So here’s the thing. Protein shakes are not traditionally a part of Chinese Medicine. It is a concept borrowed from Western culture to help Western patients make changes in their health. Protein shakes are cold in nature. They overstimulate Vata in Ayurveda. Fruit sugars can aggravate Candida conditions. I don’t recommend them always or feel that they are the end all be all of perfect health choices. Is having a cold smoothie, packed with freeze dried supergreens, powered protein and frozen berries a perfect breakfast? No. Is it better than skipping breakfast or heaven forbid, a fast food breakfast. Hell yes. I’m not talking about the kind you get at Smoothie Land that’s packed with sugar and artificial everything either. I’m talking about the kind made at home with physician grade supplements and organic ingredients. The kind that might be a part of a detox diet.
The issue that Chinese Medicine has with smoothies is that foods which are cold in nature can damage the digestion. The digestion is thought of as a fire cooking food in a pot. If you dump cold food directly into the pot, the fire has to burn hotter to get its job done. This is why water should be taken at room temperature and ice cream should be kept to a minimum and ideally only in the warmer months. Smoothies also contain a fair amount of sugar, albeit in the form of whole fruits. Too much sugar can damage the digestion and particularly the Chinese Spleen. Protein powders themselves can be hard on the digestion. It is important to find one that contains a kind of protein that is easy for your body to handle. I like Rice Protein or Pea Protein.
What a girl to do? Would I like it if everyone sautéed some dark organic greens and ate them with a nice piece of organic beef fillet every morning? Yes. Or better yet, congee cooked with Chinese herbs or egg and rice for breakfast? Yes. Hopefully you have tried some of these yummy non-Western breakfasts because they set you up for an awesome day.
For short periods of time, when protein and other foods might be limited in your daily diet, I think smoothies are great. Take a food and supplement based cleanse for instance. Plunk in 20g pf protein and vitamins in a blender, add greens, probiotics, and detoxifiers and make it tastes like a treat? Great idea. Would I prefer to recommend stews and soups? Yes, and I do. Whoever wants to have those for breakfast with some supplements added let me know and invite me.
So let’s talk about ways to minimize the impact of the cold nature of smoothies. First, don’t add ice. ½ a frozen banana is cold enough and it’ll taste yummy. Second and the easiest thing to do, is to leave your smoothie out for 20 min. or so and let it warm up a bit. This isn’t a gourmet experience people it’s a vehicle for all those delicious, nutritious powders you’re eating.
An important point to consider is the fact that the vast majority of Western patients I see clinically have pathogenic heat and dampness as part of their constitution. Here’s an example. A person has trouble digesting certain foods and a weaker constitution. At the same time they have another pattern of bacterial overgrowth/imbalance or inflammation. In Chinese Medicine we would treat the heat/ damp excess condition first, or at least concurrently, with the weaker digestion root cause. This individual will benefit from a cleanse, complete with cold smoothies in the short term (3 weeks or less). Once a few layers of excess are cleared off it is much easier to strengthen the underlying pattern.
Chinese Medicine has a long herbal tradition of using heat and damp clearing formulas first, to pave the way for tonics later. So see? There is a historical basis for smoothie use after all ;)
Ways to offset the cooling nature of smoothies and add more life
Add warming herbs and good fats: Chia seeds, flax seeds or oil, hemp seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (fresh or dried) add tons of flavor, add nutrients, warm things up and balance the cooling smoothie.
Warm up your digestion first: Have a cup of hot tea. I like to let the tea brew while I make the smoothie then drink the tea while I let the smoothie warm up a bit.
Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Clinic Director at Glow Natural Health and Seattle Fertility Acupuncturist. She is passionate about healthy, happy living, exercise and food- both functional and delicious. She is a regular blogger. For an appointment call Glow at 206 568 7545.
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