Spleen QI Deficiency picture showing where the spleen is in the body

How to Nourish the Spleen QI Deficiency

  • Consume mostly organic vegetables, sauteed or lightly cooked.

  • Eat beef, chicken, goose, ham, herring, rabbit, mackerel, and sturgeon.

  • Eat grains like rice, job’s tears, oats.

  • Eat yams, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds unless you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). While some fertility diets advocate it, massive yam consumption can actually delay or prevent ovulation if you have PCOS because the high starch and sugar content in yams impairs the glucose metabolism that occurs with this condition.

  • Eat cherries, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, and shittake mushrooms. It is helpful to eat fruits with nuts or yoghurt, because it helps keep your blood sugar levels stable.

  • Do not eat raw, cold foods. Don’t consume ice-cold beverages, or put ice in your drinks. Avoid ice cream and popsicles. Don’t eat food straight out of the refrigerator. In Chinese Medicine, your center is seen in terms of a pot. It takes more energy to heat up, and digest raw, cold things and you receive less energy than you expend. Soups, stews, and baked things are preferable.

  • Avoid energetically cold fruits like mangos, watermelon, pears, and persimmons. Cold vegetables include cucumbers, lettuce, celery and spinach.

  • Avoid damp creating foods like milk and milk products such as cheese or ice cream. There are options with goat, sheep, soy (if tolerated, and if you don’t have too much dampness), rice and almond milk worth trying. Goat and sheep’s milk is more similar to human milk, and much easier to digest for most people.

  • Do not eat refined carbohydrates like white pasta or bread. Avoid any food made with white flour. Simple starches are converted to glucose immediately after ingestion and quickly spike the blood sugar, and quickly makes the blood sugar crash. In Chinese medicine it is said to damage the Spleen.

  • Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes and concentrated sweets including honey and maple syrup. Try a green apple, red currants, or a kiwi if you want something sweet. Sometimes if you need a pick-me-up, a brisk walk outside will help you get more energy. Egli Reformhaus by Hauptbahnof in Zürich, and Migros has 100 % chocolate…without milk and without sugar. Like savoring fine wine, the chocolate has many subtle flavors…and is a nice thing to have if you are strongly craving chocolate.

  • Do not drink fruit juice..eat only whole fruits. Juice spikes your blood sugar once again, because it lacks fiber. If you must have some juice every now and again, make sure to dilute it half and half with water.

  • Chew your food thoroughly. Avoid drinking too much with your meals, instead drink more between meals. Water dilutes the stomach acid, and saliva contains enzymes that help you get more nutrition from your food, especially from grains. In Japan, some people chew up to 50 times with each bite. It may be bothersome at first, but after awhile one gets accustomed to eating more slowly.

  • Get adequate rest and sufficient exercise. Sleep is restorative and it’s healing properties cannot be underestimated. Swimming, yoga, tai chi are good options.

  • Do not exercise excessively during menstruation. During menstruation, it is a good idea to rest, and take it easier. Enjoy a good book, watch an enjoyable film, write in a journal. If you need some exercise, gentle walking can be helpful.

  • Perform meditative techniques to help relive the mind of undue worry. Biofeedback may be helpful.