Eating breakfast is IMPORTANT to keeping your stomach and spleen’s functions healthy.
When you don’t eat breakfast in the morning, you are telling your stomach to go offline. You eliminate the stomach’s most important job of the day. Good function of your stomach and spleen are key to getting the most nourishment from the food you ingest.
In Chinese Medicine, there is a 2 hour time frame for each organ. Your stomach’s time to shine is 7-9am. Your spleen, which is coupled with the stomach, is 9-11am. This is the time that your stomach is its best self.
When the stomach and spleen are weakened (by not eating breakfast), the imbalance feeds into all of the other organs. The most common symptoms of stomach/spleen imbalance are:
WORRY, OBSESSING MIND, EXCESSIVE THINKING, INDIGESTION, ANXIETY, ULCERS, MOUTH ULCERS, ACIDIC STOMACH, WEIGHT LOSS (inability to create flesh), SPOTS/ACNE
If there is a meal that you’d like to skip, the most beneficial is omitting the evening meal.
Tips for good stomach/spleen health:
-eat a savory breakfast. I highly recommend PORRIDGE (rice, millet, oat or other grain), a gentle and easy meal that can be coupled with meat, egg, asian pickles, soy sauce etc.
-breakfast should be cooked, not raw
-avoid eating too much raw food as it is more difficult to digest
-learn how to cook your vegetables so you get the maximum nourishment (do not overcook!)
-allow sugar to be something that you eat occasionally, not every day.
-chew slowly, bringing awareness to the food in your mouth and enjoying it more
-listen to your stomach for when you feel satiated to avoid over-eating
-avoid snacking, as this distracts the stomach. 2-4 meals per day at regular times keeps the function of the stomach regulated.