Seasonal Cooking

Seasonal cooking in Eastern medicines is not only about what foods you eat, but how you prepare them too. Each season has different dietary specifications intended to balance yin and yang, support each associated organ, and ease digestion. Preparing these foods properly by steaming, boiling, roasting, stewing, braising, or simmering not only maintains nutritional and flavor value, but also warms them to make them easier to digest. Proper digestion is key to overall well being and balance, as TCM teaches that food is the best medicine.

Winter Foods
In TCM, winter is associated with the kidneys, which store vitality, making it important to eat warm and nourishing foods for optimal digestion and kidney health. Steaming, roasting, stewing, braising, boiling, or simmering are the best ways to prepare food in winter since cooked and warm foods are easier to digest than raw or cold foods. Focus on healthy fat and bitter foods, and lower salt content. Warm and wet foods like soups and stews counteract the dryness of the season. Incorporating seasonal foods like root vegetables, hearty animal proteins, and warming spices provides the proper nutrients for kidney health and digestion.

Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, yams, daikon radish, ginger, fennel, onion, leek, scallion, root vegetables, garlic, potato, radish, cooked cabbage, mushroom, asparagus

Fruits: Pomegranates, citrus like oranges and tangerines, stewed or baked apples with cinnamon, grapes, apple, mulberry, spinach, kale, and chard boiled or in stews

Proteins: Beef, venison, lamb, bone broth, black soy bean, black beans, lentils, red beans, soybeans, kidney beans.

Grains: Congee, brown rice, oats, barley, millet, whole grains, black rice, purple rice, rye bread, whole wheat

Nuts and Seeds: Walnuts, chestnuts, black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Herbs and Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, garlic, black pepper, star anise, chive.

Teas: Ginger, chrysanthemum, ginseng, cinnamon, turmeric.

Spring Foods
Spring is a transitional season and a time for lighter meals and cooking methods like light steaming, sautéing, and quick hot stir frying (maintaining an al dente quality to vegetables). These cooking techniques maintain nutrients and flavors, and make them easier to digest. This season is associated with the liver, meaning it is important to include foods that support detoxification and the smooth flow of Qi. Limit fried foods and processed ingredients that can cause stagnation.

Vegetables: Lightly cooked leafy greens and sprouts. Asparagus, kale, spinach, swiss chard, collards, and dandelion greens, cabbage, carrots, celery, potato, pumpkin, radish leaf, shiitake mushrooms, string beans, sweet potato, lettuce, onions, beetroot, young beets, chard, cucumber, aubergines, squash.

Fruits: Grapefruit, lemon, dates, berries, apricots, figs, grapes, pineapples, plums, apples, cherries, dates and bananas, and kiwi

Proteins: Chicken, shrimp, rabbit, white fish, eggs

Grains: Millet, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, sprouted grains like mung bean.

Nuts and Seeds: Sesame seeds and oil including black sesame seed which tones up the liver, sunflower seeds and oil, almonds, chestnuts, coconuts, and walnuts.

Herbs and Spices: Ginger, chives, green onions, cilantro, mint, basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, turmeric, coriander, dill, and bay leaf.

Fermented: Sauerkraut, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, wine vinegars

Sprouted Seeds: Mung beans, pea shoots, and sunflower sprouts.

Teas: Lavender, lime tree flowers, milk thistle, dandelion, ginger with honey, green

Summer Foods
Summer foods are intended to keep the body cool and hydrated in this season of hot, humid or dry weather. The heart and small intestine are associated with summer, and they require foods that are cooling in nature vs temperature, and that are easy to digest without overburdening the digestive system and depleting energy. Cold or raw foods can weaken the digestive tract by causing contraction, which causes holding in sweat and heat, contract the stomach, and stop digestion. Cold foods include raw foods, drinks with ice, and excessive dairy like yogurt and milk. Avoid spicy and greasy foods, which can cause internal heat and overstimulate the digestive system, causing irritability, acne, insomnia, and diarrhea or constipation. Grilling is common and should not be over used. When grilling meats, use sour fermented foods, fresh greens and cooked summer vegetables to balance the grease and dense heat from the grill. Generally, opt for light, steamed meals, stir fried veggies, and herbal teas instead of caffeine or alcohol. When eating cold or raw foods, compliment the meal with ginger or warm water with lemon.

Vegetables: Watercress, lettuce, bitter melon, cucumber, bok choy, enoki mushrooms, lotus root, asparagus, radishes, celery, corn, water chestnuts, peppers, eggplant, onions, broccoli, cabbage, and summer squash.

Proteins: Plant-based proteins, lean pork, aduki bean, coix seed, pistachio, mungbean, soy milk

Grains: Millet, oat, barley, rice, wheat

Herbs and Spices: Honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, mint, black plum, longan, sour date kernel, aged tangerine peel, basil, ginger, paprika, coriander, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, matcha

Fruits: Melons like watermelon and canteloupe, stone fruits like plum, peaches, nectarines, and cherries, strawberries, pears, mulberries, apple, tomato, berries, lemon, pineapple quince, elderberry, cranberry, fig, banana, coconut

Teas: Lotus leaf, Tulsi, mint and licorice root, ginger and lime, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, Hawthorne berry, peppermint, green tea

Fall Foods
Fall is the transition time between summer and winter where slowing down and turning inward becomes the focus. The lungs and large intestines are the associated organs with fall, and they represent the body’s first line of immunity defense and elimination. It is important to keep warm by consuming warming foods that replenish fluids and eliminate dryness. Roasting, boiling, and stewing foods during fall adds warmth and preserves moisture.

Vegetables: Broccoli sprout, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, watercress, leek, onion, parsnips, fennel, Chinese yam, lotus root, sweet potato, pumpkin, snow fungus

Fruits: Apple, pear, peach, tangerine, golden kiwi, guava, persimmon, pomelo, fig

Proteins: Duck egg, duck, river fish, crab, black bean, adzuki bean, mung beans, white beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu.

Grains: Rice, red rice, oat

Other: Honey, cane sugar, spices, tahini, rice wine, extra virgin oil, almonds

Herbs and Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, lotus seeds, American ginseng, lily bulb, osmanthus

Teas: Chrysanthemum, oolong

Nature works in amazing ways by providing the most nourishing foods to support our changing health needs through the seasons, but how we prepare them is the final step in ensuring those nutrients are properly absorbed and processed. It is instinctual to want warm and comforting foods in the cold winter months, like soups, stews, and roasted veggies, as they provide physical warmth and nourishment as we slow down and wait for spring. The summer months bring the desire to cool off and hydrate, calling for foods with high water content that are lightly cooked. Adjusting how we eat to best support our bodies through the seasons will lead to better health overall.

Resources

● https://www.acu4u.com/blog/eating-according-to-the-seasons-dietary-principles-of-traditional-chinese-medicine

● https://donnabunte.com/seasonal-eating-with-chinese-medicine/

● https://meaganrosewilson.substack.com/p/cooking-for-the-season-a-tcm-approach

● https://aprpc.com/embracing-winter-with-traditional-chinese-medicine/

● https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/winter-nourishment-warming-foods-to-banish-the-chill/

● https://www.northernmedical.org/2025/02/12/warmer-days-lighter-meals-a-tcm-approach-to-spring-nutrition/

● https://gwcim.com/spring-frolicking-eating-with-the-seasons-in-chinese-medicine/

● https://www.avicenna.co.uk/fileadmin/uploads/Documents/TCM_Spring.pdf

● https://www.eacuwell.com/blog/seasonal-spring-superfoods-to-consider

● https://yina.co/blogs/wellness-guide/summer-wellness-tips?srsltid=AfmBOoqEdnQnAG6-vYCo7SdL0jK99R25bPvGaOMGbY72uRD2fF20i_2r

● https://riverpointacu.com/eating-according-to-tcm-five-foods-for-summer/

● https://www.rcwacupuncture.com/summer-nutritional-tips-according-to-chinese-medicine/

● https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/autumn-recipes-to-nourish-your-yin/

● https://calandraacupuncture.com/2012/06/tcm-and-summer/

● https://raleighacupunctureinc.com/fall-health-nutrition/

● https://riverpointacu.com/best-fall-foods-for-health-and-longevity-a-tcm-perspective/

● https://harmonizingcare.com/promoting-health-in-autumn-with-traditional-chinese-medicine/

Emotional Eating: A Clue to Imbalance

Emotional eating is a response to psychological and emotional factors rather than hunger, and stems from either unprocessed emotions or imbalances in the body’s organs. Each organ, the spleen, heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs, are associated with particular emotions, cravings, and other symptoms that can help diagnose an imbalance within the body. Balanced emotions are important in Classical Chinese medicine (CCM) because they are closely linked with organ function, and support vitality and Qi. When emotions are suppressed or unprocessed, stagnation can occur, leading to symptoms that cause emotional eating. The relationship is symbiotic, and can generate a habitual cycle if left unchecked. Understanding what you are craving can be the first step in understanding what you are feeling, and then treating yourself accordingly.

The Spleen

In CCM, the Spleen is the center for digestive health. Its main function is turning food into QI and Blood. Feelings of worry, overthinking, and mental strain are associated with the Spleen. Symptoms include craving sweet, starchy, or comfort foods, bloating, fatigue, and indigestion. To support your Spleen through times of emotional imbalance, eat warm, cooked meals to aid digestion, avoid excess sugar, avoid raw and cold foods which are harder to digest and weaken the Spleen, and incorporate herbs like Astragalus, Turkey Tail, Chaga, and Lion’s Mane mushroom.

The Heart

The Heart is responsible for spirit, or Shen, and overall emotional health. An imbalance in the Heart presents as a deficit in joy, and emotional eating may look like overeating to fill a void or find comfort. Symptoms include insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, depression, or loneliness, heart palpitations, and cravings for sugar and highly processed foods that offer instant gratification. To best support your Heart and heal an imbalance, limit stimulants like caffeine, incorporate tonics that support Shen like Reishi, and eat red foods like jujube and goji berries, which support Blood and nurture a sense of emotional comfort.

The Liver

An imbalance in the Liver, which regulates Qi and Blood flow, waste elimination, and processing emotions, results in Qi stagnation, and feelings of stress, anger, frustration, and irritability. Symptoms include emotional outbursts, cravings of rich and greasy foods, tension headaches or vertigo, and painful menstrual cramps. To tonify the liver and regulate your emotions, incorporate bitter greens like dandelion, which helps cleanse the liver, and arugula to move stagnation, minimize alcohol consumption, avoid fried foods that burden the liver, avoid citrus to relieve dampness, stimulate acupressure point Bladder 47, and incorporate herbs like Schizandra, Chaga, Reighi, Cordyceps, Rose, and He Shou Wu.

The Kidneys

Jing, or essence, which is considered the root of life, is stored in the Kidneys. Emotional eating is linked to feelings of fear, instability, and fatigue. Symptoms include craving salty foods, chronic exhaustion, low motivation, frequent fight or flight freeze response, night sweats, and feelings of insecurity. Support your kidneys by eating foods like seaweed, bone broth, and root vegetables, prioritize mineral intake, and include Jing and Kidney tonics like Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, and He Shou Wu.

The Lungs

When the Lungs are in disharmony, dysregulated eating habits like loss of appetite or overindulgence in comfort food may occur. Symptoms include feelings of defenselessness, sadness, and grief, shortness of breath, asthma, cough, frequent colds and flus, allergies, skin issues, excessive crying, or inability to cry despite sadness. To harmonize the lungs, eat truly comforting and nutrient dense foods like soup, stew, or porridge, practice meditation or breath work, incorporate herbs like Astragalus, and eat pears and apples to nourish the lungs and balance Yin.

Looking at emotional eating through the teachings and practices of CCM, the relationship between emotions and our bodies becomes clear. By understanding the body’s organ system’s relationship with emotions, you can begin processing emotions and heal stagnation instead of prolonging the imbalance by satisfying your cravings. Fueling your body with proper nutrients and processing your emotions will lead to a balanced mind, body, and spirit.

Resources

● https://www.rootandbones.com/blogs/news/emotional-eating-a-tcm-perspective

● https://linyanastudio.com/emotional-eating/

● https://drlaurenkeller.com/blog/2019/3/6/traditional-chinese-medicine-and-food-cravings

● https://www.tcmworld.org/body-never-lies-cravings/

● https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/what-your-cravings-are-telling-you-some-tips-for-healthier-alternatives/

● https://www.michiganacupuncturestudio.com/post/food-cravings-according-to-traditional-chinese-medicine