone. When milk is consumed with solid foods it tends to curdle around them, insulating them from digestion. However, milk products that are already curdled (fermented), such as cheese and yoghurt, do not cause this problem.
• Fruit juices should only be taken between meals. Unlike whole fruits, fruit juices do not contain much fiber, meaning that they break down even faster. Because of this, they should ideally be taken on an empty stomach, either between meals or after. For meals that contain starches it is recommended that fruit juices be taken two hours after, for proteins fours hours is recommended.
• It is best to eat fruits alone. Fruits digest the fastest of all of the whole foods so they are best eaten alone. For those who could benefit from fruit's cleansing and detoxifying properties it is better to have one completely fruit or fruit-juice meal, preferably the first of the day, instead of eating them with other types of foods. Melons, in particular should always be eaten alone. For those with poor digestion and/or a serious health condition, melons should not even be combined with other types of fruits.

 

Plan C - For the Weak, Convalescent, or Chronically Ill

• Eat one-pot meals. For those who are particularly depleted, foods like soups, stews, and porridges are the best. Cooking foods in plenty of water on low heat over a long period of time is basically equivalent to pre-digestion, making these foods perfect for those who are weak and depleted. Nutrients are extracted but not lost because they stay in the pot and the tough fibers of vegetables are broken down. Another great benefit of eating this way is that the foods harmonize in the pot, making it easier for individuals to eat foods of different kinds at the same time. Because this method of cooking is so harmonizing, these meals need not be as restrictive and can even be made following the guidelines in Plan A.

 

How to Fuel Your Triple Burner

In Chinese medicine you have three burners that work together to supply you with the chi that you need to sustain you throughout your life. For optimal health, each burner needs the proper fuel. The upper burner is found in the thoracic cavity and includes the heart and lungs. The fuel for this burner is air. The middle burner is found in the abdominal cavity. This burner includes all the different digestive organs and it runs on food. The lower burner is found in the pelvic cavity and includes the kidney and bladder. As you may have guessed, this burner runs on water.  It is important to understand that these three fuels not only power their respective burner, they are also the raw material source that the burners use to extract chi for your entire body. From cells, to tissues, to individual organs, to the synchronized functions among the organs in each of the three cavities, the Triple Burner represents the highest level of complexity - the coordination of all of our internal organ systems as they work together to mutually support and nourish each other.

Upper Burner - AIR Let's start with the upper burner. Since this burner runs on air, one of the best ways to fuel it is by doing aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that gets us moving, open our lungs, and get our hearts pumping. Examples of aerobic exercise include dancing, swimming, jogging, gardening, biking, and brisk walks. Low-impact exercises like these are considered ideal in Chinese medicine, especially when done regularly, because they keep our chi moving without putting us at too much risk for injury. Since all of your cells require oxygen to function, the confirmed medical benefits of aerobic exercise are many, including stronger lungs and heart, improved circulation, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, higher total number of red blood cells in the body, reduction in stress and depression, better cognition, higher energy levels, enhanced weight loss, and a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, blood clots, and stroke. Another way to fuel your upper burner is to go out and get some fresh air. Too many of us spend the majority of our time indoors where the air is stale. Whether this means enjoying a cup of tea on your front porch, laying on the beach, napping on a blanket in a field, or going into the woods for a picnic, there is a lot more chi in fresh air. Since plants produce the oxygen that we breathe, being immersed in the forest, as we are able to do here, is one of the best ways to fuel your upper burner. Even when you're not getting exercise, the benefits of fresh air are many, including cleansing the lungs, improving mental focus, accelerating healing, boosting immunity, enhancing energy levels, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, and reducing the effects of stress.

Middle Burner - FOOD Since the middle burner runs on food, Chinese medicine puts a lot of emphasis on diet in health. To nourish your body, foods that are fresh, seasonal, organic, and whole are best. What are whole foods? They include unprocessed, single ingredients like fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, fish, meat, and eggs. These contain the highest levels of nutrients, especially chi, something that is only found in fresh foods. Foods that are dried, frozen, canned, or highly processed are not only nutritionally inferior, they have typically been dead for months or even years before we eat them, so they do not contain any of the vital life force that is chi. In addition to chi, a whole foods diet provides the highest levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and fatty acids, while being low in sugar and trans fats. Because every cell in your body requires nutrients, known medical benefits of this type of diet include stronger teeth and bones, a healthier intestinal microbiome, regular bowel movements, reductions in heart disease, diabetes, triglycerides, blood sugar, and inflammation, and benefits to our emotional health. Eating foods in season not only provide us with the freshest of foods by default, it also helps us adapt and adjust to changes in the weather, making us more resilient to illness and imbalance. For example, leafy greens and fruit, which mature in spring and summer, are lighter and juicer so they are best for keeping us cool and hydrated during that time of year, while squashes and root vegetables, which mature in fall and winter, are denser and heartier so they are better for keeping us warm and nourished when it is cold. We are extremely fortunate in Asheville to be surrounded by an abundance of skilled and dedicated farmers, and I encourage you to support our local farmer's markets for the freshest seasonal foods.

Lower Burner - WATER The lower burner is the third and final burner that we will look at today. In ancient Chinese medicine the best fuel for this burner would have been wild, naturally flowing water like springs and streams. Water that comes from a pure source and has found its own meandering pathway would be considered the ideal source for optimal chi. In fact, Chinese medicine often uses the metaphor of water as a way to describe the nature of chi and the way it flows within our bodies. For example, just like a stream will stagnate if it runs too low, we are more likely to become less motivated when we are run down. Or, like a river after a landslide, the flow of the chi in the acupuncture channels can become blocked by injury, causing pain. There isn't a single tissue or organ that can perform optimally without water so the benefits of hydration are many and varied. Water helps us flush out metabolic toxins and regulate our body temperature. It is essential for keeping our mucosal membranes moist and our joints lubricated. It helps us digest food and absorb nutrients and can even boost energy and improve cognition. Adequate hydration also helps prevent heat stroke, constipation, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and hypertension. Fortunately, in Asheville, our municipal water reservoirs are feed by mountain springs and streams. Perhaps even more so, we are lucky to have recreational access to multiple wild rivers and waterfalls. If you really want to refresh yourself and boost your chi, I highly recommend taking a plunge into one of these!