Follow This Chinese Medicine Diet Plan
During the summer, we frequently consume vegetables by adding them raw to chilled salads, which is acceptable in some cases; however, to meet the requirements of a Chinese medicine-inspired diet (which, among other things, is excellent for digestion), we can lightly grill our vegetables to begin breaking down the ingredient, allowing our bodies to absorb more nutrients.
Middle Burner TCM
According to Chinese medical philosophy, the spleen and stomach are mainly responsible for digestion: The spleen produces the heat that distills and converts the food and liquids in the stomach into Qi, blood, and valuable bodily fluids. According to Chinese medical philosophy, digestion is a cooking and distilling process. Internal digestion and absorption are aided by cuisine, grinding, and macerating on the body’s exterior.
However, there is a balance between overcooking and milling, which results in the loss of essential nutrients, and cooking and grinding enough to allow adequate digestion and absorption. This equilibrium does not exist in all people at all times. As a result, Chinese medical practitioners meticulously counsel each patient on how much to cook and grind their meals. If the meal has many nutrients trapped in a “hard to digest state,” it is preferable to lose some of those nutrients via heating and grinding so that what remains may be more readily absorbed by our bodies. Vegetables should not be overdone. They should be eaten fresh, and their skins should not be thrown. Again, the key is to boil them just enough to make them digestible but not so much that their taste or nutritional value is lost.
Middle Burner Recipe
For this tabbouleh, we’ll grill not just the corn but also the tomatoes and onions. Grilling or fire roasting the tomatoes not only starts the digestion process for our middle burner, but it also gives the tomatoes a beautiful char or smokiness. You’ll want to keep the tomatoes on the hot portion of the grill until the skins blister and blacken; after the tomatoes have cooled, remove the blackened skins, and the interior tomato will have an excellent smokey taste. The onion will be treated similarly since you’ll want to give it a good char to create that smokey taste.
Corn, also known as maize in most parts of the globe, is the Western Hemisphere’s most commonly used native grain. Maize is used for various purposes, with the bulk of domestic corn being fed to cattle. Other applications for human consumption include cornmeal, flour, popcorn, posole, and, of course, processed products such as cornstarch, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and corn oil.
Corn is also present in baking powder, dextrose, fructose, caramel color, confectioners’ sugar, maltodextrin, malt syrup, MSG, sorbitol, food starch, xanthan gum, and other products, and is often genetically modified. Sweet corn contains a recessive gene that prevents its sugars from converting to starch, making it a vegetable rather than a grain.
Corn And Qi From An Eastern Perspective
Corn is a Qi tonic in the east, strengthening general energy and supporting the kidneys, stomach, and enormous intestine. It has a balanced thermal property and a pleasant taste. Corn is used to curing heart disease and appetite loss, promote bile flow, reduce urinary stone formation, decrease blood sugar levels, and treat inappropriate urination or edema. Corn is the only grain that includes vitamin A, and when compared to other cereal grains, it is refreshing and an excellent hot weather grain.
Grilled Corn & Fire Roasted Tomato Tabouleh
Prep time about 45 minutes
Serves about 6
- 1 cup Bulgur Wheat
- 3 cups water
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 3-4 Large Ears Sweet Corn
- 3-4 Medium Tomatoes
- ½ Medium Red Onion
- ¼ Cup Parsley
- ¼ Cup Chive
- ¼ Cup Mint
- ¼ Cup Basil
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1-2 Ounces Balsamic Vinegar
- 1-2 Ounces Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
-Bring 3 cups water and one teaspoon salt to a boil, stir in one cup bulgur wheat, cover, and remove heat. Let sit for about 30 minutes until water is absorbed, remove the cover, and set aside.
-Pull the husk of the corn partially down and remove the silk, then pull the husk back into place around the corn and soak in lightly salted water for about 10 minutes, remove excess water, and grill on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes turning every five minutes or so.
-Place the tomatoes whole on the grill until nicely charred.
-Peel the onion, cut into half-inch slices, and grill until nicely charred as well.
Chop the parsley, chive, basil, and garlic.-Once the corn, tomatoes, and onion are all grilled. You can slice the kernels of corn from the cob and scrape the cob with the back of your knife to remove all the delicious corn liquid. Remove the charred skin from the tomato and the core and rough chop, be sure to get all of the tomato juice. Medium dice the grilled onion.
I had fresh basil available, and even though basil is typically not used in tabbouleh, it goes well with the corn and the balsamic, which is also commonly not found in tabbouleh’s excellent depth to the dish.-Combine all ingredients, including the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, and adjust seasoning. Feel free to experiment on your own, adding or removing elements as you like or have available.
REFERENCE
“MIDDLE BURNER” DIET: GRILLED CORN AND FIRE ROASTED TOMATO TABOULEH
About The Doc
With a commitment to helping others actualize their greatest potential and well-being, Dr. East has been a licensed acupuncturist since 1999 and professor of Chinese Medicine at the Pacific College of Health Sciences since 2004. Specializing in MIE: Motivation, Inspiration, and Encouragement, Dr. East helps practitioners of alternative medicine align with their three P’s: Purpose, Passion, and Prosperity. In 2019 she published the book More Than a Treatment, which held the Amazon bestseller’s list in Practice Management for several weeks. She currently resides in Del Mar, CA with her husband and two kids and continues to help patients, students, other practitioners, and the general public with her lectures, workshops, books, events, coaching programs, and wellness-related products.
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