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The stomach is the toughest organ in our body! It can put up with a great deal of abuse.
The body is so well made… The stomach receives food straight from our mouth. It is on the front line, so it has to be strong, because we tend to put just about anything in our mouths!
The stomach is paired with the spleen, and both are linked to the Earth element, the centre. Everything starts from the earth and returns to it, which is why the Chinese say:
“As long as the Earth organs are healthy, every illness can be healed.”
This is because the stomach and the spleen are the source of acquired chi: they produce the energy we need every day to live. If they don’t produce enough, we have to draw on the reserves of the kidneys, the source of innate chi. The kidneys are our chi reserve, and they determine how quickly we age…
The Earth organs are the source of life and immunity. So it is essential to nourish them properly, both physically (through the food we take in) and on the level of our thoughts and emotions.
Thinking corresponds to the Earth organs, as do meditation and reflection, and, when there is an imbalance, anxiety, thoughts going round and round in our head, the song we just can’t get rid of…
First and foremost, even though the food we put into our stomach is essential, the way we eat plays a decisive role.
So I’d like to suggest a little experiment.
One day when you have the chance to eat alone, switch off your phone and try this: focus on what is happening in your mouth while picturing it directly connected to your stomach. Start from the stomach, that is, with the physical awareness that your stomach is right there, at the other end of the digestive tract, and that it takes part in your chewing; that it is the one doing the chewing, and that it is you. Chew from your stomach.
You will then realise that your thoughts in that very moment are also affecting your stomach.
Chew with awareness of your stomach, in direct connection with it, and you will feel it smile; you will feel it full of love and joy. Far from being boring, your meal will become a moment of joy and closeness spent with yourself.
The point is to realise that your stomach isn’t far away (it’s just at the other end of your mouth) and that you have a direct effect on it, through the awareness you bring to eating and through your thoughts. In Chinese medicine, the stomach and spleen are linked to thinking. We don’t only digest food; we also digest our thoughts and emotions. So lighten your meals by avoiding emotional conversations, arguments and business meals…
Through this little experiment, you can discover that your stomach isn’t an abstract idea: it is right there, within your reach, and you act on it directly, because it is you and you are it! We can’t put just anything into our mouths and get away with it, as if it had no effect on us: on our body, and on our emotions too!
Bringing awareness to your stomach means giving it love, and loving yourself, too. Then you will discover a different kind of pleasure: not eating any old thing, but doing your stomach, and yourself, some good!
It is flavours (the essence of flavours) that nourish our organs, and therefore our whole body. The flavour that nourishes the spleen and stomach is the sweet flavour.
Sweetness is the taste of the middle way, linked to the Earth element.
The sweet taste nourishes, harmonises and hydrates the body. It supplies the body with chi and strengthens it by stimulating the production of fluids. Body fluids help us to relax, especially in times of stress and strong emotion.
So, long live the sweets industry????
Of course not! The sugars that nourish the spleen and stomach are not the industrial kind, quite the opposite. They come from the big family of grains, pulses, starchy foods and naturally cooked meats.
Foods that have gone through industrial processing don’t even deserve to be called food. White flour and refined sugar do more harm than good: rather than giving the body chi, they steal it!
It’s important to understand that when we “crave something sweet”, it is the spleen and stomach directly expressing a deficiency.
If you eat sugar every day, your body won’t be able to draw enough chi from your food, even if that food is otherwise excellent.
To nourish the Earth organs, eat red kuri squash, carrots, whole grains (brown rice, millet…), beef cooked in a sauce, eggs, apples, apricots, sweet potatoes, starchy foods and always some fibre-rich green vegetables… whatever fresh produce each season has to offer. Simply buying seasonal fruit and vegetables tells us what we need. All on a base of grains and starchy foods.
Avoid cold drinks, fizzy drinks, all processed food, the microwave, low-fat products, grilled meat, yoghurt, milk, tropical fruit, bread with cheese, jam, tinned and frozen food, supermarket butter, frequent cold meals…
Above all, don’t force yourself: hold on to the pleasure of eating!
Of course you can make exceptions: eat well 80% of the time and less well 20% of the time. In other words, if your everyday diet is healthy, you can allow yourself that chocolate cake: treats at two meals a week!
Eat with pleasure and without forcing yourself; changing the way you eat happens gradually. Once the Earth organs are nourished, you will enjoy savouring food in this new way because, above all,
pleasure is the hallmark of a good diet!
And if you reconnect with your stomach, you will take real pleasure in nourishing it properly and giving it what it needs, and that, in turn, will bring you pleasure.
