How Does the ‘American Diet’ Affect Digestion?

Cutting Out Cold

You can’t discuss acupuncture and digestion without talking about the damage often done by the “American diet.” For starters, the American diet is cold, cold, cold! From a Chinese Medical perspective we always want the body in a healthy balance — making sure the organs and body systems aren’t too cold and damp or excessively hot. Either extreme will deplete your energy, lead to body dysfunction and uncomfortable symptoms.

One thing that’s truly American is ice-cold beverages — especially in summer. What seems better than a cold drink on a hot day, right? Refreshing, cools you down, ahhhh! But what seems natural to the mind is actually totally unnatural for your body. Think of it this way: How often do you see a National Geographic program where African elephants are kicking back with a cold drink? It’s unheard of in their natural habitat. The water they drink reflects the temperature of the environment, and there are no radical swings in temperature from their external environment and what they put in their bodies.

We’re just the same. Our body’s have a harsh reaction to something so cold being imbibed. It affects blood circulation, which for women affects menstruation. It causes stomach pain. And all you have to do to prevent it is drink something room temperature or drink hot tea when you’re not overly hot from the temperature outside. A simple switch to warming food and drinks will eliminate many people’s nagging pains — especially stomach pains — that have plagued them for years.

I recently saw a menopausal patient who was experiencing extreme hot flashes. Naturally, she wanted to cool down. So, he began to sleep with an ice pack on her stomach. She came to me complaining of sharp, intense stomach pain. I told her to immediately stop with the ice pack, and her pain vanished. You may be thinking, “Duh!” But in our culture we are so used to this idea of tasty cold drinks and “cooling off” that it doesn’t occur to many of us that the cold we’re forcing on our body might be the culprit of our ills.

It’s okay if you have ice cream every now and then. I’m not telling you to “stop having fun” with meals and desserts. Just start with cutting out cold drinking water and see if you feel different after awhile.

Meals in Balance

Eat at consistent times. Eat smaller meals more often, if possible. Make sure your meals balance the “five tastes” whenever possible: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and savory. In the American diet, we’re really good at sweet and salty, but if we don’t have a balance, it throws off the body’s digestion. And whenever possible, eat local and organic. It may cost more, but the price of poor health is much higher.